14 Ways to Spend V-Day Weekend
From wine tasting to burlesque to a "naked" scavenger hunt, get tickets for two.
 
BY KATE APPLETON & E. J. SAMSON
 
(Photo credit: Courtesy of Long Island Wine Country.com)
 
Events
 
(1.) Have your own Sideways adventure with Long Island Wine Country.com's Wine Lovers Tour.
Hit the road with your Valentine on this all-day tour of Long Island Wine Country. Couples will visit three winery estates and take part in tastings, tours and a "wine for dummies" crash course.
• Feb. 12, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Buses depart from Soho, corner of Broome and Wooster Sts., and Grand Central Station. Go to longislandwinecountry.com for more information.
• $115/person.
 
 
(2.) Go fish for a Valentine at the New York Aquarium's "Sex in the Sea" Single's Social Mixer.
Sure, it's Valentine's weekend, but there's still plenty of fish in the sea—see for yourself at this single's soiree at the New York Aquarium. Have some wine and cheese while taking a guided tour of the aquarium, with an emphasis on the mating rituals of sea creatures (after all, what sets the mood better than the asexual reproductive methods of sea anemones?).
• Feb. 12, 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
• New York Aquarium, Surf Ave., at W. 8th St., Brooklyn, 718-265-3474; nyaquarium.com.
• $34, $29 members.
 
 
(3.) Stroll or cycle alongside the largest artwork since the Sphinx.
The brainchild of eccentric duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude, The Gates is literally 7,500 gates hung with billowing fabric, standing 16 feet tall and spaced throughout 23 miles of Central Park pathways. The exhibit's opening coincides with Valentine's weekend and tour groups are eager to get in on the act. Official park walking tours offer their take on the project's 26-year history, prior Christos endeavors, details on the Central Park itself and a few surprisingly salacious anecdotes (who was arrested at the zoo for pinching a woman's behind?). For the more ambitious, there's a four-hour, 10-mile bike tour; for the more romantic, here's a handy map for a do-it-yourself, after-dinner stroll.
Central Park Walking Tours
• Feb. 12, 1 p.m.; 2/13, 11 a.m.
• Reservations required, call 212-721-0874; centralparkwalkingtours.com
• $17; private tours available for $25.

Bike the Big Apple Tours
• 2/12-2/14, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
• 69th St. and Second Ave., 877-865-0078; bikethebigapple.com; weather permitting; call to confirm.
• $59 includes bike, helmet, and guided tour.
 
 
(4.) Celebrate same-sex love at the Gay Valentine Music Celebration.
Valentine's Day isn't just for the heteros. At Town Hall, singers, dancers, speakers and other performers will express gay love and affection in many, many ways. Highlights include the 50-year-old Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Gay Gotham Chorus. Proceeds from this benefit will go to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
• Feb. 12, 8 p.m.
• Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St., between Sixth Ave. and Broadway, 212-840-2824; gayvalentine.com.
• $20, $30, $50, $100. Tickets available at 212-307-7171 or ticketmaster.com.
 
 
(5.) Feast on soul food and soul music at B.B. King Blues & Grill.
Known for pulling audience members onstage for the occasional impromptu dance contest, B.B. King regular Carlton J. Smith croons R&B love songs during an all-you-can eat buffet boasting fried catfish, buttermilk biscuits and more soul food classics. Two days later, Oleta Adams serves up a dose of R&B and soul, along with a Valentine's special of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries.
• Brunch & Carlton J. Smith concert: Feb. 12, 1 p.m., doors open at noon. Oleta Adams concert: Feb. 14, 10:30 p.m., doors open at 10 p.m.
• B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 W. 42nd St., between Seventh and Eighth Aves., 212-997-4144, bbkingblues.com.
• $35 for Brunch & Carlton J. Smith concert; $30 for Oleta Adams tickets, additional $40 for a bottle of Grand Laurent and six chocolate covered strawberries, additional $90 if it's a bottle of Veuve Cliquot.
 
 
(6.) Get "Naked at the Met" with Watson Adventure's Scavenger Hunt.
Take a playful, whirlwind tour of the entire Met Museum, scanning for all things nude, from statues literally in the buff to surprising details in period rooms or silverware to a piece of "stripped" artwork. Prepare for puns and riddles along these lines: Find a woman spanking someone. What's appropriate about this object? It's made of beaten brass.
• Feb. 12, 5:30-8 p.m.; Feb. 13, 2-4:30 p.m.
• To make a required reservation, call 212-726-1529 or email rsvp@watsonadventures.com.
• $30 per person, includes museum admission
 
 
(7.) Get a kick out of Le Scandal's old-time burlesque and cabaret.
The Cutting Room gives you two chances to celebrate with a sword-swallower, a New Orleans-born chanteuse, showgirls, and perhaps even a contortionist. First, Le Scandal's regular Saturday-night gig. Better yet, a Valentine's show and optional prix fixe dinner, with live music from the NYC Blues Devils band and givaways like tickets to the Museum of Sex and pasties handmade by founder and notorious fan-dancer Bonnie Dunn (pictured).
• Feb. 12, 10:30 p.m.; Feb. 14, 7 p.m.
• The Cutting Room, 19 W. 24th St.; 212-388-2988 or lescandal.com. Buy tickets online at smarttix.com or at the door.
• $20 per person for the show; an additional $35 for Monday night's optional prix fixe meal and champagne.
 
