TEN DATES // 04 A SCAVENGER HUNT IN THE VILLAGE

on saturday afternoon a few weekends back, brandon and i snuck away for a scavenger hunt date in the west village. it was such a great time.

we booked the date through HowAboutWe for Couples, our sponsor for the year, who plan curated dates for couples and are helping us celebrate our tenth year of marriage by sending us on ten of their tailored date nights, or in this case, date afternoons. and this was actually one of the free dates they offer to their members once a month. just because they're free doesn't mean they're any less fun or special. we had so much fun on this one, though admittedly i'm a US history nerd a self-proclaimed master of list checker-offing, so stuff like this really gets me going anyway.

the scavenger hunt is an app made by stray boots, a company that sets up walking tours of major US cities (and 3 UK cities) as scavenger hunts. basically you download the app to your smartphone, pick a city, pick an area of your city (there are 14 tours in NYC alone, and i seriously want to take them all!), and then they give you a starting point and a question, you get points for answering correctly (exciting), you get to wander all over the place, and you get to learn things about your city you probably never knew. for example... did you know that 20,000 bodies are buried under washington square park? i didn't. it used to be a public burial ground. i know. it's rad.

and really, i think dates on a saturday afternoon are where it's at. both satur-daytime dates we've been on have been my favorites, i think because it feels so very special and out of the ordinary to go out in the middle of the day, while the sun is up and you're full of pep. going out at night when you've been working hard all day... sometimes it's hard to rally, you know? on a saturday afternoon i feel like brandon gets the best of me and i get the best of him, and it's just so much fun to explore the city with him like we did in the old days. 

and now, highlights from our scavenger hunt, via pop quiz (and a fun giveaway too for our A students!). get your number two pencils sharpened!

QUESTION 01 // which famous building can you see between the arches at washington square? (you guys, it was really sunny out.) (this one's a freebie.)

QUESTION 02 // what do nyu students throw at the garibaldi statue at the start of each new school year? and how handsome is my husband mimicking garibaldi's at-the-ready stance? (extra credit, you don't have to answer that one.)

QUESTION 03 // which member of the beatles once lived on bank street?

QUESTION 04 // this is the northern dispensary, where which famous writer was treated for a head cold? 

we found this tiny little hidden garden on hudson street, with a single solitary rose blooming like crazy in the middle of all the dying foliage. it was really sweet.

QUESTION 05 // how long has mcnulty's been in business? (this one was fairly easy to figure out...)

QUESTION 06 // how many buildings are in this ultra private, gated cul de sac?

BONUS GIVEAWAY QUESTION: grove court is one of the quaintest and most expensive apartment complexes in manhattan. in 2011, a one-bedroom home sold for what record-setting price? (five lucky commenters with correct answers will win free 6-month memberships to HowAboutWe! check the bottom of this post for details.)

no question for this one, it was just the most amazing marionette show i've ever seen.

aaaaand a chair in a tree.

the afternoon was so much fun. along the way we stopped for our favorite snacks--a slice of pizza at joe's and a falafel at mamoun's--and it was just a really great afternoon of learning nerdy stuff about our city's history and being goofy all over the west village. i'm really excited too that we have something fun and new to do with my family when they come for a visit and don't feel like seeing all the same old stuff we always see. and it turns out, this scavenger hunt date was part of a family friendly collection of dates thoughtfully curated by HowAboutWe with new and expecting parents in mind. so there you go! we'd gotten a sitter for the afternoon, but brandon pointed out halfway through that huck would have really enjoyed tagging along with us, and we'd have enjoyed the afternoon just the same. family dates! i'm telling you. that's genius. 

this post was sponsored by HowAboutWe. right now you can get $50 off your first date by clicking HERE! we highly recommend that you do. we are having a blast.

p.s.

ANSWERS

01 // the empire state building! hello.

02 // pennies!

03 // lennon (he moved to the dakota after his place was robbed)

04 // edgar allen poe

05 // um, 1895

06 // six

leave a comment with your best guess at the bonus giveaway question. five winners will be chosen from the pool of correct answers on sunday night and contacted privately. good luck and happy commenting!