I have dedicated my life so far to the study of love and of romantic convention. For as long I can remember, I have been a romantic: first hopeless, then reckless, now erring on the side of pragmatic. I have made a fool of myself for love many times over, broken countless hearts (my own included), and even tried and failed my hand at poetry. My undergraduate degree is in Latin, that long-suffering language; the majority of my credits came from courses on erotic Roman poetry and romantic novels of antiquity. I have penned six romances and published three. Some people are bitten by a “love bug,” but for me it’s more of a feature.
In addition to the above credentials, I am lucky enough to live in Greenwich Village, the historic home of artists and poets and amorous alcoholics—and now the president’s son’s next one-night-stand. (NYU: the gift that keeps on taking.) So, if you want some tried and true recommendations on how to spend your money locally this Valentine’s Day, read on! But before you raise your whip or splatter me with fresh blood (as was ritual custom during the ancient Roman festival of fertility, Lupercalia, held mid-February), let me assure you that I agree: Valentine’s Day is contrived, commercialized, and the cause of much crowding, congestion, and camera flash. But it doesn’t have to be!
I am not the sort of writer who hauls her late grandfather’s tank of a typewriter to the local coffee shop and proceeds to annoy everyone with anachronistic clicks and clacks—and I don’t write out my drafts by hand, either. However, I have kept a diary, handwritten in a code of my own devising, since my mid-teens. And I adore written correspondence, an old-fashioned indulgence that has resulted in my being embroiled in more than one international epistolary romance.
My go-to for writing supplies is Goods for the Study, a McNally Jackson off-shoot with two convenient locations: one in the West Village and one on Mulberry, just south of Houston. Whether you’re embarking on your own epistolary courtship, or you’ve decided your pen isn’t worthy of your paraklausithyron, or you require ink that cries out crimson as your heart’s blood, wander over to whichever is closest and test out the product in-store! If you haven’t the time, inclination, or verbosity to compose an original ode, peruse the prefabricated holiday card collection—higher quality than anything you’ll find at the drugstore, and less likely to pale to your romantic rival’s pick.
Chocolate is a staple of the Valentine’s Day diet. For those who wish to support a historic local chocolatier, rather than bore your lover with the usual overpriced generic box—the contents of which remain inextricably tied to child labor, the climate crisis, and American imperialism—look no further than “Manhattan’s Oldest Chocolate House.” Founded in 1923 and originally located on Christopher Street, Li-
Lac Chocolates remains near and dear with a storefront on Bleecker—just be wary of weekends, when the tourists descend…
Li-Lac has yet to abandon its principles (freshly made chocolates of the highest quality) so you really can’t go wrong. Enamored of a WNBA star? Reach for the life-sized chocolate basketball—the detail is remarkable. Seducing a high society sophisticate? Dark chocolate cherry cordials and bittersweet glacé oranges. Reconnecting with your childhood crush? Chocolate crayons in colorful packaging should earn you at least a kiss upon the cheek. And I’d be remiss not to mention my valentine’s favorite: Li-Lac’s dark chocolate-dipped graham crackers. Sweet and subtle, these stackable snacks are perfect for tired parents and young fools trying to play it cool, alike.
Fear not: if you find yourself unhappily alone on Valentine’s Day—stood up by an internet stranger or subjected to a very public, very performative, very poorly judged proposal—Li-Lac has your back. Treat yourself to a half-pound or two of “break-ups.” These aptly named chunks of chocolate are fantastic fuel for stoop-sobbing, movie-marathoning, and texting your ex things you may or may not come to regret. When love fails you, chocolate won’t.
As I write, it remains January—but in the past two weeks I’ve seen a tenfold increase in ads for diamonds (not even the subway is safe). But love is not a diamond ring and anyway why should you or your lover settle for minimalism via mass production? Far more original, and of a higher caliber, are the storied gems sold at Deco Jewels, on Thompson between Prince and Houston.
Whatever your opinion of diamonds—lab-grown or mined, tacky before forty or a girl’s best friend, geopolitically problematic or the right of any regent—one trip to this jewel box of a shop will cure you of your carat-lust. At Deco Jewels you’ll discover vintage costume jewelry and accessories to crown Cleopatra, adorn Diana’s décolletage, and link Oscar Wilde’s cuffs. This Valentine’s Day, honor your lover’s unique style and pay homage to their admirably complex character! Besides, the owner of this treasure trove is herself a gem: Janice has seen me through crises of accessories with the patience, wisdom, and generosity of an amalgam-saint. Deco Jewels is well-worth the (one block) walk into Soho.
As goes the adage for any commercial holiday: shop sooner than later. This applies to all of the above recommendations. Shop too late and you may show up empty-handed to that date—or, far worse, you might be forced to fight your way through a frenzied crowd…
Finally, a few suggestions for those looking to spend less money on, but more time with, their lover: Get tickets to “Casablanca” on the big screen at the Angelika East. An erotic alternative, “Parthenope” will be showing at the theater’s Houston location. Literary? Looking for a daytime date idea? Make a list with your lover of all the local bookstores you’ve been meaning to visit—and then visit them! The Village has nurtured any number of excellent poets, my favorite being far and away Edna St. Vincent Millay, so be sure to linger in the poetry sections and steal a kiss or two…
If you are weary of love or even just wary of capitalism’s role in the construction of culture, I strongly recommend that you visit one of the many historic graveyards in this city.
A short walk south of the Village, nestled near Two Bridges, lies a tiny, triangular, raised and fenced plot. Here lie the remains of the early Shearith Israel community at Chatham Square. I love this little 17th Century graveyard for its perseverance. But there are many more, larger and landscaped, and you may find it romantic—for I certainly do—to wander the winding ways of Wood-Lawn or Greenwood, or even Washington Square Park (a potter’s field), and there to contemplate love in the quiet context of eternity. So, if you seek an antidote to the Hallmark of this holiday, spend your Valentine’s Day amidst the graves.
Whatever you do on February 14th, I advise against any attempt to celebrate Lupercalia publicly—you will certainly be arrested.
