This Valentineās Day, Downtown Weekly is your āBoogie Leading Cupidā. Here are some arrows to point you in the right direction with 10 Great Places for LOVE this Valentine’s Day and the Dates That Go With Them.
The Cheap Date:
So what if Valentineās Day falls a day before payday. You donāt have to be a mega millionaire to enjoy dating in the DT. Take Metro! For just under $2 you can avoid traffic and meet up with your date at any of our Metro Transit Center locations. Metroās Bike Share located above will keep you well within the bike lane boundaries of love. The lowered Bike Share fairs mean plenty of open-air sightseeing, adventure as you ride through the least perilous streets of DTLA. Donāt forget your helmet. www.metro.net
From any Metro Bike Share Station you can reach Grand Central Market in under an hour. Built in 1898, Grand Central Market is a Historical Landmark and has been around longer than love, so itās virtually impossible not to impress your date with its tremendous food options and historic surroundings. No need to splurge, GCM has plenty of food vendors with menu items under $15. We recommend Prawn Coastal. They serve hearty plates and bowls of seafood along with craft beers and wines. However, if youāre really low on reserves you can always just buy candy, dried fruit or nuts from La Huerta, one of DTLAās oldest candy vendors.
Did we mention our arrows have side effects? Hereās where the romance kicks in. Watch out Romeo and Juliet. Across the road from GCM we have the tale of Olivet and Sinai. Two hopeless romantics who enjoyed the ups and downs of love before tragedy struck. Olivet and Sinai are the names of the two original cars at Angelās Flight. On Feb 1st 2001, an 83-year-old man was killed, and his wife and six other people were injured when Sinaiās cable snapped and hurtled the car down the steep track before crashing into Olivet. This probably wonāt happen on your date. In fact, donāt mention it. Just enjoy the bike ride; historic tour and vintage train ride to Grand Ave on your Cheap Date knowing inside that nothing says āI love you,ā like āIām willing to risk it all.ā
The Interpreter:
For those of you who prefer a date full of wonder, itās no longer an uphill climb thanks to Bunker Hill. BH boasts Downtownās finest museums, concert halls and performance playhouses. While these venues offer world-renowned programming, all ending with standing ovations, for a more eclectic mix of programming that will always leave you guessing and many times forever changed, we recommend Cal Arts REDCAT. REDCAT will help leave your dateās performance strictly up to interpretation. Are we getting along? Are we happy inside? What are we missing in life? You, know, those types of thoughts. Although REDCAT wonāt be showing a particular performance on Valentineās Day, thereās nothing to stop you from surprising your date with season passes over dinner at any of Bunker Hillās extravagant restaurants. www.redcat.org
The High Life:
Nighttime is the right time for love under the stars. This Valentineās Day you can come closer to the stars than ever before thanks to Downtownās tallest building, The InterContinental Hotel. Watch the sun go down high above the city, sharing an angelās view as you enjoy fine wines and signature cocktails amidst conversations surrounded by the finer things in life. Hopefully, youāve made your reservations. ICH offers three fine dining options; La Boucherie, an elegant American steakhouse with a carefully curated wine list featuring up to 1,200 hand-selected international and American wines. Sora, a fresh-cut menu of endless sushi thatās not at all afraid of heights, and
Unlessā¦.
Youāre allergic to seafood. Upon which case we recommend you do the turf without the surf, but keep the romance.
The Hopeless Romantic:
Feelings of excitement and mystery associated with love arenāt unique to DTLA. But, you have to admit we just do romance well. Our selection of candlelit fine dining experiences complete with ambience and interior magnificence just make you want to fall in love. And, if youāre in touch with your sensual palette, than youāll come again and again to enjoy all the climatic pleasures Downtown LA fine dining establishments can give you.
