That dreaded day is almost here, and if you still have no plan or ideas, here are a few to help:
Get a card:
Yes, sometimes you just need a card to express yourself (or to express itself for you). My favorite cards happen to be made by a small, woman-owned business called The Card Bureau. Janie, a former Capitol Hill resident, has a knack for coming up with the cleverest cards that say what you need to say, like, “I Want to Grow Old With You in Our Exorbitantly-Priced English Basement Apartment.” You can buy Card Bureau cards online, but why not support a local business like Jacob’s Coffee House, 401 8th Street NE? Jasmine carries not just the Card Bureau cards, but all manner of adorable cookies and biscuits to go with that card.
Get something sweet:
If cookies and tea biscuits aren’t your thing, how about you let them eat cake? I recently started using a new, locally-made app called City Walker, which can help you locate businesses within your immediate area. When I enter “cake” into City Walker, I get Fare Well, 406 H Street NE (great vegan cakes); Magnolia Bakery, inside Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Avenue NE; and my beloved Fine Sweet Shoppe, inside Eastern Market, 225 7th Street SE. The top two are definitely for champagne budget, while the Fine Sweet Shoppe has a lot of sentimental favorites (toll house choc chip, anyone?) for a lot less money.
(P.S.: Give City Walker a whirl. Click on the link above to download– it’s available for Android and iOS.)
Have some food and drink:
Yes. You messed up: Most places are probably booked for Valentine’s Day at this point. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t share a couple of special dinners that have caught our eye.
The Ugly Mug will host a special Valentine’s event called Meet-A-Marine. The fun starts at 7 p.m. with food and drink specials, but the real fun starts at 9 p.m., when you can bid on a Marine! Hubba, hubba and oorah! Proceeds from the auction will benefit HillVets, a non-profit organization empowering veterans to begin and advance in SecondService careers via networking, employment, and educational opportunities.
Bidwell Restaurant, 1309 5th Street NE, has a prix-fixe $55 menu for Valentine’s Day, with your choice of five different menus (including a really tasty-sounding vegetarian vegan menu) and an assortment of sweet endings.
Do something different:
Do you have a Valentine who isn’t into the typical wining and dining? Here are a couple of suggestions for those who seek a little something different:
Learn something new: Our good friends at Museum Hack have great tours at the National Gallery of Art– just a short stroll or Uber/Lyft drive down the Hill. Since the tours run on the weekends, they are not available on Valentine’s Day, but you can slip an IOU into a Card Bureau card and voilà!
Make your own flowers: How about a present that lasts all year and taps into your sweetheart’s creative side? Solid State Books, 600 H Street NE, is offering a paper flower making workshop on March 6.
Send a tree-themed Valentine: Sometimes, the best Valentine is the one that makes you laugh (with a hat-tip to Jessica Rabbit). Enter local tree nonprofit Casey Trees, which has an adorable set of electronic Valentines you can send to Casey Trees’ partners… or to your own partner! Click here and scroll to the bottom so you can tell your better half that they are TREE-mendous. Aaah…. so cute!
More fun things:
ApartmentList shared the Worst and Best Cities for Dating, a list they update every year. Looks like DC is slightly better for men than for women, but overall, DC ranks at #7. This means that if you’re single, it’s not because you live in a city that’s bad for dating. #SelfHelptotheRescue?
Finally, remember that our beloved Capitol Hill BID Safety Ambassadors will be on hand TOMORROW, Valentine’s Day, to make us all feel loved and hand out I love Capitol Hill pins and Hershey’s Kisses. You can catch them at Eastern Market Plaza from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Awww!
However you choose to celebrate (or not) we hope you have a good Valentine’s day. We’ll be your Valentine anytime!