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Need Ideas for Valentine's Day? We've Got You Covered

By Leslie Albrecht | February 7, 2011 8:32pm | Updated on February 9, 2011 6:21am

By Jason Tucker, Della Hasselle, Leslie Albrecht and Amy Zimmer

DNAinfo Staff

With a million awesome things to do in New York City, there's no shortage of events for Valentine's Day — so don't fall for some cheesy, overpriced date night.

DNAinfo has a collection of ways you and your sweetie can celebrate V-Day, no matter what suits your fancy.

If you're a... 

COSMIC COUPLE

1) Is your love in the cards? Find out with a tarot card reading at Tribeca Tarot Reader, where Liat Silberman will read tarot cards for each of you while the other listens in. The session gives couples insight into each other's hopes and dreams and helps them learn more about their relationship, Silberman says. $85 per reading, per person. Go to the website for more information.

The Om Factory's partner yoga and Thai massage will delight spiritual couples.
The Om Factory's partner yoga and Thai massage will delight spiritual couples.
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courtesy of Om Factory

If star charts are more your speed, spring for a $400 couples astrology reading with astrologer Diana Brownstone. "Suggestions are made on how to make the best of relationships under the influence of specific planetary relationships, and when to throw in the towel," Brownstone says on her website.

Then go out for a romantic dinner at Scalini Fedeli, 165 Duane Street, 212-528-0400. The prixe fix dinner runs $65 a head.

2) Get intimate by putting your hands (and feet) all over each other at the Om Factory's Thai massage and partner yoga. All levels are welcome to "open new channels of non-verbal communication" and "cultivate receptivity and mutual support in your partnership," according to Om Factory's website. $75 per couple, 7–9 p.m., 265 West 37th St.

For an extra treat: head to Pure Food & Wine, a raw food restaurant in Gramercy, for its special Valentine's dinner of king oyster scallops or smoked wrapped figs. $75 per person for pre-fixe or $110 per person with wine pairing, 54 Irving Pl.

ADVENTUROUS COUPLE

1) Put on your dancing shoes — it's time to get down and boogie with your partner. Book a two-hour private dance lesson at Dance Manhattan for $155-165 (the price depends on how experienced your instructor is) 39 West 19th Street, 212-807-0802. Stick around for a special Valentine's Day dance at 9:15 p.m. ($20 per couple) where instructors will offer a half-hour Tango lesson, Tango treats and an 11 p.m. Tango performance.

After you burn off some calories with your dancing, head to dinner at Boqueria, a tapas restaurant at 53 W. 19th Street, 212-255-4160. The Valentine's Day tasting menu is $75 per person and includes a cava (Spanish sparkling wine) toast.

2) Cruise over Central Park, the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building as you explore the heights of your love with a romantic private helicopter tour of Manhattan. Liberty Helicopter Tours is offering a $50 discount on its 20-minute tour of Manhattan, which usually costs $995. Up to four people are allowed on the tour, so make it a double date to save money. Each participant must also pay a $30 heliport security fee. The tour includes a free photo taken in front of the helicopter. Book by calling 800-542-9933 or on their website.

This one is so pricey that you'll probably want to stay in and order pizza for dinner while you recover from the thrill of soaring over Manhattan.

SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS COUPLE

1) Make your own love stronger by giving to others. New York Cares, a non-profit service that sends volunteers across the city, is offering a Valentine's Day orientation for people who want to volunteer in the city. Organizers are calling the Feb. 14 session "Make New York City Your Valentine."

"It will be a great way to meet other socially-minded New Yorkers and get more involved in the city by volunteering," said New York Cares marketing director Colleen Farrell. The one-hour orientation is at 6 p.m. at 214 W. 29th Street, 7th floor, New York. Register on the New York Cares website.

After the orientation, reward your altruism with a delicious dinner at Mario Batali's Del Posto, 85 Tenth Avenue near 16th Street, 212-497-8090. The Valentine's Day menu, featuring treats like 100-layer lasagna, is $225 per person for the five course menu and $275 for the seven-course option.

