20 Valentine's Gifts

The boyfriend and I are doing a hideaway romantic trattoria dinner at the local Italian. Ideal NYC Valentine's Day experiences? Let's see - a carriage-ride in the park is one such option. Or a rooftop dinner with the panorama at the Beekman Hotel. Or a rare-book-hunting excursion at The Strand! The possibilities are endless; NYC is such a romantic city

I love how stylish the gift suggestions are, BroadwayBK. Only in NYC!

@uranimfish Ha...thanks. I am seriously considering buying that heart pendant from Etsy... for myself. Aesthetic is so important around these parts.

@BroadwayBK that heart pendant from Etsy is very cool as is the yellow submarine tea diffuser. The better half and I have kind of exchanged gifts already..the Furla bag was my V-day prezzie and he wants new jeans! romantic huh? I will leave the dinner choice to him this time around since my disastrous effort at Cafe Parigot last year was not much appreciated.:)

Looks like the message board there has devolved into Worst Valentine's Day Ever stories. Some of them are pretty grimly, morbidly funny... Do you guys exchange gifts for V-day, or just do special events?

@ajadedideaist I've always been one for just making it a date night.... if that. Not a big fan of holidays in which half the city takes to the streets.

I usually go out and buy gifts for my friend. My friend and I exchange gifts on that day.

Wow, I just spent way too much time reading the VDay horror stories at the bottom of the article.

@Uraniumfish same here some of them were so pathetic! I usually don't make a big deal about Valentine's day.. the husband used to dutifully send me flowers every year until I stopped him from doing so. I would rather have something which lasts me longer than a few days though we do tend to go out to dinner that night.

I'm okay with just acknowledging the day in some small, charming way and then moving on. A simple kiss can do wonders.

@uptowngirl All the stories seem to have in common very high expectations for the day on the part of the poor victims...guess I've never thought of this day in particular as a culminating point in any relationship I've had.

I used to buy flowers and a card. Now I just buy a card and get a card and kiss in return.

This is cute. Village Voice's article, "10 Really, Really Bad Valentine's Day Gifts" http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2010/02/10_really_reall.php To complement the list of really good gifts.

Thanks for the link Uraniumfish. Hey, that's a good idea. Bring home a basket of junk food, especially candy, and watch as the lady throws you out of the house for doing so. With my girlfriend being on a diet, she definitely would do that to me.

@Uraniumfish that list was a scream.. I think I actually once bid for a project posted by that company that makes those I am sorry pillow cases. They had a whole line of T-shirts and stuff.. didnt get it :( and those home made V day gifts I think the TV networks have gone overboard with those today NY1 had a segment on some doodads that you can for the big day make including paper flowers! yikes!

Okay, and this one definitely belongs in the over-the-top category. This spa is offering chocolate body wraps fro Valentine's Day: http://www.lecachetspa.com/ValentineDaySpaSpecialsNYC.html Yikes!

@uraniumfish I think chocolate is quite a common ingredient in the lovey-dovey stakes.. I remember someone gave me a tub of chocolate body butter as a gag gift on my hen night. it smelled divine and looked scrumptious but just the thought of all that gooey, sweet stuff on me made me sick and I love chocolate. The kit which came with a spatula had instructions to get your lover to smear and spread and then lick!!!! needless to add it elicited a laugh but then was relegated to the dust bin.

@Uraniumfish Nice list. Thank goodness someone finally put an official rejection stamp on those stupid coupons you can buy for free backrubs and what not. I can't imagine what I would do if a significant other showed up with a coupon demanding God knows what. And does chocolate have some sort of benefit for the skin that I should know about? Back when I was prone to acne I was always warned to stay away from the stuff.

I'm no expert on this stuff, but it seems to me the chocolate is just gimmick. They'll use some normal body wrap substance and then flavor it with chocolate, and charge you more for the exoticism of it. And yes, don't eat any chocolate if you want to have decent skin. Though I think dark chocolate in small quantities is recommended by dieticians as a mild and more healthful alternative to coffee. Don't hold me to this, but I think dark chocolate isn't as bad for your skin, either.

Bizarrely, uraniumfish, when I used to suffer from terrible eczema, the doctor told me to try a little piece of dark chocolate everyday. My skin cleared up in no time - dark chocolate is great in small quantities.

Dark chocolate has antioxidants, which are needed for the immune system for proper healing, and also is good for energy displacement, among other things. Dark chocolate does have its place, but eat it in moderation, as it can be fattening.

I love dark chocolate - but ONLY in small quantities. Otherwise it can be overwhelming (see: the hot chocolate from City Bakery).

@BroadwayBK I hear you but apparently you are meant to have hot chocolate shots at City Bakery and not the smalls or the extra small sizes. A list on cheap eats posted by ajadedidealist mentions this.

@uptowngirl Ha! I saw that!

@BtoadwayBK: Go for the dark chocolate, girl, just don't eat too much, or you know what will happen.