When we find ourselves tongue-tied, we will occasionally turn to a Bundt cake to do our talking. But when the emotions of Valentine’s Day roll around, Play staffers think that just won’t do. So we’ve turned to love songs, our inspiration for all sorts of creative suggestions for Valentine’s Day. Think of it as your lovin’ Play playlist of possibilities for V-Day and beyond, whether you are thinking “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” or are swimming in a “Sea of Love.”
Cue up the iPod and enjoy.
‘Endless Love’
You could go see the remake of “Friday the 13th” and stack the deck wallet-wise, ensuring a light dinner afterward. Or you could opt for a memorable Valentine’s Day movie — be it timeless, or seemingly endless.
“City Lights”: Cry? You’ll weep. Charlie Chaplin, the blind flower girl and more sentiment than a perfume counter. Kiss your date and tickets are two for one. Saturday-Sunday; $5. University of Chicago’s Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 E. 59th St.; 773-702-8575, docfilms.uchicago.edu.
“Casablanca”: Love means never having to say you’re sorry you’re on that plane — whoops, wrong film. But nothing says “I want you” like a tale of just-missed love. Saturday; $9.25. Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave.; 773-871-6607, musicboxtheatre.com.
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”: It leads a rather stuffy Academy pack with 13 Oscar nominations, and edges toward three hours, but there are moments of swoon — anyway, we cried. Multiple theaters in the Chicago area.
— Christopher Borrelli
‘(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want to Be Right’
As Luther Ingram probably knew when he crooned this great Stax hit, love is anything but trivial. But who says trivia doesn’t have a place in your love life? Check out these great trivia nights during the week, or hit a Valentine’s Day party featuring trivia on the big day itself.
TnT Tacos and Trivia: Trivia contest plus $1 tacos, $3 Coronas, $3 Miller Chill and $4 Cuervo margaritas, with prizes and contests throughout the night. 8 p.m. Tuesdays; Clybar, 2417 N. Clybourn Ave.; 773-388-1877, clybar.com.
Nerds at Heart: Show off your trivia skills, plus enjoy entertainment and prizes with other nerds at this special event open to straight and gay singles. 7-10 p.m. Thursday; $25 at the door. Holiday Club, 4000 N. Sheridan Rd.; 312-265-6085, nerdsatheart.com.
Pub Quiz Thursdays: Impress your sweetie and make a difference at this trivia night, which benefits the Franciscan Outreach Association. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays; donations accepted. Ginger’s Ale House, 3801 N. Ashland Ave.; 773-348-2767, gingersalehouse.com.
World’s Largest Valentine’s Singles Party: Trivia contests and other games, plus dancing, complimentary snacks and raffle. DJ Darius spins. 8 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturday; free. Hyatt Regency Woodfield, 1800 E. Golf Rd., Schaumburg; 847-604-3446; thunderbirdsingles.com.
— Cheryl Bowles
‘Love Lockdown’
Don’t scream “no no no” like Kanye West in his hot 2008 chart-topper — instead, say “yes yes yes” to a romantic love lockdown of your own in one of the area’s many fine hotels and resorts. Here are a few:
Aloft deal: Have a modern, quirky and affordable Valentine’s Day at the Aloft Chicago O’Hare hotel with a room for two, bottle of bubbly and some chocolates, early check-in and late check-out, free parking, shuttle to local restaurants, a movie for two at Muvico and more, starting at $109. Saturday only; add Friday or Sunday stays for $79 per night. Reserve with rate code “love.” 9700 Balmoral Ave., Rosemont; 847-671-4444, starwoodhotels.com.
Kimpton Hotels dinner and a stay: Have dinner at 312 Chicago and stay overnight at the Hotel Allegro (171 W. Randolph St.) for $239, or dine at the Atwood Cafe and stay at the Hotel Burnham (1 W. Washington St.) for $262. Valid Saturday only; to reserve, call 800-KIMPTON or go to burhnamhotel.com or allegrochicago.com and use reservation code “PAPP.”
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Pheasant Run Cupid’s Special: Stay overnight at this St. Charles resort and enjoy strawberries and champagne, turndown service with chocolates on your pillows, and access to the resort’s indoor and outdoor pools and fitness center. If you want to get even more romantic, ask about expanding your evening to include flowers, dining, spa treatments or breakfast the next day. From $129; available Friday-Sunday. 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles; 800-474-3272, pheasantrun.com.
— Cheryl Bowles
‘I Want to Know What Love Is’
Oh, do you now? Whenever we hear that Foreigner hit, we immediately think, “If you want to know what love is, then take your love to a Foreigner concert. If they don’t run, they love you. And if they do, it was not meant to be.” With this in mind, we have found a few Valentine’s weekend events that will push the patience of one of you. Consider it a bonding experience. Or not.
Charlie Trotter’s Valentine’s Day Lunch: They’ve never been open for lunch, but they will be on Saturday. Starting at 11:30 a.m., tempting your Valentine’s Day wallet, Charlie will offer a four-course pre-fixe lunch, for $75 a head. (Of course, remember, you’ll still have to buy dinner later.) 816 W. Armitage Ave.; 773-248-6228, charlietrotters.com.
Love on the Line: Poems about Love: Hosted by the Poetry Center of Chicago, seven acclaimed poets, including Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Muldoon, Robert Polito, and the fantastic A. Van Jordan, attempt to put into graceful words what you try to say with a Whitman’s Sampler. 6:30 p.m. Saturday; free. Sullivan Galleries, 33 S. State St.; 312-899-1229, poetrycenter.org.
Monster Jam: Admire her (or his) restraint while sitting through hours of signature monster truck mayhem. 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; $30, $25. Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Rd., Rosemont; 847-635-6601, allstatearena.com.
