Detroit Couples Share their Favorite Spots
Candy and flowers for Valentine's Day are always good. Time spent together, alone and uninterrupted, is better.
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Exotic locales bring out the romantic in everyone
But to overworked couples, that may seem like an impossible dream. Excuse No.
1: There's too much to do. Who's going to take care of the house, the kids,
the pets, the extended families while we're gone?
Excuse No. 2: There's no time. You can't squeeze true romance into an extended weekend. What if you've only got one night free? That barely leaves time for a DVD and a pizza.
Now for the good news. Five metro Detroit couples have agreed to share their ideas for romantic, yet realistic, vacations.
Never mind the deserted isle off Fiji or the monthlong Mediterranean cruise. These are convenient locations that twosomes can visit with a minimum of fuss and maximum enjoyment.
So read on and take heart. If they can do it, so can you -- perhaps this Valentine weekend?
Pennsylvania retreat
Looking for a vacation spot that answers all your questions: Where to go, what
to do, where to eat, where to socialize?
Jonathan Edison has a suggestion. Last year, he went to the Caesars Pocono Resorts in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains with his girlfriend, Angela Jordan. It's the sort of place where guests never have to worry about what to do next.
"They have paddle boats, they have golf, they have bike trails, they have Jet Skis. And about every 200 feet, there's somewhere you can stop and sit in a hot tub," says Edison, 29, the assistant principal of Detroit's Katherine B. White Elementary School (and a 2003 Wayne County Community College's spokesman for success in a current TV ad).
Edison and Jordan enjoyed the resort's daily activities, like a golf-putting competition she almost won. There were indoor swimming pools and saunas for chilling out, and Jet Skis and nature trails for working out.
"The most romantic thing was you could explore the trails together," Edison describes. "We rented a bicycle built for two for an hour. We'd stop by the lake, put our feet in the water, then stop by a hot brook and soak in there."
Best of all, they never had to leave the resort. "You got to do everything -- relax and enjoy yourself, get out and have fun," says Edison. "They had it all right there for you."
Right around the corner
Christy McDonald works evenings as an anchor for WXYZ-TV (Channel 7). Jamie
Samuelsen spends mornings on the air for WDFN-AM (1130). Their schedules
make lunching together easy but not much else.
That's why this husband-and-wife media team looks to the weekend for getaway opportunities. It's the small sliver of time when neither of them is busy broadcasting.
One of their favorite retreats is a luxury escape right in their own backyard.
"We don't do a ton of out-of-town stuff because of our jobs, so we'll splurge on a room for a night at the Ritz Carlton," says McDonald.
At the plush Dearborn hotel, their emphasis is on each other, not the rest of the world. A no-cell-phone rule is put into effect. Friends and family are told they'll be away from home but not where they're going.
On a normal weekend, McDonald and Samuelsen tend to keep one eye glued to a television, either because she's monitoring the cable-news networks or he's watching a sports game. But on Ritz evenings, they linger over dinner at a nice local restaurant before checking in, remembering to save room for the hotel's strawberries dipped in white and black chocolate to resemble a tuxedo.
"It's one of those things where even though it's only 20 minutes down the road, you're going somewhere relaxing and beautiful," says McDonald. "It settles the mind."
It also settles the issue of who does the housework. Explains McDonald, "At the Ritz, someone else makes the bed."
A shot of passion
As someone who leads relationship enrichment workshops, Terri Orbuch knows
the importance of getting away from it all.
"Where you choose to travel is really important," says Orbuch, a sociology professor at Oakland University and research scientist at the University of Michigan. "I recommend a trip focused on a common interest or a shared memory, whether you like to go antiquing together, or you take a ski trip that reminds you of your honeymoon. All of us need a shot of passion in our relationship."
Orbuch recommends small hotels or bed and breakfasts, preferably those with few communication links in the room.
And don't be discouraged if it's only a short trip. "One night is good enough," she advises. "If you can spend a whole weekend, that's wonderful."
The psychologist follows her own advice for romance. She fondly remembers the phone-free, TV-free weekend she spent with her husband, Stuart Jankelovitz, at the Terrace Inn in Bay View, the eye-catching Victorian village one mile from downtown Petoskey.
"We went in the winter, so we walked around. I love the water and long walks," she says. "We had a nice, leisurely dinner. We shopped and explored the town."
And, no, the West Bloomfield couple didn't miss the modern amenities for the weekend. "A lot of people might say, what about the nightly news? I want to watch my favorite show. But you need those distractions out of the way, so you're required to talk. The point is to emphasize the alone time."
Meeting friends
Rebecca Sorensen has her Valentine plans set. She and her husband, Richard,
will be heading to Bayfield, Ontario for a weekend at the Little Inn, a
charming former coach stop that dates to the 1830s.
On the drive through Ontario, the Sorensens may stop for a little antiquing. Once there, they'll meet up with three other couples, friends from home who are part of their regular dinner club.
"We all enjoy one another's company, and we all have children in the same age range," says Rebecca, a senior vice president at UBS PaineWebber in Bloomfield Hills. "The kids typically get to come to the dinner parties. But every so often, we try to get away as couples."
The Little Inn weekend will include a full country breakfast and a five-course dinner featuring five champagnes. In between, the group will gather for a chocolate truffle workshop.
"It's not going to fit with my Jenny Craig diet," Rebecca says with a laugh.
In the past, members of the dinner club have ventured together to places like Stratford, Ontario for a theater outing and the Colorado River for a rafting tour.
"We get plenty of alone time on the drive there," says Rebecca. "Then it's great to see everybody. It's become a fun tradition."
Weekend interlude
In September, Pamela and Al Evans celebrated 30 years of marriage. It's a milestone
that speaks to the caring and effort they put into their relationship.
The Southfield couple has a standing date every Friday night. Two or three times a year, they extend that evening into what they call "a weekend interlude" -- a short jaunt to a destination within driving distance.
On a recent trip to Toronto, Pamela and Al saw "The Lion King" and ate at several new restaurants. They browsed the city's bustling Yonge Street and trekked to Kensington Market, where Asian produce stores and funky resale shops rub shoulders with Jamaican eateries selling jerk chicken and ginger beer.
"One thing my husband always says is he likes to be on vacation because he gets my undivided attention," says Pamela. "We feel it's been very helpful to keep our love alive."
The couple, who have two grown children, are active in the marriage ministry at their church, Third New Hope Baptist. In addition, they're currently taking a marriage workshop at New Prospect Baptist.
And here's a detail many women will envy. Although Pamela, a property analyst for the Michigan Department of Transportation, and Al, a computer programmer for DaimlerChrysler, both enjoy their special weekends, he's the one who handles the arrangements.
"He plans them all," she says. "He deserves a lot of credit."
