Cupid's Ball at Spin Nightclub

Skip the predictable romantic dinner and flowers for your Valentine’s Day celebration.  Step outside the box and plan a Chicago weekend of Valentine’s parties and events. Whether your taste runs to the raucous or the humorous, there’s a Valentine’s Day adventure for you.  If you like improv, check out  A Valentine’s Show at The Annoyance Theatre.  Local actors collect audience suggestions and create a wacky and dramatic love story.  For wine connoisseurs and storytelling fans, try 2nd Story at Webster’s Wine Bar.  Couples and storytelling slam champs team up to perform original tales about their relationship turning points.  Order a wine flight and sit back and enjoy an evening of  relationship tales. Read More »

My husband has been traveling for work the last three weeks and will be gone for one more. So, writing about romantic vacations in Santa Fe this weekend felt like a cruel joke. But, even while feeling sorry for myself, I couldn’t help getting excited about this post!

I think that Santa Fe is one of the most romantic places in the United States to spend a vacation. It has all the right elements…it is mysterious, beautiful and earthy. It is a city of great restaurants, shopping, cultural attractions, outdoor activities and scenic drives.

Visit during any season and you will not be disappointed. In the winter the ground is covered in snow and the air smells of sweet pinon and smoke. In spring and summer you have green mountains, clear sunny days and cool nights. In fall, you have blooming Sage, vibrant Chimisa and intense yellow Aspen. This georgous year-round backdrop is the perfect setting for a romantic getaway.

There are so many wonderful things to do, restaurants to dine in and hotels to stay at that I couldn’t possibly whittle it down into this space. So, to make it more enjoyable for us all…I have put together a description of one perfect day.

Here it is:

Romantic hotels: I would want to stay at the very expensive Inn of the Anasazi (this is my ideal romantic day, remember-so money is irrelevent!). Second choice would be one of the distinctive rooms at the St. Francis hotel. In small touches and design, both places evoke Santa Fe’s rich history and colorful Southwestern culture.

Romantic (and tasty) restaurants: I don’t really think of breakfast as being romantic, unless it is served in bed. So, let’s just talk about some good restaurants that serve breakfast. I would want to spend the morning eating fluffy eggs and freshly baked pastries at CloudCliff Bakery. It is a nice spot to linger and read the paper. Pasqual’s is excellent as well with communal tables and a spectacularly unique and tasty menu. Get there early as the secret has been out for quite some time. Dinner would be at Geronimo’s or Santa Cafe. Both are very expensive, have exquisitely prepared food and are fabulously atmospheric. They exemplify the gourmet Southwestern cuisine that Santa Fe is famous for.

Romantic activities: There are two main things I would have to do (in addition to visiting museums and driving the many scenic drives heading out in any direction from town). First, would be to walk down Canyon Road. One of the oldest streets in Santa Fe, it is a haven for galleries, artist shops, and good restaurants. You could spend an entire day wandering down it’s cobblestone streets, looking at local paintings and sculpture.

This is sure to tire your feet and make you ready for some R&R…which bring me to my second “must do”. Ten Thousand Waves is a full service spa modeled after a Japanese Onsen. It is located on the scenic road up to Santa Fe’s ski mountain. They have a wide menu of treatments, from blissful massages, private hot tubs, meditation rooms and much more. I’m partial to their salt scrub massage and their fresh cucumber water that is available all over the property.

S0, break into that savings account, book a flight and ‘get your romance on’ in Santa Fe. After all, you only live once!

Thanks to Mark Coggins for the Santa Fe picture!

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

If you only visit Sea World when you go to San Diego, you’re missing out on a lot. Besides, how many times can you watch a whale jump through the air chasing a sardine? On your next trip, check out these romantic hotels – one of them is great for hookups, of both the romantic and the internet kind…

We recently stayed at the Sheraton Hotel & Marina, and while I know my husband chose it for its beautiful pool with cascading fountains and their cafe on the water, I know he also picked it for that one thing he knew would make me swoon: a plush internet lounge with WiFi. Because nothing says ‘I Love You’ like free Internet connection with a killer download speed.

