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2/14 falls on a Friday this year — literally the worst thing that could have happened. No matter what you try to tell yourself, any dining experience is going to be horrible / packed / overpriced. Avoid at all costs. Your Valentine’s Day plans are to STAY IN + COOK A ROMANTIC DINNER + MAKE OUT. Easy.
“But Mariano, I wanted to take them out on a nice date?” — Yeah, so you will. Just not on Valentines day.
You see, chances are if you’re on this app, you’re an intellectual person with good taste & an above-average IQ, which means you likely don’t care for sports. The beauty of this is that superbowl Sunday falls on 2/9, the Sunday before Valentine’s Day. My wife and I have used this as our V Day date night for the last 5 years and guess what? Incredible. The places you go to? Empty. The spot you can never get a reservation to? You can on superbowl Sunday. That place that you love that is always packed? Not on superbowl Sunday. It’s the best night to date someone. And especially to those in proximity to a bigger city, the city is empty. We love to grab dinner, take a walk, and then grab drinks. And we do it with empty sidewalks and no wait times on line.
Your Valentine’s Day becomes a Valentines Week, started with a wonderful date night out on Sunday, to a week of love and surprises from M-Th, to a romantic date night in on Friday, to a slow, lazy morning on Saturday (or in our case, early morning heart shaped pancakes with our toddler). Parents! This also gives you a chance to enjoy a date night without the kiddo on Sunday, and then maybe include them in shifting your Friday night plans to be a family Valentine’s Day.
Listen to me, a veteran married person / serial high school sweetheart dater — let me guide you in the way of maximizing your V Day plan this year + forever forwards.
Jan 31, 2025
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I usually end up at chipotle or a bad chain restaurant just to feel something every valentine’s day…
… feeling like Mary and Joseph, turned away from the inn. Last year I had the forethought to make reservations and went with my paramour to a very nice smart casual Italian restaurant that serves fresh pasta; I neglected to check the dress code and accidentally dressed up too much in a red silk DVF wrap dress which made me feel like a harlot with a scarlet letter on my chest because everyone else was wearing very drab conservative clothing. My B but it was Valentine’s Day. 🤷♀️ Lots of people were understandably gawking at me in different ways, with men even openly ogling me right in front of their dates (and mine)! 🤢
It was obviously the low-energy, stodgy vibe of this place, but I felt disgusted by the ritualistic dynamic—so many couples sitting there at the same time packed like cattle in the designated Valentine’s Day date dining room, not talking, not even looking like they were having fun. Even we felt like we were there out of obligation, though we were definitely enjoying ourselves together. It felt like being in a funeral home.
There are about a million places to go that would be a better choice for a lively date but I feel like I got the opportunity to tap into some darker spiritual plane and saw the commercial emptiness of the holiday. The whole thing had a weird, communal energy that icked me out, and I never want to celebrate Valentine‘s Day again, quite honestly. Anniversaries and other significant dates feel much more personal. Maybe it’s better to celebrate if you lean into the camp of it all but watching people take it so gravely seriously was depressing…
Jan 30, 2025
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don't have a great relationship with valentines day since it was one of my exes' birthdays and the last valentines i spent with someone didn't go super well. i've basically been single my whole adult life so i'm trying to find a way to make this holiday something i can interact with in positive terms.
historically i would maybe take myself to a nice dinner or do a cozy night in, but i feel like in these settings it's really easy to notice the void that a romantic partner would fill. this year i'm taking my lonely ass to the dance club and shuffling the night away. call me robyn cuz this year i'll be dancing on my own and i wouldn't have it any other way rn
Jan 30, 2025
Perfect little evening activity. Plus you have so much time to get to the post office and have them arrive in time!!!
Jan 23, 2024
Top Recs from @marianoleonczik
florinegrassenhopper riotgrrrl brendanooooo slowdazzle buck_mcgraw and indianjones — we did it. Not only did we successfully meet for drinks, but we also schemed the hostile takeover of this app from tyler tonight.
In all seriousness — weird that an app I downloaded in April would make genuinely want to drive back into Brooklyn during end of day traffic for a happy hour. Great app filled with great people.
Jul 20, 2024
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I feel like there’s a special connectivity on this app that I haven’t felt in a long time, maybe since early 2010’s tumblr. The fact that you can’t promote yourself like IG is wonderful. The fact that there isn’t mass video content like Tik Tok is great. It’s not this monetized / paid sponsorship app. People are here because they want to be a part of something with nothing to gain besides friendship. Seeing the URL -> IRL meetups warms my heart so much (waiting for an NYC or Brooklyn meetup).
Thanks for your participation on this niche little app. I smile reading all the recs and all the comments and all the asks. Hope we’ll all be here for a long time.
Jun 15, 2024
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I think a life rule for me is to surround myself with people who know more / are smarter / are cooler than me and just absorb their aura by listening / observing them. It’s made me the incredibly smart / cool person you all know and love.
I just never thought I’d feel the same way about URL friends. I’m constantly listening to the songs I see posted here, reading the articles, subbing to newsletters, and googling topics that get tossed onto the feed.
It’s nice to know you can become a more rounded person by just absorbing what your mutuals post on here. I’m going to sit on my couch, have a cocktail and digest my lovely feed. Happy Sunday!
Sep 15, 2024