Hudson Valley Restaurant week (HVRW). It comes twice each year, and I try to have at least one fancy dinner with Vicki each time it comes by.
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As you would expect, I usually present myself as Marian when dining with Vicki. During HVRW, I always try to dress up a little when going to nice restaurants, and I made sure that I was wearing a nice dress with stockings (actually, tights) when she picked me up. (I rarely present as a male when with Vicki.) Tonight's dinner was at Le Provincal, a French bistro in Mamaroneck. This is one of our go-to places for French food, but one we rarely eat at because of its normal price. HVRW makes this place affordable to us, as we would likely spend close to $200 for a meal for two.
Vicki drives differently than I do, and this is not a criticism or compliment. Like me, she tries to drive safely, but I noticed the differences in driving style, as I was a passenger for this trip. Arriving in Mamaroneck, Vicki moved close to the center of the street so she could slide into a parking spot both quickly and easily. However, some woman (Vicki used another word) decided to slide in between her and the cars to her right, stealing the spot from Vicki. I looked at the driver, and I noticed that she was likely an immigrant from a place where cutting into lines was accepted, and that there would be no gain from arguing with a person who is that inconsiderate. Vicki wanted to block this woman from getting to the parking spot, and I wanted to get another packing spot which would likely open up near the restaurant. Eventually, Vicki relented, and we got a spot much closer to the restaurant than the first spot was.
Dinner was excellent (as usual), but the wait staff we expected to see was off for the night. The dinner more than made up for the loss of the parking spot. Sadly, dinner was over too soon, and we took the long way home to chat. (It helped that Vicki missed my exit, and took side roads back to my place.) All in all, this was a pleasant evening. But next time, I'll do the driving.