Best Date Ever

Valentine's day and my birthday are rapidly approaching. Both of which I will mostly spend alone. Sometimes I feel left out listening to my classmates talk about things they are planning to do with their significant other on Valentine's day and celebrating each other's birthdays. Albeit, I have a very interesting weekend coming up (I'll be heading to the Syracuse zoo on Saturday for an introduction to elephant reproduction via artificial insemination followed by dinner with SyracuseSurrogateParents). Still, it wasn't quite enough.

I decided there was no reason I couldn't go on a date by myself, with myself. My classmates go out to fancy dinners to celebrate events with their significant others. Why should being single stop me from having a nice romantic dinner? So I made reservations at a restaurant I've been wanting to try for a year and a half but can never find anyone to go with me (perhaps because it is quite a drive, being in the neighboring town of Trumansburg), Hazelnut Kitchen.

Even though I had made a reservation for one, when I got there the host asked, "Just you?" and I replied tacitly, "Yes." I arrived right when they opened and so had my pick of seats. I chose to sit in the window at a table for two, facing the street, illuminated by an old fashioned street lamp.

They offered me the wine menu, but I declined, saying I would have to drive back to Ithaca in the bad weather and so wouldn't be able to drink. I asked for a list of their non-alcoholic drinks and they kindly brought me a fizzy orange Italian soda that they elegantly poured into my wine glass. I sat by the window sipping my soda out of a wine glass feeling quite content and uncharacteristically posh. Later they brought me delicious bread with their homemade chive butter.

I ordered the roast quail, although I am normally vegetarian. It was absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious. With a side Caesar salad topped with warm, olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette soaked roasted artichoke. I ate slowly, enjoying the silence, the relaxed state of not having to make conversation or struggle to find something to say to someone after an awkward silence. It was very peaceful and I can honestly say I savored every bite of the meal much more than I do when I'm with someone.

About halfway through my dinner it started to snow quite furiously. By the time it came to order dessert, I declined, saying I'd love to but I wanted to get back before the roads froze.

I was extremely lucky that I made it home in one piece. In the short time I'd been at dinner, three inches of snow had accumulated on my car! The National Weather Service had issued a severe weather warning for the evening that I foolishly ignored (granted, their three previous warnings for the week had amounted to minimal snow and no ice). But this time they were right. The freezing rain turned to blinding snow that coated the thin crust of ice on the roads. I pulled over on a side street to think about how best to approach the drive home when, quite serendipitously, a plow truck came by and I pulled in behind it and followed it all the way back to Ithaca. I couldn't see the road at many points but I could see the flashing lights of the plow truck just ahead of me and followed them and thereby stayed on the road. On my drive I saw a total of three police cars and two fire engines accompanying several accidents and spin outs. It only took me six tries of getting up the driveway and shoveling madly in between each try to finally park my car and get to unwind from the drive. I'll try to post photos soon. And I am already thinking of when I can next make a date with myself at a nice restaurant. Perhaps my birthday?