Have you ever noticed that Valentine’s Day has the ability to make people really belligerent? It doesn’t matter if someone is an expert on the first date or has been in a relationship for a long time, Valentine’s Day can generate strong, often negative opinions! While it’s obvious to more than the cynics among us that this “party” was created to manipulate the money out of our pockets, it’s still hard to avoid the romantic expectations of the day. Now, I’m as romantic as anyone else, and I don’t think anyone is advocating getting rid of romance entirely, but I do think most people resent being told they have to spend all kinds of money to be happy. considered romantic. There are many people who boycott Valentine’s Day, and not necessarily because they cannot bear the public displays of affection, but because they do not equate hyperconsumption with romance!
This year, on Valentine’s Day, you have three options, as I see it. You can avoid the day altogether; You can call frantically and try to get a reservation at a fancy, ordinary, and EXPENSIVE restaurant, or you can get a little creative. You can celebrate true romance without hurting your budget or diverting your long-term goals. We have to stop thinking that money equals love. That’s a dangerous mindset, and besides, it’s just not true!
However, as we all know, it can be difficult to be creative in Boston, as it is a very expensive city. Especially in winter, when free or inexpensive outdoor events are more difficult to find, it’s tempting to decide to take a break from dating and romance until spring. I maintain that there are many creative solutions to this problem so that you can have fun romantic dates all year long and not worry too much about your budget. We all deserve the chance to participate in the cheesiest day of the year without emptying our bank accounts, or (worse) depleting our credit cards!
I’ve compiled several great ideas for fun, romantic, creative, and inexpensive ways to enjoy our great city!
1. Ice skating and snuggle up with some hot chocolate
There are several wonderful options in the area for ice skating. You could go the more well-known traditional route and go rollerblading at Frog Pond on Boston Common (which is a lot of fun!), But there are a couple of other great slopes in the area that are worth considering. The Charles Hotel in Harvard Square has a small skating rink in front of the front door. The best part about ice skating in Harvard Square is that afterwards you can go around the corner to LA Burdick’s cafe for their acclaimed hot chocolate! Additionally, Kendall Square has a community skating rink. This Valentine’s Day, it might be fun to visit the Kendall Square rink as they put on a free ice skating show in the middle of the night. Whichever you choose, be sure to bundle up, you are sure to have a good time with your date!
Information for this Valentine:
Frog Pond Skating, Boston Common: Open Thursdays from 10 am to 9 pm (admission $ 4 per person, skate rental $ 8 per person and locker rental $ 1)
Charles Hotel Ice Skating, Harvard Square – open Thursdays from 2 pm to 8 pm (skates $ 5, skating fee $ 5)
LA Burdick’s Harvard Square Cafe, 52D Brattle Street, Cambridge, Thursdays 8 a.m. M. A 9 p. M.
Kendall Square Community Skating, 300 Athenaeum St., Cambridge – Open Valentine’s Day from 12:00 to 22:00 (admission $ 4 per person, skate rental $ 5 per person and locker rental $ 1)
2. Borrow a classic movie from the library and make your favorite food together.
Sometimes there is nothing more romantic than a relaxing evening at home together. First, be sure to turn off both cell phones, turn off the computers, and make a promise to pay exclusive attention to each other at night. Decide what your favorite food is and then go shopping together to get the ingredients. Go home and prepare it together. Light a couple of candles and enjoy your masterpiece! Then snuggle up on the couch and enjoy a classic romantic movie together. If you like books more than movies, this idea would be equally romantic with a classic novel or a book of poetry.
3. Go roller skating!
Travel together to a time when there was nothing greater than taking a ride around the skating rink with your crush! Enjoy some great music and a break at the snack bar together. They can show each other all their roller skating moves from yesteryear!
Information for this Valentine:
Chez Vous Roller Skating Rink, 11 Rhoades St. Dorchester, MA 02124 phone 617.825.6877 ($ 4 cheap skating on Thursdays includes skate rental)
Roller World, 425R Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906781-231-1111 ($ 6 Thursdays 3: 00-5: 30 – unclear if skate rental is included)
4. Visit a museum together
It is a little known fact that there are some easy ways to visit some of our local cultural institutions for free. Spend Valentine’s Day enjoying local art, science exhibits, or observing marine wildlife (penguins are very romantic creatures, after all, as we learned in the March of the Penguins). Showing your cultural side could be very attractive to your date!
