My husband and I celebrated our 8th anniversary this past weekend. We wanted to find something to do that was fun and special, but we had commitments spread out across the weekend that inhibited us from traveling too far. Sometimes it is fun to be a tad spontaneous so we decided to grab a hotel Downtown Detroit (only 20 minutes from our apartment) and not make any other plans at all.

It helps us tremendously to get away from the apartment for a night or two. There is a deeper attention that we are able to give each other when we are not surrounded by reminders of to-do lists or obligations. Even if we aren’t traveling far we enjoy treating ourselves to an overnight away so we can focus exclusively on each other.

Instead of buying gifts for each other, we decided to wait to spend our money together on our anniversary. My husband had the EXCELLENT idea of starting our evening AT THE MALL! (He really knows me.) We stopped in our favorite restaurant/bar for a happy hour drink and appetizer then headed to our favorite stores. It was so much fun trying on clothes for each other and helping each other pick out our outfits for the evening.

After our shopping trip we headed downtown to check into our hotel. We stayed at The Atheneum, an all suite hotel. Since it is April and still quite cold, the busyness of parties and weddings hadn’t started yet, so we were able to get a great deal on our room. And their rooms are FABULOUS. You also can’t beat the location, right in the heart of Greektown.

Once we were checked in and found our way to our room we got busy… getting ready, of course! We decided to go to Fishbones for dinner since it was so close and their food is always delicious. We both ordered a fillet and we were not disappointed. They were tender, juicy and flavorful – everything we would expect while celebrating our special occasion.

The night was young, the city was alive and we hadn’t the first clue what we were up to next. This was a lot of fun and has made for some pretty funny memories. We were at the mercy of suggestion and it proved to be an adventure for us.

The Atheneum offered a free shuttle within a 5 mile radius around the city. The driver recommended we try a club called Vain, where there happened to be a guest DJ that night. He dropped us at the door where we, of course, stood in line to get in. $70.00 later (not including the coat check) we were inside a techno dream, feeding off the energy of deep base and adrenalin.

It was a bit much for us old farts so we headed to the balcony to watch the DJ and fans do their thing. It was an art in its own right and I couldn’t help but wish I had a pen handy. This is something we NEVER would have chosen to do on any other night (or probably will never do again), but we were glad to have had the experience together.

We had such a fun night. It was the perfect mix of romance and spontaneity without traveling out of town. No matter how often we head to the city we could never do it all. Finding new venues to experience keeps our relationship interesting and a lot of fun. Happy Anniversary, Baby!

What do you like to do as a couple when you are celebrating something special?

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Tags: anniversary, cab, celebration, City Life, Detroit, dining, Disc jockey, DJ, fashion, Fishbones, food, fun, get-away, gifts, Greektown, Hotel, Money, night club, Night Life, Relationships, Restaurants and Bars, romance, shopping, spontaneity, spontaneous, Techno, The Atheneum, Vain, venues