CUPID'S TIP: BANISH BORING BE-MINES.Byline: BARBARA CORREA Staff Writer Need a surefire way to tell your sweetheart you're bored with the relationship? Send her flowers and chocolate this Valentine's Day Valentine's Day: see Saint Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day Lovers' holiday celebrated on February 14, the feast day of St. Valentine, one of two 3rd-century Roman martyrs of the same name. St. . That's this year's warning from the experts. The competition for romantic Valentine's Day gifts has become heated in recent years, raising the stakes in the game of love. ``Women have high bragging rights. You've got to have a good story to bring back to your girlfriends,'' said Helen Malani, chief shopping expert at Los Angeles-based price comparison Web site Shopzilla.com. ``You see women comparing the size of flower bouquets, almost like a measure of (his) love.'' Play it safe, go exotic That competition is leading to more exotic gifts, like cooking classes or hot-air balloon rides, as men feel pressured to outdo themselves, Malani said. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. results from separate surveys by Shopzilla and the National Retail Federation released last week, romance on Valentine's Day is more important to men than women, and men are planning to spend more this February than they did last year. That means moving beyond flowers and candy. ``Men want to spend quality time with women, and that comes across in what they want as an experience. We've seen a big upswing in personalized gifts ... there are sushi-making classes with personalized fortune cookies, dance lessons.'' The theme this year, Malani said, is ``experiential.'' ``Experiences (more so than objects) create romance and bonding,'' she said. It's hard to know what is prompting men to be more open-minded in the quest for Verb 1. quest for - go in search of or hunt for; "pursue a hobby" quest after, go after, pursue look for, search, seek - try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the romance. But Malani attributes a lot of it to women's disappointment with Valentine's Day gifts from years past. ``Fifty-five percent of women say they have been let down in previous holidays. Over time, messages do resonate.'' Luckily, party planners and attractions across Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, have already come up with plenty of very romantic, unusual experiences sure to impress the pickiest of Valentines. Here are a few: Beyond dark chocolate Dining in Dining in is a formal military function for members of a company or other unit. The practice is thought to have begun in 16th Century England, in the monasteries and early universities. the dark - a trend that started in Europe - has come to Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . Opaque, a restaurant located in the Hyatt West Hollywood The Hyatt West Hollywood is a 262-room hotel located at 8401 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, California (at Kings Road). It opened in 1958 as the Gene Autry Hotel. Sold in 1966, it was renamed the Continental Hyatt House. on the Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile and a half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's east border with Hollywood at Marmont Lane to its west border with Beverly Hills at Phyllis street. , seats guests in a pitch-black dining room to be guided and served by blind or visually impaired individuals who have been specially trained to serve meals in the dark. The idea is to create the sensation of temporary blindness to concentrate all the senses on the food. Three-course meals (around $100) feature unusual dishes such as pancetta-wrapped filet mignon fi·let mi·gnon n. pl. fi·lets mi·gnons A small, round, very choice cut of beef from the loin. [French : filet, fillet + mignon, dainty.] Noun 1. , truffled truf·fle n. 1. Any of various fleshy, ascomycetous, edible fungi, chiefly of the genus Tuber, that grow underground on or near the roots of trees and are valued as a delicacy. 2. mac and cheese and Thai curry with forbidden rice & baby bok choy. Be warned: Diners will need to let their tastebuds confirm just what it is they're eating. For reservations, see www.darkdining.com, or call (800) 710-1270. Chocolate spa You're not actually bathing in liquid chocolate, but it's about as close as you can get. For $125, the Gauthier Total Image Spa in Sherman Oaks will wrap your body in chocolate sauce, to ``detoxify de·tox·i·fy v. 1. To counteract or destroy the toxic properties of a substance. 2. To remove the effects of poison from something, such as the blood. 