Some advices:
Most local public libraries allow you to borrow passes to the MFA, Science Museum, or Aquarium for free! I recommend calling your library as available passes vary by location.
The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) is FREE for everyone from 5 to 9 pm every Thursday for Target Free Thursday Nights
5. Play with the animals at the MSPCA
If you and your date are animal lovers (it probably helps to ask them before planning this one!), I can recommend a great activity. The MSPCA-Angell Animal Care and Adoption Center is a wonderful facility full of cats and dogs who would love to play with you! This is especially a great activity if you both live in small apartments in the city and can’t have pets of your own. During adoption hours, you can usually come in and visit all the animals. What a fun way to gift love on Valentine’s Day!
MSPCA Animal Care and Adoption Center, 350 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130 (617) 522-5055 mspca.convio.net (Thursday, open 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm)
6. Go on a scavenger hunt in the city center together
When you meet up after work, create separate lists of fun / cheesy things that you and your date should capture with your cameras. Spend the night combing the city and taking turns looking for items on each of your lists until you have completed both lists. Celebrate your accomplishments by taking your cameras home, printing your photos, and creating a memorabilia album out of a cheap bottle of wine.
7. Fenway Park Tower
You’ve probably both been to Fenway Park many times to enjoy a game, maybe you’ve even been together, but have either of you been “behind the scenes” at Fenway? If the Red Sox are your or your date’s first love, or both, this would be a great way to celebrate Valentine’s Day! During the winter months, construction is underway, so your tour will include the press box, the State Street pavilion box, the Red Sox Hall of Fame plaques and the oldest seats in history. Major League Baseball Plus, pitchers and catchers are showing up for spring training today, so you’ll be celebrating two “vacations” with this tour!
Info:
Tickets are $ 12 per person. Hours are 9 a.m. M. At 3 p. M. Reservations are not accepted and walk-in sales are recommended.
8. Enjoy a night at the theater!
There are inexpensive ways to enjoy more traditional dates in Boston. I have not found a better website than Goldstar.com for theater and event tickets. It’s free to register on the website and every week they will email you the best deals. Goldstar.com offers tickets to most popular local shows and events at half price or less. I have not seen better prices anywhere and for a variety of events. I have not been able to order tickets personally from the site yet, but I hope to do so in the future. Worth exploring, if you’re interested in a theater date this Valentine’s Day!
http://www.goldstar.com
9. Surprise your date and take her to lunch.
You may have noticed that none of my recommendations include dining out at restaurants. The easiest way to avoid spending a lot of money during your date is to eat at home before you meet and then spend time together focusing on non-food related activities. However, if you and your date really enjoy a meal together, there are cheaper ways to do it. My first recommendation would be to surprise your date at work and take her to lunch. Most of the time, restaurant lunch menus offer very similar rates to their dinners at half the cost. Also, neither of you will be tempted to order multiple alcoholic beverages (which can be very expensive) if you return to work after your appointment. Plus, there’s something very romantic about escaping from their busy workplaces to steal some time alone, especially if you don’t see each other often during the day!
10. Go out to dinner
I know, I know, I just said that dining out in Boston is the easiest way to spend a lot of money on your date. However, there are some creative ways to dine cheaper. Also, I’m sure there are still some of you who have made it to the bottom of this list and feel like you can’t get through Valentine’s Day without taking your date out for a nice dinner, so this last item, n. 10, it’s for you! There are a few things you can do. First, why not celebrate Valentine’s Day the next night? This year, this strategy is very convenient, since the night after Valentine’s Day is Friday. On Valentine’s Day, many of the downtown restaurants have an expensive preset menu. The next day, most of the time they will go back to their usual menu, which is generally less expensive. Second, you and your date can decide in advance to eat your food at the restaurant and then you can have drinks and dessert at home. A bottle of wine is much less expensive at the liquor store than at the restaurant. Finally, visit the website http://www.restaurant.com to purchase a discounted gift certificate for your favorite restaurant. The offers on the website are amazing. You can often get a $ 25 gift certificate for $ 10 or a $ 10 gift certificate for $ 3! Also, as a new customer to the site, you can usually find a coupon code online for the middle of your first gift certificate. You can only use one certificate at a time, but the site is very convenient as you can pay online with a credit card and print the certificate on your printer before heading to the restaurant.
http://www.restaurant.com
With a little creativity, romance lives in Boston and it doesn’t cost much!
I’m interested in hearing your creative ideas for cheap dates in Boston, especially during the winter months. Share your favorites!