Cheap Dates

Ten ways to show your Valentine some love, for less

ove it or hate it, you can’t avoid it: Valentine’s Day looms. (You can blame Esther Howland of Worcester for importing the idea of Valentine’s Day to America in 1847, when she started a business in her home making Valentine’s Day cards.) But we have a few off-the-beaten-path, affordable ideas for you to make it less of a cliche. Bring him to a Buddhist temple with just the right mood lighting. Take her bowling in the moonlight. Try a cozy neighborhood restaurant where you can sit and gaze into each other’s eyes. What you do afterward (and with whom) is your business—hey, we’re all about secrets here, be they the spicy sort from porn7.xxx or the more loving and romantic kind—but we think we can help you make your day all that much more memorable. For way, way less.

Can’t afford to go to Venice for the weekend? Take him to the next best thing.
 

What could be more romantic than moonlight bowling?
 

Tapas and other Spanish standouts by candlelight in a restaurant named for an artist
 

More tapas, as big as a meal, in an intimate and affordable hideaway with bargain-priced sangria and Flamenco music
 

Want a really kinky V-Day? Check out these sexy secrets of our city.
 

Romantic Italian—that’s not in the North End
 

An affordable romantic dinner at a restaurant named for a TV bar
 

Coffee and good food—with a view you can share with a loved one
 

Romance and good food in the suburbs
 

Wine and chocolate, together at last