3. and balance excess body fluids.'' Other Chocolate Spa treatments include the Hot Chocolate Melt Away, in which hands are dipped in warm chocolate paraffin, body is massaged with a Chocolate Cake scrub, and warm stones are massaged on the neck and shoulders, all while taking hot chocolate and biscotti Biscotti (plural of Italian biscotto, roughly meaning "twice baked") are crisp Italian cookies often containing nuts or flavored with anise. Traditionally, biscotti are made by baking cookie dough in two long slabs, cutting these into slices, and reheating them to dry . For spa and chocolate lovers who prefer to indulge at home, Gauthier is selling gift baskets filled with an aromatic Chocolate Candle, Chocolate Mint Body Scrub, Chocolate Body Mask, Chocolate Shower Gel, Chocolate Liquid Soap, Chocolate Bar (hand soap) and Chocolate Body Moisturizer mois·tur·iz·er n. A cosmetic lotion or cream applied to the skin to counter dryness. moisturizer n → crema hidratante moisturizer moist n ($120). Love is in the air "Love is in the Air" is the 14th episode of the ABC television series, Desperate Housewives. The episode was the 14th episode for the show's first season. The episode was written by Tom Spezialy and was directed by Jeff Melman. When roses and chocolate just won't do, treat a loved one to a hang-gliding lesson. The husband-and-wife team at High Adventure will take you into the skies above San Bernardino, with views of Crestline and Marshall Peak. Tandem lessons are $140. Call (909) 883-8488 or go to http://www.flytandem.com. Wine, dine and dance Watch tango and salsa preformed by professional dancers while you enjoy a romantic dinner of Spanish tapas and wine at Wiens Family Cellars in Temecula. The sampling event, on Feb. 11, the Sunday before Valentine's Day, will include four wines paired to each of the tapas on the menu. Join the dancers after dinner for salsa and tango lessons. $65 for wine club members; $75 for nonmembers. Call (888) 989-4367 for reservations. Moonlight serenade serenade [Ital. sera=evening], term used to designate several types of musical composition. Opera and song literature yield numerous examples of the serenade sung or played by a lover at night beneath his beloved's window; outstanding is Hire a mini-mariachi band to serenade your sweetie at a restaurant, at the beach, on a balcony - or just at home. Party Time Entertainment will send three or four mariachis to the location of choice for $300 to $500. Gary Valentine, manager, says he gets a lot of requests for house calls to help patch up lovers' quarrels, and demand is always high for romantic proposals of marriage. For reservations and more information, call (310) 393-8353. Going stag Who says Valentine's Day is a strictly couples-only holiday? Each year, the Queen Mary in Long Beach, one of Southern California's most romantic spots, celebrates Singles Night Out, a Valentine's Day party in its Grand Exhibit Hall. This year, original Saturday Night Live cast The following is a list of Saturday Night Live cast members, past and present. The cast members of Saturday Night Live are often referred to as the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players". member Garret Morris hosts and The Knack performs live ($20). Go to www.lasinglesnightout.com for tickets, or call (310) 722-5612. A birthday for Elmo Kids can celebrate Valentine's Day, too. Mrs. Nelson's Book and Toy Shop in the city of La Verne is throwing a birthday party for Elmo on Feb. 14. A special visit from Walkaround Elmo celebrates the popular character's big day. Advance reservations are required; meet and greet sessions are scheduled hourly from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Presentations include a story and a craft. And best of all, it's free. For reservations, call (909) 599-4558. barbara.correa(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3662 Valentine's Day trivia: The average consumer was expected to spend $100.89 on Valentine's Day last year, with total spending forecast at $13.70 billion. Almost 61 percent of consumers plan to celebrate the day. Every year about a billion Valentine cards are sent. After Christmas, it's the single largest seasonal card-sending occasion. Verona, the Italian city where Shakespeare's tragic lovers Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet star-crossed lovers die as teenagers. [Br. Lit.: Romeo and Juliet] See : Death, Premature Romeo and Juliet archetypal star-crossed lovers. [Br. Lit. lived, receives about 1,000 letters every year sent to Juliet on Valentine's Day. SOURCE: Daily News Research CAPTION(S): box Box: Valentine's Day trivia: (see text) |
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