One of DTLAās favorite romantic getaways is TomGeorge. TGās menu brings its experience from Italy by way of Budapest and selflessly makes sure your needs are met. This Valentineās Day TG puts you on top with four courses of culinary lovemaking under the cover of BLINI Cavier, Burrata Salad, and Filet Mignon, topped off with a rich dessert. www.tomgeorgela.com
Another fine dining establishment carrying with it the air of Italian romance and sophistication is Brera Ristorante. Brera, formerly known as Officine Brera, unveils a menu that stays true to the traditions of the countryside of Northern Italy with a modern twist. This year at Brera, Valentineās Day comes two days early with Ayala + Bollinger Champagne Dinner – six courses. Brera is not only romantic; it’s fun. Itās set with an industrial warehouse feel, which matches its Arts District surroundings perfectly. Although the main dining area is under skylights and exposed bricks, Brera also features private dining options for more intimate pairings along with a rotating calendar of special events. www.breraristorante.com
All Fun and Games:
You want to surprise your date. You blindfold them and lead them up a ramp into a space that feels open with a steady hum of whispered conversations interrupted by an occasional nervous giggle. Your date wonders whatās going on behind the blindfold and suspects itās an exhibit but is thrown off a bit when you instruct them to open their mouth to play a little game of āwhat food is this?ā After a bit of persuasion, your date decides to trust you and lets you place a tiny piece of cold flesh on their tongue that stinks like chocolate drenched in vinegar but chews like wet spam. Below the blindfold, your dateās fantastic smile is now a twisted grimace.
The blindfold comes off only to reveal the truth.
Itās Hakari, a fermented Shark Fin from Iceland. Your date is grossed out. But not as grossed out as they are after looking around to discover you brought them to the Disguising Food Museum at the A + D Museum. Thereās some gagging, maybe even a bit of throw up. Your date is not amused but appreciates the effort, and slowly gives into the learning process. But, Haha, now itās your turn to eat something and this place has everything from bullās balls to sheepās teeth for you to choose from. www.dfmusa.com
Just when you thought you were tired of playing games when it comes to your love lifeā¦ Step right up at Two Bit Circus in the Arts District for a day of virtual reality, story rooms, arcade games, food, and a full bar. Why compete in real life when you can escape to a place where the loser buys drinks and the winners take all? www.twobitcircus.com
The Meat Orgy:
We know. Some people want to think of the new DTLA as some virgin landscape untouched by man. But sorry, itās just not. DTLA is Naughty and Nice! And, we like to keep it that way.
This Valentineās Day there will be booze. There will be strippers! There will be meat!
Brack Shop Tavern teams up with Drunken Devil Burlesque twice a month to present Deviled Eggs an aphrodisiac-infused brunch with interactive characters who reveal their truths throughout the morning. Downtown Weekly wants you to lick their ribs. Their BBQ Ribs! They are delicious and tender. www.brackshoptavern.com
Special thanks to our Historic Venues for keeping our legendary burlesque and vaudeville performance stages alive. If you havenāt had the chance to attend Tease if You Please, youāll be glad to know youāll have a chance this Valentineās Day to catch the monthly stage performance at Exchange. These dames come with no fillers and racks that just wonāt let you simmer down. Truly a carnivorous delight. www.teaseifyouplease.com
It’s Low Riders and pandemonium on the grill at the Mayan during LUCHA VAVOOMās Sold Out, Valentine Show. Be careful not to bring your veggies to this mix of Mexican Wrestling Beef Cakes and saucy Burlesque Femme Fatales. If youāre not careful you may just get your salad tossed right out of the ring. www.luchavavoom.com
Get Tribal with La Junta Sound System at BRINCA
If you feel like joining in and dancing after watching these amazing dance performances, don’t worry. It’s only natural. Although you may not be ready to strip down to your smallest undergarment, DTLA gives you plenty of options to strip away your inhibitions on the dance floor. Thursday is usually a slow night for dance clubs but not when La Junta host Elevate Lounge. This Valentine’s Day we get tribal with BRINCA featuring Reggaeton, Cumbia, Dembow, AFroBeats and Latin
