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Parents' Night Out

Grown-up ideas for a little romance
from Rochester's celebrities

 

An evening out...without the kids. It's a rare event for many of us. When it happens, we want to make it special, but all too often, we settle for the restaurant closest to the theater and whatever movie is playing in the right time slot. There's nothing wrong with dinner and a movie, of course, but the Rochester area has plenty of opportunities to make your evening out a memorable one. Below are some creative ideas from well-known Rochesterians. We will be adding to this page regularly, so check back frequently, or whenever you're thinking about a date with your sweetie. Enjoy!

 

Chuck Kelley Chuck Kelley, host of the Mix Morning Show
on Mix 100.5

Chuck Kelley's Parents' Night Out
When we get a babysitter for Paige (4) and Ethan (2), Rachel and I usually try to do things that would normally be rushed beyond enjoyment by our two wild animals. Here's what we're doing on our next date:

Early Evening: Going Christmas Shopping at Toys R Us at Marketplace Mall. We really enjoy doing the Christmas shopping for the kids together. We balance each other out: She goes for the practical, educational gifts, I go for the fun gifts that I want to play with.
Mid Evening: Heading over to Eastview Mall and dinner at P.F. Chang's China Bistro. The great thing about P.F. Chang's (in addition to the food) is the staff. You can just tell them what you're in the mood for, and they suggest items from the menu that you eat "family style" with each other. Always a pleasant variety.
Later Evening: Doing some shopping for Mommy and Daddy at Eastview Mall.
Late Evening: Catching the 10:30 improv show at the Geva Theatre.
Next Morning: Hoping that the kids sleep a little later than usual.
Elaine and Gary Fallesen Gary Fallesen, Outdoor writer, Democrat and Chronicle, with his wife Elaine

Gary Fallesen's Parents' Night Out
My wife, Elaine, and I usually find our solitude in a mocha at a coffee shop -- from Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters to Starry Nites Cafe to SPoT Coffee. We might drink in or take it to go and head outside (hey, I'm the outdoor writer!).

Shopping sans kids (ours are now 15 and 10 so they are a bit more independent) allows us check out more fashionable stores in Eastview Mall without any "can-we-leave-yet?" pressure. Dining sans kids means we can go to one of our favorite restaurants: Rooney's, Brio, Phillip's European, or one of the many eateries in the Park Ave/Monroe Avenue area -- and not have to remortgage the house to pay for dinner.

If we don't eat too much or if we just go out for a short date night, we might end up at Phillip's for dessert. And sometimes, just for fun, we'll jump in the car and head to Buffalo for taco supremes at Elmwood Taco and Sub. It's worth the drive and can be a romantic getaway even if it is only for a couple of hours. Hey, I-90 is the Lover's Lane for the post-modern generation!

As the Outdoor writer for the D&C, "eating out" for Gary often means melting snow for drinking water and cooking over a one-burner stove 15,000 feet up a mountain. He is the founding tove 15,000 feet up a mountain. He is the founding director of Climbing For Christ, Inc.
Christine Crafts Christine Crafts, meteorologist, WROC-TV Channel 8

Christine Crafts' Parents' Night Out

Unfortunately, my husband and I don't spend as much time together as we would like. We work opposite shifts so it is very important for us to make the most of our time together. Our kids are older (18, 16, 12) so it is a lot easier to sneak out of the house than it used to be.

My brother is an amazing chef and we love going to his restaurant/pub called T. Brennan's. (Shameless plug, but it really is excellent food!!) We also like Rohrbach's Brewing Company. We love to sample different microbrewed beers and they have a great menu too.

We usually wrap up the evening with a simple walk. It doesn't matter where we are...as long as we are ALONE!! When we get home we usually spend the rest of the night listening to Elvis Costello and sitting by the fire. Simple, but very nice!
Marti Casper Marti Casper, of "Ace and Marti in the Morning"
on The New Fickle 93.3 FM...Random Radio

Marti Casper's Parents' Night Out

Marti Casper, morning show co-host on Fickle 93.3 Random Radio, and her husband Bill, broadcast engineer, are the parents of 7-year-old Chloe and 4-year-old Andrew.

With our busy schedules, we rarely get out alone together. But when (and sometimes it feels like IF we do) we would relax first at the Dinosaur Bar-B-Q on Court Street for dinner, blues and a few beers.

Then, since we like to watch sports together, we'd go to a neighborhood sports bar and shoot some pool, play darts, and watch whatever game is on TV (basketball, baseball, football, or--we wish--hockey!). Then we'd go up to Lake Ontario and watch the lights sparkle on the water, and walk along the beach (if it's not snowing!).

At the end of the night, we would end up in our neighbor's hot tub with a bottle of champagne, good music, and adult conversation! Then we pray that the kids sleep in late the next morning!