Different dates

LONDON

Get yer jim jams on and head to 40 Winks on Mile End road for some seriously saucy bedtime stories. Celebrate Valentine’s with stories of ‘Love, Lust and Longing’ and chuckle at everyone in their sleeping gear.

 

MANCHESTER

Pop along to Barburrito on Piccadilly Gardens for dinner and take turns creating burritos for each other. I’d say go with the hot sauce every time, but you might want to check allergies before you go piling peanuts on top of everything.

 

BRIGHTON

What is better than a trip to the Pier to inspire teenage memories of dates gone by? Compare notes with your date about terrible teenage mishaps while zooming backwards on a G-force ride. Steady your stomachs after with fish and chips on the beach – preferably, in the rain.

 

 

EDINBURGH

If you fancy a bit of an electrical-speakeasy vibe, meet your date at Cabaret Voltaire on Blair Street on the 13th, then spend VDay itself dissecting every little bit of the indie-folk-rock band, Chasing Owls.

 

DUBLIN

Enjoy a sophisticated teatime treat at the Cake Cafe on Camden Street, with a plate of delightful home baked cake and a glass of bubbles. From your vantage point, you’ll be able watch all the men dashing around looking terrified, trying to remember whether their girlfriends and wives said they liked getting chocolate as a present.

 

BIRMINGHAM

Grab your date and head to the Bullring, put aside £10 each and challenge yourselves to find the worst Valentine’s themed item in the place. You have 30 minutes to search, then meet up for coffee, exchanging your ‘gifts’ and sharing the tales of your adventure.

 

EXETER

Treat your date to an Exeter Red Coat Guided Tour exploring the Ghosts and Legends of the city. Wrap up warm for the tour then make up for all the calories lost in the adrenaline of being in the city at night surrounded by scary stories by chowing down on some hot street food like pancakes or noodles.

 

CANTERBURY

Get yourself and your date to the brand new Marlowe Theatre for a DJ Workshop and spend the day mixing tunes and premièring your beat at the end of the day. Once you have finished storming the charts you can stroll down the High Street and enjoy any number of delicious pubs and restaurants – check down the side alleys for the really good stuff.

 

CAMBRIDGE

Feeling romantic? Take your date to the shores of the River Cam and hire a punt. Languidly float through the waters cuddled up together under a blanket, with a thermos of soup and some fresh bakery bread. While roaming the river, you can discuss such serious topics as the meaning of life, where babies come from and why X-Factor is still going for another series.

 

LIVERPOOL

Pop out of the city towards the Wirral and spend the day surveying the farmshops and noshing down on as many free samples as you can get your sticky mitts on. Take turns delving into conversation with the vendors and decide on choice foodstuffs to take home and picnic on later.

 

 

 

That most hackneyed of days is upon us again. Valentine’s Day, where we randomly celebrate the martyrdom of St Valentine, who was stoned, beaten and beheaded for marrying Christian couples at a time when Christianity was most definitely bad for your life expectancy.

 

Whether you find yourself single, in a relationship or somewhere in-between, February 14th has always had a mysterious hold over people. The onset of the presents and proclamations of love ideology has merely opened the doors to feeling rather forced the have a romantic day mid-way through the shortest month of the year.

 

Well, be you one of those who applaud or disregard V’Day, the point remains moot – what to do? Do you head out to dinner à deux with your sweetie, smug in the knowledge that you have a ‘special someone’ to share food with? Do you laugh in the face of tradition, grab your mates and go out on the pull? Do you attempt to ignore the entire thing only to find yourself dripping ice cream on the duvet at 2am while watching Sex and the City?

 

Here’s the thing – Valentine’s Day isn’t going anywhere. It makes too much money for the card companies, heck, it could single-handedly restore the economy if more people felt a little love this year. So, for once, how about waiving the disgruntled arguments about ‘cheap tack’ and how roses are rubbish anyway? Why not grab someone, anyone – be they mates, mums, crushes, acquaintances or random strangers and head out on a date? I’m not talking mushy, I’m talking using the day for your own ends and having an experience to remember.

 

In the hope that you will take my sage advice to heart, I’m including in my next post a little go-to list of all the places I would go Valentine’s Day if I could but replicate myself to be in more than one place at once.

 

However, should that list fail you and you actually live in the official middle of nowhere, may I suggest grabbing the first 5 people in your Facebook Timeline and getting them all over for a good dinner, some dancing and a few naff party games – remember the one where you had to dress up and complete an obstacle course? Rename it ‘Get Date Ready’ and come up with the most horrific looks you can for each other. Send us some pictures when you’re done!