Date idea: helicopter lessons!
When it comes to gifts, I’m particular about what I like: spa treatments, fresh flowers and experiences. Instead of jewelry or clothes or any tangible thing, I’d rather do something new or go somewhere beautiful: share the sweet anticipation, enjoy the time together, savor the memory.
For Christmas this year, my boyfriend nailed it: he surprised me with a helicopter lesson! We binged on this “air traffic” iPad game on the 12-hour train ride to to Montreal (which was actually incredibly addicting) and neither of us had ever been in a helicopter before: it was a fantastic combination of thoughtful and extreme (which I obviously LOVE). We waited until the weather cleared up before booking our afternoon flight with Core Helicopters in New Jersey, and we somehow managed to choose the PERFECT day: pale blue (albeit windy) skies with puffy white clouds stretched high above suburban New Jersey, Stanton Island, Manhattan. Also, the airport is right next to a suburban New Jersey Target: we drove by it on the way in, and I am not ashamed to say that the excitement of going to Target after totally sustained me through the flight.
After an hour-long safety presentation where you learn about the basic controls of the helicopter and essentially what NOT to do, we headed up into the sky. Since each of the helicopters is a two-seater–they compare their helicopter experience with the tourist ones as being that of a bus versus a racecar–it’s only you and the pilot in the helicopter. Ergo, we went up in separate helicopters.
The basic flight is 15 minutes, but we each extended our time so that we could see Manhattan from the air. 
So. Cool.
Channeling my inner Top Gun: leather jacket and aviators, obviously
Eek! Manhattan in the distance!
