upper waypoint

No Boo? No Problem! A Singles' Guide to Valentine's Day 2015

Save ArticleSave Article
Failed to save article

Please try again

So you don't have a boo. No biggie. Sure, it's fun to hold hands and have someone buy you an eclair for no reason and all that jazz. Loving someone else is super. But there's another form of love that predates loving someone else: the love you have for yourself a.k.a. The Greatest Love of All! So this Valentine's Day, let's not be so terribly obvious and transform into Bridget Jones. There's really no reason you need to cry while eating chocolate and singing Celine Dion ballads in your underwear. You're cute and fun and you should get out there and do cute and fun things! Here are a few ideas of ways to spend your Valentine's Day:

1. TREAT YO' SELF

You work hard and you deserve nice things. Forget about waiting around for someone to buy you something you've always wanted and treat yo' self! Some good ideas: sweaters, fragrances, massages, mimosas. You get the idea.

2. CALL ALL THE SINGLE LADIES (all the single ladies)

Sometimes it might seem like you're the only person not living in Boo Land (favorite activities for residents include forgetting about their friends and saying annoying things like "you'll have this someday, too!"). But there are plenty of friends who are flying solo just like you. So call your favorite friends from this group and be each other's Valentines. Make a three course meal for each other. Or hit up a karaoke joint and sing love songs to each other. Just make sure to follow the rules.

3. GO TO AN EVENT, EXHIBIT, OR SHOW

Sponsored

There are always 101 things to do at any given moment in this town so surely there is something for you out there. Here are some friendly suggestions:

Event: If you have something to get off your chest, why not belt it out with a bunch of nostalgic randos? The Roxie Theater is hosting an '80s Power Ballad Sing-a-long featured Journey, Bon Jovi, Guns N' Roses, and all those other bands your older sister teased her bangs to back in the day.

Exhibit: Magnificent Magnolias at the SF Botanical Gardens. They're blooming just in time for your hot date with yourself! And for those of you who still haven't seen the Keith Haring show at the de Young (you know, the one that's been clogging up your Instagram feed for months), this is your last chance; the exhibit closes on February 16th!

Concert: Spend the holiday shaking it off (and maybe even falling in love with whomever is dancing next to you) to the sounds of Basement Jaxx at Public Works or Hundred Waters at the Great American Music Hall.

4. HOLLYWOOD CRUSH MARATHON

Flickr | poldberg
Photo: poldberg, via Flickr

If you don't feel like going out, why not watch a marathon starring your number one crush?

If you like boys, I suggest this Ryan Gosling triple feature:

Drive
Lars and the Real Girl
Half Nelson
Blue Valentine (tonight is not the night for this)
The Notebook (or this)

If you like girls, I suggest this Winona Ryder triple feature:

Beetlejuice
Heathers
Reality Bites

5. OPEN YOUR THIRD EYE

Photo: That Cute Site
Photo: That Cute Site

Our society tends to stigmatize spending time by yourself. Loners are weird and wear trench coats and talk to themselves, right? Wrong. The ability to be alone without feeling lonely is something we should all strive for and the surest way to get there is by practicing yoga. Tune into your body, breathe and relax a little. If this really doesn't sound like fun, find comfort in the 96.7% probability that your bendy teacher will be a babe.

6. SAN FRANCISCO IS YOUR LIFE PARTNER

Photo: Lisa Congdon

Significant others come and go and often take your favorite records with them. But San Francisco is always there for you. Spend some time in a place in the city you love or maybe have never gotten around to visiting. And take a bottle of red, while you're at it (that's not weird, it's classy). I suggest biking to the Sutro Baths or climbing Bernal or losing yourself in the little-known cloud forest on Mount Sutro.

7. AWAKEN YOUR INNER CHILD

Photo: Getty
Photo: Getty

No one appreciates it when you bottle up your emotions and eventually turn into an insufferable jerk for no reason so take out some of that aggression in a healthy way by attending the annual V-Day Pillow Fight! It'll be like slumber parties from your past, only you can stay up as late as you want and you probably won't pee the bed this time.

8. EXPRESS YOURSELF

Photo: Warner Bros.

Sure, Valentine's Day is a commercial invention, but it does serve as a reminder to tell those important to us that we appreciate and love them. Just cause you don't have arm candy this year doesn't mean you shouldn't send cute notes to friends and family members and that cutie who serves you tea every morning. Everyone loves mail so you can't go wrong. And try making a habit of expressing your adoration for the people that matter not just on Valentine's Day, but year round. Kumbaya.

lower waypoint
next waypoint