To be honest, I’m not a big fan of Sheratons, but because we’re part of the Starwood program we decided to give the chain another try while on a recent visit to San Diego. We were pleasantly surprised – the hotel was in a beautiful location overlooking the marina, appeared to have been recently renovated and had excellent service. After lounging by the pool, we moved to the outdoor patio for a romantic evening sipping martinis by one of their outdoor fire pits. One definite buzzkill was the room service breakfast bill the next morning – how is it possible to spend almost $80 on a mediocre meal? I’ll tell you how – by cleverly hiding both a delivery charge and a room service fee in the bill, on top of which I unknowingly added a very generous tip. Luckily I was able to console myself with some quality time at Link, the internet lounge.

But one of our favorite places to stay is still the W Hotel located downtown. We love the modern, sleek rooms and the hip vibe – although if they heard me using the words ‘hip vibe’ they’d probably set me up in a room with a tub of Epson salts, a glass next to the bed for my teeth and a DVD boxed set of the Golden Girls. The Sand Bar on the roof is amazing – grab a private cabana, wiggle your toes in the (real) sand and sip a Mai Tai next to the one you love. You’d swear you were alone on a deserted tropical island if it weren’t for the techno music blaring on the speakers and the waiter who keeps showing up to ply you with expensive booze.

Not quite in San Diego, but close, is the Surf and Sand Resort in Laguna Beach. We haven’t been there for years, but it was one of the first hotels my husband and I stayed at together when we were dating (Yes, unmarried and in the same room! Sorry, mom.) This place truly is spectacular, and if you get one of the rooms on the upper floor of the main tower you’ll have a breathtaking view – a perfectly framed, unencumbered view of the ocean, sky and clouds. Now if that doesn’t scream romance I don’t know what does.

Photo: W Hotel, San Diego

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

Okay, so maybe Los Angeles doesn’t come to mind when you’re thinking of planning a romantic getaway. Freeways, smog, Paris Hilton – I admit none of these inspire an enchanting escape with that special someone. But take a look at these hotels – you might just change your mind. And if not, well – there’s always Paris.

Though I’ve never stayed here, I’ve heard people say that the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills is an ideal romantic retreat. Done in a fifties retro-style, the rooms feature Eames cabinets and Noguchi furniture, which may not seem romantic to you but really gets furniture designers hot. But here’s why this place intrigues me: My husband and I used to live around the corner when the hotel was the run-down Beverly Carlton. We visited once when we were considering putting up some friends there, but changed our minds when the place had the vibe of a Motel 6 infested with crack dealers. (Although, this being Beverly Hills, those would be filthy rich, Gucci-clad crack dealers.) But they’ve done an amazing transformation with the hotel – it’s now a hangout for hipsters and celebrities who like to lounge around their swanky pool.

For a more classically romantic feel, you can’t go wrong with the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown L.A. The hotel is currently celebrating it’s 85th anniversary, and has a rich history – besides hosting many celebrities and presidents, the hotel was the site of the Academy Awards back in the 30’s and 40’s. In honor of their birthday, the hotel is offering a special 85th Anniversary Celebration package that includes a deluxe room, a nice bottle of champagne and dinner for two at their acclaimed restaurant. Round out your romantic stay by indulging in their daily Traditional Afternoon Tea – just like a Royal couple! (Are any of them still together?)

One of my most memorable romantic getaways was at the Mondrian Hotel on the Sunset Strip. My husband surprised me with an anniversary weekend here, and it was amazing. Make sure you get one of their packages that includes a reservation at their famous Asia de Cuba restaurant and admission to the unbearably hip Skybar (opened by Cindy Crawford’s husband). This place features more celebrities per square foot than any other location in L.A. besides the cosmetic surgery ward at Cedars Sinai Hospital. Kick back with your amour in the stunning Seabar, have one of their unbelievable watermelon martinis and do what I do – try to figure out a way to make off with all their designer furniture. Now that’s romantic.

Photo: Mondrian Hotel