Student friendly V-day activities around NU

By: Alexandra Siegel, News Correspondent and Laura Finaldi, News Staff

The pressure of deciding on the right thing to do with someone on Valentine’s Day is enough for some to forget about the loving nature of the holiday altogether. Luckily, The News has plenty of suggestions on how to keep Valentine’s Day stress-free and cost-effective.

Rebecca Evans, a senior communication studies major, said going on a scavenger hunt is a great way for friends to get in the spirit of Valentine’s Day. Watson Adventures is hosting a Naked at the Art Museum scavenger hunt for $35.50 with a college ID at the Museum of Fine Arts at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 12 and 13.

Participants will solve riddles and search for secrets in works of art that involve nudity. Evans said she thinks partaking in something like this could make Valentine’s Day light and fun, especially for those who are single, because couples may want to spend more time one-on-one.

“If you have a boyfriend, you want to do stuff more in a single setting rather than with a group of people,” she said. “I think it depends on who you’re doing it with, but I think it would be a lot of fun.”

For an active and romantic (and pretty cheap) approach to the holiday, skating at the Frog Pond at the Boston Common costs $12. The skating rink is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m., Mondays 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., and Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10 a.m. till 9 p.m. After, enjoy a cup of hot cocoa after you hold hands on the ice from the Pond’s Lily Pad Cafe.

For a different kind of experience with chocolate, Boston Chocolate Tours offers several neighborhood-specific chocolate tours of the city. There is a chocolate tour of Faneuil Hall and the North End offered on Feb. 12 at 3:30 p.m. for $48 a person and a tour of Harvard Square on Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. for the same price. Participants on the two and a half hour tours will get a look at chocolate in its many different forms, from Godiva truffles in Faneuil Hall to sweets at Maria’s in the North End on one tour and chocolate body products at Lush and cupcakes at Sweet on the other.

Tree-hugging chocolate lovers may want to pay a visit to the Taza Chocolate Factory in Somerville, which offers guided tours of its fair-trade factory. The chocolate is 100 percent stone-ground and organic, and the company said it provides fair compensation to the growers of its cacao beans in Mexico, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic. It is also both environmentally friendly and fair to its workers. Tours are $5 per person, and there are three tours each on Feb. 12 and 13 at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m., with a 5 p.m. tour on Valentine’s Day.

For the scandalous flirt in all of us, Boston Event Guide is hosting Flirt Fest, an “anti-Valentine’s Day party” on Feb. 12 from 8:30 p.m. until 2 a.m. at Tequila Rain at 3 Landsdowne St. The party will have appetizers for the first hour and a worst pick up line contest later on in the night. They will also be crowning the biggest flirts in Boston, and for $15 a person the event will give singles a way to connect on the holiday

For a more calm V-Day, sit back, relax and enjoy a romantic movie at the Brattle Theatre, a short walk from the Harvard T stop. The theatre is showing Casablanca at 4:15 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Feb. 13 and 14. Tickets are $9.75. After watching this classic film, take a walk through Harvard Square or check out the cozy Crema Cafe, which is located at 27 Brattle St. and open until 9 p.m

After the movie on Sunday, enjoy dinner to the sounds of blues music featuring singer Toni Lynn Washington from 8 p.m. to midnight at The Beehive eatery and bar in the South End for a romantic meal to the tune of blues. Entree prices range between $20 and $30 a plate.

Valentines Day doesn’t have to be a huge expense; there are plenty of creative places to go on a college budget. With an open mind, unique date options are available all over the Boston area.