 
(8.) Make a last-minute gift and make a difference at Our Name is Mud.
The cheery pottery studios, popular for kid and adult parties alike, sponsor an all-day benefit for tsunami relief, "Art for the Heart," complete with sweets, giveaways, live music, face-painting, and a slew of cups, bowls, and pendants for the decorating. All proceeds go to Save the Children, making the event good for a cause and good for those Valentine's Eve gift dilemmas. But I made it myself!, you'll cry.
• Feb. 13, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
• 1566 Second Ave., between 81st and 82nd Sts., 212-570-6868; 59 Greenwich St. at Seventh Ave. and 11th St., 212-647-7899; 506 Amsterdam Ave., between 84th and 85th Sts., 212-579-5575.
• $18 per person, includes unlimited studio time and one piece.
 
 
(9.) Be serenaded by 19th-century arias and love songs in a 19th-century parlor.
The landmark Merchant's House Museum, one-time residence of Seabury Tredwell, hosts "Salon Music: Love in the Parlors" with soprano Jennifer Finn, tenor Dayle Vander Sande, and pianist Anthony Bellov performing selections by Puccini, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, and Donizetti. Afterwards, linger for a reception in the parlor.
• Feb. 13, 5 p.m.
Merchant's House Museum, 29 East Fourth St., 212-777-1089, merchantshouse.com.
• $15 per person, $12 for museum members
 
 
(10.) Have a "One Night Stand" at Viscaya Lounge's Sex Show.
In case it takes more than a few cocktails to get your Valentine in the mood, plan your after-hours partying at Viscaya Lounge, where the club will host The Sex Show, the first in a series of art exhibits collectively titled "One Night Stand." Paintings, videos, sculptures and other forms of artwork will be on display throughout the club for your arousal. Be sure to snag a complimentary silver bullet vibrator on your way home (not necessarily your home).
• Feb. 14, 7 p.m.-4 a.m (open bar and hors d'oeuvres 7-8 p.m.).
• Viscaya, 191 Seventh Ave., between 21st and 22nd Sts., 212-675-5980; viscayalounge.com.
• $10 (50% of proceeds go to the American Federation for AIDS Research)
 
(11.) Star gaze at "Stars of the 21st Century."
Gawk at the bevy of talented, leggy ballet dancers culled from the ranks of the American Ballet Theatre, the Paris Opera Ballet, the Kirov Ballet and other famous companies as they perform a series of pas de deux from works such as "La Sylphide" and "Rubies." The gala's line-up also includes a nod to modern dance: Martha Graham's classic "Steps in the Street" from her 1936 "Chronicle." Fork over extra cash for an extravagent, post-performance dinner at the Plaza, with all dancers present.
• Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m.
• New York State Theater, Lincoln Center, 212-870-5570 or 212-874-6504; starsofthe21stcentury.com
• $20-125 for the performance; $500 for the performance and benefit dinner.
 
 
(12.) Catch one of 2004's most romantic films at Two Boots Pioneer Theater's special screening of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
"This is it, Joel. It's going to be gone soon. What do we do?" "Enjoy it." Get ready for a second round of tears at the Two Boots Pioneer Theater's Valentine's Day Date Movie pick. She'll laugh and cry over Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey's quirky romance. He'll dig the trippy visual effects—and Kirsten Dunst in her underwear.
• Feb. 14, 7 p.m.
• 155 E. 3rd St., between Aves. A and B, 212-591-0434; twoboots.com.
• $9, $6.50 members.
 
 
(13.) Admire Victorian "Confections of Affection."
Four tiny exhibition cases display painstakingly delicate and lavish Valentine's cards typical of the pre-Hallmark, Victorian era. In twenty minutes or so, you'll have seen it all and brushed up on the life of St. Valentine and how his holiday relates to the pagan festival of Lupercalia.
• On view Thu-Mon, noon-5pm, through Mar. 7.
Merchant's House Museum, 29 East Fourth St., 212-777-1089, merchantshouse.com.
• $6 per person, $4 for seniors, students, free for children under 12.
 
 
(14.) Give V-Day new meaning with a performance of the Vagina Monologues.
Eve Ensler's vaginally charged show comes to Williamsburg courtesy of V-Day, a national organization dedicated to ending violence against women and girls.
Feb. 14, 7 p.m.
Galapagos Art Space, 70 N. 6th St., between Wythe and Kent Aves., 718-782-5188; galapagosartspace.com
$15, $10 standing.
 
 
 
 
Updated January 27, 2005