Celebrations Galore! (Part 1 of 2)

So I’m a sucker for celebrations.  I’m that kind of girl who will just buy little gifts for people and sock them away for months, pulling them out for the smallest of special occasions.  I’m an enthusiast of random parties and obscure holidays.  It’s payday?  Let’s buy a cake!  It’s close to payday?  Let’s have some people over for dinner.  It’s your half birthday, you say? Let’s order in tonight! 

So when a real celebration comes along, (let’s say a boyfriend’s birthday), it’s pretty obvious that I’m not one to keep it small.  The other thing is though; I’m big on intimate celebrations.  Giant parties are nice and they definitely have their place, but keeping the number of guests down keeps a celebration personal and a bit more special, in my mind.  So when a certain boyfriend (let’s say my own) turned 19 this past Sunday, I sat up several nights scouring the internet for good date ideas. 

Another thing about me you should probably mention is that I love going on dates.  I’m kind of a date fanatic.  (Perhaps this is tied into my celebration obsession?)  I keep an ever-lengthening word document saved on my computer called “cheap date ideas”, in case the beau and I found ourselves with nothing to do or get tired of the usual dinner and movie combo.  And, of course, we’re both college students; we’re both employed, but it’s a true assumption that college student budgets are rather little (to put it lightly).  But this date had to be special, of course.  It was a birthday date.  And my meticulous date-planning started to spend a bit too much free time combing Ticketmaster, Boston.com and Google for something great to show my guy how much he means to me on his day.

But, about three days into my search, I was checked by a familiar but changing scene: the sight of my guy playing guitar, and the usual pleasure and joy on his face as he picked up the instrument and his practiced fingers started to strum.  He has one simple but overwhelming love (besides me, I like to think, although you should see his face when he plays guitar) - music.  And later that day, my omen came along in a passing comment, “I’d love to see the Dodos live.”  Lucky for me (and him), they had a concert in Boston on June 14^th, two days after his birthday.  No less, it was at Paradise Rock club, a venue we’d been to earlier in the year and both loved.  Easily accessible (right across from a stop on the Green line, cheapish drinks for people who can’t drink alcohol, good crowd, and couches on the upper level, which my bad knees always appreciated).  And reasonably priced tickets (for this show).  Score!

My next task was to find a good restaurant for the night.  It was kind of an easy pick; we’ve both bonded over our love of sushi…but where to go?  The options in Boston are nearly limitless.  Lucky again, while driving to a book signing in Coolidge Corner a few weeks prior, I passed Fugakyu Japanese Cuisine on Beacon Street in Brookline.  Again, right on the green line (different train than Paradise is on, though), and I had even been there once before as a freshman in high school.  I remembered the authentic (I’ve been to Japan and am a bit of a Japanophile, but that’s a story for another blog post) and beautiful (fountains, rock gardens and bamboo details) atmosphere and delicious food, and I knew it was a winner.  They even had online reservation booking- quick and easy from my desk at work.  The very best part?  A direct street that connects Beacon Street (Fugakyu) and Commonwealth Ave (Paradise).  It’s pleasant street, a quiet residential area and about a 7 minute walk to directly connect both places.  We enjoyed a small walk after dinner to get to the concert, the weather was cool and it was a nice moment to just talk and enjoy each other.  Literally: directly from Fugakyu to Paradise.  Check it on Google maps; so convenient and much less troublesome than taking the green line back to Park St. to switch trains.  An amazing find by my crazy date-planning self.

I added a note to my online reservation: “We’re celebrating- can we reserve a booth with a sliding door?  Thanks!”  My wish, their command.  Even with us running about 20 minutes late for our 6pm reservation, we still got the cool booth.  Amazing.  The sushi was fresh and delicious, and our waiter was really attentive and sweet.  However, caution: portions are big, and I always underestimate sushi’s ability to fill me up quick.  The beau and I ordered probably 15 pieces, (at my encouragement, “It’s your birthday!  Try whatever you want!”  Me and my celebrations.)  We had maybe 5 or 6 leftover, and we were both starving.  And since sushi doesn’t really bode well as a to-go meal, I’ll just say: watch your portion size.  We both left satisfied but not weighed down; it was the perfect light meal before a show.  It didn’t leave us sluggish and bloated, the ingredients being light vegetables, fish and rice.  Perfect for dancing later in the night!

SOON:  More on the Dodo’s concert, even more on Japan and a family outing- oh my!