— Christopher Borrelli
‘Sea of Love’
Scientists disagree about whether or not oysters, clams and mussels really stimulate the libido. But some of us romantics are willing to take a chance on seafood. And these bargain-friendly options are enough to get anyone excited.
Score a plate of delicious plump clams in black bean sauce at Triple Crown Seafood Restaurant (211 W 22nd Pl.; 312-791-0788) where many dishes drop to half price after 10 p.m., making the clams $8. If you pair them with your own wine — Tribune wine and food critic Bill Daley recommends a sauvignon blanc or gruner veltliner — be sure to bring your own opener because this BYOB restaurant place doesn’t supply one.
The oyster prices at Shaw’s Crab House (21 E. Hubbard St.; 312-527-2722, and 1900 E. Higgins Rd., Schaumburg; 847-517-2722) may seem out of your league at most times, but like many things, they are becoming much more attractive and accessible around happy hour when they go for $12.99 a dozen. Happy hour runs daily from 3 to 6 p.m. in Schaumburg and 4 to 6 p.m. on Hubbard Street.
— Monica Eng
‘Love Hurts’
If you are thinking of finally hiring that personal trainer at your local club, you’ll be happy to know you can easily turn the exercise/torture session into solid bonding time with your honey by opting for couples personal training. At local Bally’s Clubs, couples personal training averages $59 per session, depending on the package and trainer. And you don’t have to be a member to sign up. But having gone through couples personal training at my own gym, I’d like to suggest you complement the workouts with some couples massage action. You’re going to need (or maybe knead) it.
Lincoln Park Massage Spa (630 W Webster Ave.; 773-296-6300): Enjoy a Swedish massage, while relaxing side by side with your friend. 60 minutes for $95 per person, and 90 minutes for $135 per person — upgrade to deep-tissue massages for $10.
Or learn the art of couples massage at Soderworld Healing Arts Center & Spa, (16 W. 501 Nielson Ln., unincorporated Hinsdale; 630-455-5885; soderworldwellness.com) where Sunday it will offer Couples Massage and Yoga Day for $200 per couple in which students learn to give and receive a full body relaxation massage. Class runs from 1 to 6 p.m.
Spa Space (161 N Canal St.; 312-466-9585, spaspace.com) offers an Art of Touch class that gives couples a chance to receive a massage from both the therapist and their friend, who gets to learn and practice techniques suited to their partner. A 90-minute session costs $150 per couple.
— Monica Eng
‘Love Don’t Cost a Thing’
In this economy, shelling out $25 a month at a dating site is a costly way to kiss a few frogs before you find your prince. As Jennifer Lopez sang in her hit a few years ago, “Credit cards aren’t romance.”
That’s one reason match.com has launched a new, free dating site, downtoearth.com, to compete with the likes of freebie sites plentyoffish.com and okcupid.com. Down to Earth hopes you’ll fall in love with its RealRatings, which lets daters rate one another on how well their real-life persona matched their dating profiles. Another reason Match launched Down to Earth: Parent company IAC, which also runs chemistry.com, is reaching for a younger, twentysomething audience.
Plenty of Fish remains the free dating site to catch. With about 10 million registered members, it’s one of the most popular destinations on the Web — not just one of the most popular matchmaking spots. Plenty of Fish has ratings too: Rate randomly selected pictures of members. And in a nod to e-Harmony’s “dimensions of compatibility,” Plenty of Fish rates five areas of behavior — including openness and family orientation — in its Relationship Chemistry Predictor test.
Whether any of this stuff works, one thing we know: It’s free.
— Eric Gwinn
‘Tiny Bubbles’
For love, Hawaiian style, check out the Valentine’s Day dinner deal at Trader Vic’s (1030 N. State St.; 312-642-6500). Offered Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the package includes a pupu appetizer platter, choice of entree and a dessert for two, plus a glass of bubbly, for $50 per person. Augment the evening with a special Ku’uipo cocktail (ku’uipo means “my sweetheart”), served in a souvenir glass, for $10.
— Phil Vettel
‘Love in an Elevator’
OK, maybe not in an elevator, Mr. Exhibitionist. But it takes three anticipation-building elevators to reach the 40th-floor wonder that is Everest (440 S. LaSalle St.; 312-663-8920), Jean Joho’s temple of fine French dining. On Valentine’s Day, the restaurant will offer a seven-course tasting menu for $145 (you can see the menu at everestrestaurant.com). Everest also offers $15 town-car service. They will pick up your party (within a 15-mile radius of the restaurant) and return you safely home. You can even arrange to have a bottle of champagne waiting in the car.
It’s a looong elevator ride to The Signature Room at the 95th, on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Center (875 N. Michigan Ave.; 312-787-9596). On Valentine’s Day, the restaurant will serve exclusively a four-course menu with glass of champagne for $95; on Friday, the $95 menu is available, but so is the regular a la carte menu; and on Sunday it’s regular menu only. Live jazz music on Friday and Saturday.
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— Phil Vettel
Theme from ‘The Love Boat’ or possibly ‘The Ballad of Gilligan’s Island’
Yes, we’re talking romance, but we’re also talking a three-hour cruise. Odyssey and Spirit of Chicago, both docked at Navy Pier, will offer special Valentine’s cruises from 7-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. On the Odyssey, there will be a three-course dinner, complimentary glass of champagne and live music, priced at $205.90 per couple Friday and $239.90 per couple Saturday. On the Spirit of Chicago, there will be a dinner buffet, complimentary glass of champagne, live performances by the crew and DJ entertainment, priced at $79.90 per person Friday and $89.90 per person Saturday. Odyssey: 888-957-2322, odyssey.com; Spirit of Chicago: 866-211-3804, spiritofchicago.com.
— Phil Vettel