Whether you spend it rapt in the duress of passion, wrapped in the familiarity of protracted wedlock, teaching young ones the ritual of surprise, sequestered in the immediacy of great company, tending a secret infatuation, or drunk and desolately alone, Valentine’s Day (Tuesday, February 14) provides an impetus to get out and do something to shake up the routines that are already settling back in after the holidays. Here are some suggestions for the special someone(s) in your life on that particular day.
Chocolate
Unless your loved one is allergic or diabetic, chances are they will appreciate a soft mouthful of sugary, fatty cocoa solids. Arnoldi molds their chocolates into all kinds of shapes and packages, some made just for the occasion. Gift baskets range from under 200 pesos to over 500. They also stock special large hearts and heart boxes for the holiday. Find Arnoldi stores in La Gran Plaza, Plaza del Sol, Plaza Mexico, Plaza Arcos, Galerias, Pabellon and Andares.
Chocolate also makes a great gift for the children on your Valentine’s Day list.
Spa treatment
What better gift for your significant other than a quiet, relaxing day away from you? The El Chante Spa is offering 13 gift packages ranging from about 2,000 to 4,000 pesos. Packages include various spa rituals, scrubs, facials, massages, baths and manicures. Check out the full range on their website under “programs.” El Chante Spa is located on Manuel Acuña and Abedules in Zapopan (contact 3813-0298) and the El Chante Hotel Spa is on Ribera del Lago 170-1 in Jocotepec (contact (378) 763-2608). Packages are good until March 31. www.elchantespa.com.mx. Available in English.Flowers
People covet the busy, sweet stench of botanical reproductive parts so much we grind them into concentrated oils and sell them in attractive glass bottles. This Valentine’s Day, why not go for the original? Several flower markets throughout the city will be happy to serve your lothario needs, even if they do charge mysteriously inflated prices at this time of year. Outside of Parque Agua Azul, on Calzada Independencia just north of Washington, an array of flower vendors can arrange the perfect floral testament to your love. For big selection and savings, head to the Mezquitan flower market one or two blocks south of the Mezquitan subway exit on Federalismo. Yes, its purpose is to serve the insatiable floral appetites of the departed, but this marketplace also serves as a main distribution point for the city, so you’ll find wholesale prices and plenty of decidedly non-funeral bouquets.
Dinner
Decorative old Mexico restaurant Santo Coyote is offering a romantic special for Valentine’s Day. For 390 pesos per person, each diner gets a combination of soup or salad and entrée. Each pair also receives five cocktails, a three-chocolate mousse and a dreamcatcher totem blessing.
Upstairs at the Santo Cachorro bar, 300 pesos will buy each couple entry to a violin concert and two glasses of sparkling white wine. The show starts at 8 p.m.
Reserve now to get the best seats. 361-8472. Located at the corner of Lerdo de Tejada and Javier Gamboa.
Recital
If you want to get a little more serious about your love-wracked gesticulations, pianist Andre Sarre and cellist Isaac Ramirez will be weaving their instruments into a tangle of yearning melody on Valentine’s Day. They will perform five pieces from the 20th century at the Ex Convento del Carmen (Av. Juarez 638) at 8:30 p.m. Entrance is free.
Last-minute option: E-cards
E-cards, descendents of those compulsory class valentine exchanges from grade school, are a great low-level way to say “I’m thinking about you” to someone you’re not wooing. A quick internet search will show several websites that offer e-card services, most with both free and paid cards. Bluemountain.com has a more professional aesthetic than most of the others, but it will cost a monthly (3.99 dollars), yearly (19.99) or biyearly (29.99) subscription. Remember, sometimes it’s the thought that counts. An e-card might just be enough to make a relative or a friend smile on Valentine’s Day.