My date with my soul-mate
By Gerald J

            My date was with my wife, who is disabled.  We decided to go to a place that would be relaxing and enjoyable for the both of us, so we decided to go to a restaurant on a Friday night which is very uncommon of us.  We decided to go to a restaurant named Café Intermezzo and return home to watch a movie before retiring for the night.

            The accessibility to Café Intermezzo was relatively easy for handicapped parking and they also had lit breezeways leading to the restaurant.  Once we arrived at the entrance of the restaurant there were hostesses at the entrance to escort us to our table, so it was not hard for us to find a seat especially since my wife is visually impaired.

            We arrived at the restaurant fairly early, so the activity around the restaurant started out relatively slow and very quiet, but as time went on tables began to fill and so started a lot of chattering, laughter, and sounds of dinner plates, glasses and utensils hitting the dinner table.

            Within the hour of arriving to the restaurant a vast amount of tables within the restaurants and its patio were occupied.  The tables were very close to one another in proximity, so crowding became the issue for the remainder of the night. The communication between my wife and I became distorted because of all the movement of people into the restaurant.

            The meaning of Café Intermezzo would be similar to the environment that one would experience in Italy; there were sculptures, dim lights and candle lights. The menu was listed with cruises that similar to the meals that perhaps in my opinion enjoyed by many of the Italians. The purpose created by the owner was fitting.

            The most noticeable issue that I was concerned about especially for those with disabilities was the legibility of the restaurant. During the time when the restaurant was at its full capacity for anybody trying to maneuver a wheelchair or a cane would be at a disadvantage because of the small amount of space because of so many tables, dim lights, constantly flow of staff and patriots, and among all no visible signs or Braille with instruction how to get a clear path to a restroom beyond a maze of thin isles. Another issue was the menu that listed their food and beverages that were printed in small letters and no Braille, so I had to read what was on the menu to my wife. I found that to be disturbing that anyone visually impaired trying to order a dinner would experience complications doing so if they were by themselves.

            I really enjoyed the sociality experience at Café Intermezzo, primarily because there was so much diversity and everybody were enjoying themselves in conversations without detachment among each other. What stuck with me is that no matter how people may oppose different cultural beliefs it makes me proud to see that we can come together with civility.

            My wife and I really like art and while we were waiting on our meals to be prepared we had the chance to experience sensory stimulation based on the relaxing music and Impressionism art displayed on the wall. In my opinion I think it allowed my wife and I to enjoy ourselves even more since we are normal bombarded with everyday rigors of school and other personal obligations.

            To conclude a nicely need evening we returned home ready to enjoy our privacy which involved watching a movie on a television that has a screen large enough that my wife can see even with her vision impairment. What away to end the night with the one you love without any interruptions.