injera

My wife won a trip to the superbowl back in 2011, right around my 30th birthday and a few months after we got engaged. Money was tight at the time (planning a wedding and buying a condo and both of us in grad school) so while the trip included flights, hotels and tickets to the game we almost passed on the trip due to having the pay for food/drinks/cabs in Dallas as well as the approx $1500 in taxes we would owe. We figured it was a once in a lifetime trip and bit the bullet (taking the $ from our wedding budget, which, 4 years later was a great idea).

Wonderful, albeit pricey weekend. After the game we were trying to find a cab headed back to downtown Dallas. There was no formal cab line and private drivers were asking $250, more than we had.

An older couple approaches us and offers us a ride. I know you shouldnt take rides from strangers but they appeared to be in their 60s, drove a nice car with Wisconsin (Packers won that year) plates and a Jesus fish so we figured it would be safe enough.

One of the nicest conversations i've ever had on this hour ride back. They told us about their lives up in Wisconsin, their children and soon to be born granddaughter. We told them about our lives in New York, our upcoming wedding, our planned graduations for later that year, our families back home. Just a very pleasant ride and I was sad to see it end. We exchanged emails and became facebook friends on the drive home.

As they dropped us off, the husband pulled me aside and gave me some advice. Something along the lines of "We've been married for 40 years, we've had some good times, we've had some bad times, but we've almost stayed together. My advice to you for a happy marriage is to never stop appreciating your wife, dont take her for granted (sp?) and always treat her the way you did when you were first dating. He then pulled out $300 and told me to take her to a nice dinner. He wouldnt take no for an answer so we spent that evening having a late dinner at one of the finest restaurants in Dallas (Joe Montana was at the table next to us).

We've exchanged a few emails over the years and met them for lunch when they were in NYC a couple years later. Great people.

We paid it forward last year, riding the subway back home after an Arcade Fire concert in Brooklyn we started talking to a young Scottish couple who were taking their first trip outside the UK and happy to be in NYC. They were staying at a hostel and enjoying the finest street food NYC had to offer. We would up recommending our favorite local restaurant and insisted they go the next night and told them we'd pick up the bill. They were floored and had a wonderful night (La Pulperia on 85th & 2nd in NYC if youre a New Yorker).