Well guys, our state, like most, is slowly starting to re-open after being closed for a couple months due to the Coronavirus pandemic. However, when our county applied to start phase one of reopening on May 21st, they were denied. They’re planning to try again on June 1st. But whether we’re able to start phase one on June 1st or not, we’ve still got a long way to go before we’re completely back to “normal.” Just like everybody else.

So I thought it was about time Pearson and I sat down and created a Post-Pandemic Date Night Bucket List! This list is all things that we want to do pretty much as soon as we’re able and feel it is safe. Some of them are taken straight from our 2020 Date Night Bucket List, but some are less exciting activities that we used to do before the pandemic and took for granted.

I highly encourage you to sit down with your spouse and/or family and create a post-pandemic bucket list too! It was super fun to think about all the things we’ll eventually be allowed to do again. Looking forward to these things definitely lifted my spirits. So without further adieu…

Our Post-Pandemic Date Night Bucket List

ONE || Visit all of our favorite restaurants

You guys! This may be the thing I’ve been missing the most! The independent restaurant scene is huge around here. Finding new, delicious places and frequenting our favorites used to be our date activity of choice. And it’s killing me that so many awesome Portland restaurants are having to shut down!

We have several favorites in Hillsboro and even specifically in Orenco (our little neighborhood). We’ve been trying to support them by ordering takeout etc, but it’s just not the same!

We cant wait to visit Swagath, Syun Izakaya, the Orenco Taphouse, 9 Dang Fine Thai, ABV, Killer Burger, La/Petite Provence, Nordic Northwest, 808 Grinds, Pok Pok… This list could go on for a while.

TWO || Spend a weekend on the coast

Back in September 2018 we spend a long weekend in a little cottage on the Oregon coast and it was heaven. It was the perfect little relaxing getaway. We brought Pip with us and spend the weekend, exploring the coast, reading, watching sunsets, watching Twin Peaks, cooking together and falling asleep to the sounds of the waves.

I’ve been wanting to do it basically since we left our little paradise. And being forced to stay home has made that itch so much worse. One day it will happen!

THREE || Go hiking

Oh how I miss hiking. Not only have we not been hiking since the pandemic hit, but it had even been a while before that. With the winter rain and our being super busy through the holidays and most of January and February, it has been too long! Unfortunately, most of the parks around here and our favorite places to hike are still closed. Hopefully they’ll be able to open safely soon!

FOUR || Attend a Hillsboro Hops game

The Hops are a local minor league baseball team who play only a couple miles from our apartment. I love baseball and minor league games can be super fun! I’ve been wanting to catch a game (or several) ever since we moved here and we never have! We will as soon as they start playing again.

FIVE || Go to an OMSI After Dark event

OMSI or the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is a science museum in Portland, Oregon. They “inspire curiosity by creating engaging science learning experienced for students of all ages and backgrounds.”

OMSI holds regular adult only “OMSI after dark” events. That doesn’t just mean they serve booze. It mostly means that you can explore the museum and whatever the traveling exhibit(s) is at the time without little kids running around and shoving in front of you. Plus these events have fun music and games on top of everything else.

SIX || Complete our McMenamins Passports

McMenamins is a local entertainment chain that takes super cool old building and turns them into restaurants, pubs, breweries, movie theaters and more! They started in Portland and have extended into other cities in Oregon as well as Washington.

Back in 2018, Pearson and I bought McMenamins passports. With the passports, you collect stamps as you visit all the McMenamins locations and attend special events etc. It’s super fun because these passports make us try out these cool places that we might not have ever looked into otherwise. Plus we can win fun prizes along the way and once we finish the passports, we get a grand prize!

SEVEN || Have a Portland day-date

This is something we’ve done quite often. We love just popping into Portland for a whole Saturday without an agenda. When we moved to a new apartment back in February, we were super excited because we now live 150 steps from a MAX train station which makes these trips into Portland even easier.

On these fun trips we usually visit some food trucks and maybe a couple other fun restaurants and bars. We always have to step into Powell’s City of Books for a bit. And we just meander into little quaint shops and check out fun spots we’ve heard about.

Unfortunately we only really got to do this once with the MAX station being so close before the lock-down happened. So we’re looking forward to more of this one day.

EIGHT || Go to the movies

I have to admit that another one of my favorite date activities is simply going to a movie. Pearson and I are fortunate enough to enjoy the same types of movies and it’s just sort of become a tradition to always go see the big blockbusters on opening weekend. We especially like going to an earlier showing and then dinner afterwards so we can discuss the film over a favorite meal.

I have really missed going to the movie theaters and I will be glad when they open back up. I’m also pretty bummed that a lot of the movie releases I was looking forward to seeing this spring and summer have been pushed back. Hopefully we’ll be able to experience them sooner rather than later.

NINE || Catch a show on Broadway in Portland

If you know me at all, you probably know I’m a musical nerd. I lost count of how many Broadway shows I saw while we were living in Columbus, Ohio. But only 2 of those were with Pearson. Last year we saw Aladdin in Portland and we were planning to see Frozen together this year.

So if the 2021 Broadway in Portland season happens (so far it’s scheduled), we’re gonna go see a show! Probably Hamilton!

TEN || Attend some festivals

Portland hosts a myriad of fun festivals, quirky parades, and fantastic parties all year ’round. Some of the biggest and best (the Portland Rose Festival, the UFO Festival, the Oregon Brewers Festival, Pickathon etc) happen in the summer.

As we get closer and closer to summer 2020 with all the cancelled festivals, I seem to get more and more sad. Here’s hoping things will be hopping again by next summer. I’m cautiously optimistic.

So tell me, have you created a post-pandemic date night bucket list? Or a bucket list for any activities you want to do after this pandemic? It doesn’t have to just be dates. Do any of my dates make your list too?

Thanks for reading!