2) Take your Valentine out for a rousing round of activism (free!) with advocacy group Transportation Alternatives. The cycling and transit non-profit is staging "rider rebellions" at subway stations in Union Square and at 125th Street and Lenox Avenue. Participants ask subway riders to sign giant Valentine's Day cards asking elected officials to support transit, then hand deliver them to the officials' offices. To register, go to the Transportation Alternatives website

Afterward, bike or subway over to Union Square's Zen Palate for healthy veggie Southeast Asian food at Zen Palate at 115 East 18 St., 212-387-8885. Entrees run from $16.50 - $21.95.

Or try Harlem's vegan, cruelty-free Strictly Roots restaurant at 2058 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard near 123rd Street. The price range is under $10 per entrée, according to Urbanspoon.com.

CHEAPSKATE COUPLE

1) Even cheapskates can have a dreamy date cruising the New York Harbor: Enjoy the majestic views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the bridges of lower Manhattan for free from the Staten Island Ferry's 25-minute ride. Plus, you can take it all in with an inexpensive beer ($3 - $5). Be sure to get off and hop back on in Staten Island. Free, each way; departs Whitehall Terminal.

New York Cares, a non-profit service that sends volunteers across the city, is offering a Valentine's Day orientation for people who want to volunteer in the city.
New York Cares, a non-profit service that sends volunteers across the city, is offering a Valentine's Day orientation for people who want to volunteer in the city.
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NY Cares

Disembark and head to one of lower Manhattan's best-kept secrets: Stone Street, where eateries line a charming cobblestone street that are lined with tables in the warm weather. Top off the night by sharing an old-fashioned pizza at Adrienne's Pizzabar, $17.50 for their special "old fashioned pizza," 54 Stone Street.

2) Canoodle amid breathtaking views of Manhattan — for free — as you glide over the East River, riding back-and-forth on the newly renovated Roosevelt Island Tram. Use your MetroCard to board at the 59th Street & Second Avenue Station.

Keep the mood fun with burgers ($9.30) and martinis ($12) at one of New York's oldest bars, P.J. Clarke's. 915 Third Avenue at 55th Street.

HIPSTER COUPLE

1) Get a glimpse into the world of wandering graffiti artist David Choe, who will be on-hand at a screening of the documentary, "Dirty Hands: The Art and Crimes of David Choe," for the Museum of Modern Art's Modern Mondays monthly series. Free with $20 museum admission, or $10 at 11 W. 53rd St.

Then head upstairs to the Modern, the sleek Danny Meyer restaurant overlooking MoMA's sculpture garden ($250 for a special Valentine's Day 7-course tasting) or keep it more casual in the Modern's Bar Room ($135 for a five-course tasting). If Meyer's menu is too pricey for you, keep it even more casual over ramen at Men Kui Tei at 60 West 56th St.

2) Put a little color in your cheeks with a spin around the ice skating rink at the oh-so-chic Standard Hotel at 848 Washington Street, 212-645-4646. It's $13 an hour and the rink is open until midnight. Perfect for working up an appetite before you head to dinner at Paradou, a French bistro at 8 Little W. 12th Street and Ninth Avenue 212-463-8345. The restaurant has created a $55 per person prixe fix menu with a literary theme inspired by Vladimir Nabokov: "Humbert Feast for Him" and "Lolita Feast for Her."

ROMANTIC COUPLE

1) Skip the horse-and-carriage and opt for a moonlight pedicab tour around Central Park. $90 for an hour for two people, more information at www.centralpark-newyorkcity.com.

Then dress up (jacket required) for a late night supper surrounded by flowers at La Grenouille, a classic French institution that's one of the most amorous restaurants in the city. ($95 for prix fixe, 3 East 52nd St.)

2) For the couple enamored with each other and the glamour of old New York, get in the mood with the music of Old Blue Eyes. City Winery's "Chairman of the Board" dinner will pair award-winning wines with Frank Sinatra tunes. Acclaimed singer and Sinatra tribute performer, Joe Politti, and his 15-piece orchestra, will channel classic songs. $135 for VIP 6 p.m. dinner or $85 for regular dinner at 8 p.m., 155 Varick St.

Take your Valentine out for a rousing round of activism with Transportation Alternatives. The cycling and transit non-profit is staging
Take your Valentine out for a rousing round of activism with Transportation Alternatives. The cycling and transit non-profit is staging "rider rebellions" at subway stations in Union Square and at 125th Street and Lenox Avenue.
View Full Caption
Transportation Alternatives