Make a trip to
Jean-Marc Chatellier's
French Bakery in Millvale. Baguettes, éclairs, truffles,
macarons, tartes, even Steeler pastries. You'll feel like you've
taken a trip to Paris for the price of a car ride up Route 28. Avoid the
lines on the weekend and go on a weekday.
Make your own
fused glass Valentine or Valentine pendant at Pittsburgh Glass
Center's "Make
it Now" Open House on Friday, Feb 11 from 5 pm to 10 pm. No
reservations required. Technically, this is $25, but I'm including
it because the price could also be $0 if you want to just come out
to watch others work. Hot glass rocks.
A round trip on
the Duquesne Incline
and a bundled-up kiss under a starry sky on one of the Grandview
Avenue lookouts is always a great time for two. Check out the
charming little museum on the lower floor of the incline's upper
station. It's the only museum in Pittsburgh open till midnight.
Enjoy the view of
the ice skaters while you stay warm and cozy, sipping a nice glass
of wine at Table Restaurant in Peters Township. Ask for a table
overlooking Canonsburg Lake. [Call (724) 746-1126 for more
information.]
Or, if you're
still young enough to enjoy frictionless sports. Go ice-skating at
the Rink at PPG Place.
Split a wood-fired
pizza in front of the crackling fire at Il Pizzaiolo's wine bar
behind their main restaurant in Mt. Lebanon. Go on a weeknight
before 6 pm for the best chance to get a seat on the leather couch.
[Call 412-344-4123 for more information.]
Order the special
Valentine's Day 4-pack selection of cupcakes for pick-up from any of
Dozen's
locations in Oakland, Downtown and Lawrenceville. Does Spicy
Chocolate, Passionfruit, Vanilla Vanilla or Red Velvet sound like
flavors that will make your partner's knees weak? If not, check
their pulse.
Visit the orchid
show at Phipps
Conservatory as they celebrate "Tropical Sundays" in
February. Wear a tropical flower shirt for half-price admission.
Treat your partner
to a stress-relieving 15-minute chair or foot massage at Backrubs
and Bodyworks downtown.
Feast on pieces of
banana, strawberry and pound cake while enjoying a warm chocolate
fondue at the Melting
Pot in Station Square. If you're willing to spend a little more,
you can share cheese fondue, chocolate fondue and a bottle of wine
for only $38 per couple after at 9 pm on weeknights, 10 pm weekends.
Take in artist
James Turrell's Pleiades art installation at The
Mattress Factory in the Northside. It's a pitch dark room where
you sit side by side on a couch waiting for your eyes to adjust
enough to see Turrell's barely visible light show. Great
installation made even better by the hand holding opportunities.
See The King's
Speech at the Oaks
Theater in Oakmont. It's up for a ton of awards, it showcases
the sweet, loving relationship between King George VI and his queen,
and, best of all, the Oaks pops their popcorn fresh and uses real
butter!
For under $20 at
your local State
Store, you can pick up a bottle of Spellbound, Menage a Trois or
Promisqous wine, depending on how sexy you feel.
Nothing warms you
up when you're cold like hot jazz. For a cover charge of $10 per
person (if you're not eating or drinking; less if you are), you can
hear great jazz all night at Little
E's at 949 Liberty Avenue, downtown. Reservations recommended.
Take a stroll back
to your childhood at one of the last remaining Isaly's in Pittsburgh
at 448 Perry Highway in Westview. With décor hardly changed
since this outpost opened in 1950, Isaly's in Westview is dedicated
to giving you the true Isaly's experience including chipped ham
sandwiches, Klondike bars and Skyscraper cones. [Call 412-931-9994
for more information.]
If having hot
donuts cooked right before your eyes then dipped in luscious
toppings is your idea of nirvana, take your Valentine to Peace, Love
and Little Donuts donut shop, downtown and in the Strip. Hurry,
they usually close by mid-afternoon.
Is your Valentine
a skyline view fanatic? Enjoy a soothing glass of wine at the Sonoma
Grille Restaurant downtown. Ask for a seat by window and sit under the looming spire and kitschy weather beacon of the Gulf Tower.
Is your loved one
an architecture or history buff? Take one of several self-guided
walking tours of downtown Pittsburgh you can download from the
Pittsburgh History and Landmarks
Foundation site. Finish up with two cups of hot chocolate at the
Starbucks across from the Wood Street T Station and do some people
watching.
Rest assured roses
will still win you a smile. Your neighborhood florist can supply you
with a single rose even at the last minutes on Valentine's Day and you can supply the romantic note. How about a pink one to show you're an out-of-the-box thinker?
If all else fails,
what about a great romance set in your hometown? You can order a
Gwyn
Cready book on Amazon and a bottle of Village
Natural's bubble bath and have them both here in time for
Valentine's Day. Book, bubble bath plus shipping--$19.93. Two hours
of uninterrupted bliss--more than you ever thought a Valentine's Day
gift could be worth!
