Date Night(s): Rapid City

Last week, I visited my boyfriend in Rapid City, South Dakota, where he goes to school and stayed to work over the holidays. I think those four days were the longest we've spent together since last winter break! (Long distance can be tough, but I know it could be worse. At least he's not overseas.) During the time we spent together, we went on some pretty amazing dates. So if you're ever in Rapid City, here are some fun things to do (and good places to eat!):

Ice Skating

Rapid City has a fun new square downtown, complete with an ice skating rink! It was pretty cheap, too, at only $15 for both of us to rent skates and get all-day passes. After we were done skating, we went to a '50s-style diner right by the rink (I think you can actually skate up to the order window) to share an Oreo milkshake. And yes, we had two straws for one milkshake. Disgustingly cheesy, right? :)

Sorry for my squint; it was actually really sunny! We were wearing sunglasses, but we felt silly

wearing sunglasses and ice skates, so we took them off for the rink.

Good Food, Good Wine, C'mon, Let's Dine!

For most of our meals, we decided to go out and try some new restaurants. My two favorites were both located on Main Street, right across from the ice skating rink....

• We ate dinner so early on Thursday that we were the only patrons at Delmonico Grill for our entire meal. This was both a blessing (great service!) and a curse (I felt like the staff could hear everything we said). But, the food was delicious, which outweighed any self-consciousness I felt. I ordered the Linguini alla Carbonara, a pasta dish with chicken, mushrooms, peas and bacon in a cream sauce. Yum! It would have been delicious leftovers the next day, too, if Jonathan hadn't pulled it out for a midnight snack during our Redbox marathon later that night. (Ahem!)
• Jonathan had to work most of Saturday, so we made reservations at Botticelli (no website available) after his shift ended. (Hence, the outfit below doubled as his work clothes and date clothes.) We ordered a bottle of the featured wine (DaVinci Chianti) and Caprese to start us off, and I ordered the featured fish of the night because it was served over mushroom risotto (my favorite!). It turned out to be delicious, so delicious that I ate the entire thing! (And we all know how grossly over-proportioned Italian restaurant dishes are.) I wish I could remember the name (that's why I shouldn't wait so long to blog!), but I do know the waiter next to us told his table there were only three left after I ordered mine. Score!

Jonathan works at Men's Wearhouse, so he never turns down an opportunity to dress up!

Other Attractions

I've visited Jonathan about twice a year since he began school in Rapid City, so there are a lot of nearby attractions we've already experienced, including Mount Rushmore and the Dinosaur Park. On our list for next time I visit? Deadwood, a fun little town north of Rapid City with casinos and some (reputedly) really yummy restaurants!

 Photos from my visit to Jonathan during our freshman year of college.