Paris: Romance Perfection or Romance Disaster? You Decide.

by Jamie Rhein on

Now, that this day has been filled with love, here’s the other side of the coin. Paris is touted as the city for romance. Tom Cruise proposed to Katie Holmes there. Gene Kelly danced through puddles to “Singing in the Rain” in An American in Paris. Frank Sinatra crooned “I Love Paris,” (click for lyrics) Cole Porter’s song. We’ve all seen pictures of the Eiffel Tower backlit with kissing couples doing some perfectly framed eye-gazing.

Sure, Paris might be the place for romance, but my first time there during my junior year in college was romantically disasterous. The first misstep was not convincing that dashing Canadian fellow I met at that youth hostel in Norway to ditch his friend in Germany for a couple of days and come to Paris with me. “There will always be Berlin,” I had said.

Being young and determined, instead of altering MY course and going with him like he thought I should do, I headed to Paris alone on my “I’m independent” streak. No, nothing terrible happened, but I did fend off a custodian’s advances at a Metro stop which involved drawing a toilet on a scrap of paper after I unwittingly wandered into his custodial closet while looking for the restroom. With that coloring my impressions, I wasn’t too thrilled to brave out my adventure. I did get in a boat tour on the Seine River, toured the Louvre and the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, went to a symphony concert and walked along the Champs Elysee before heading out of town feeling disappointed. I sighed all the while, thinking about my missed Canadian opportunity. Oh, the follies of youth.

Thankfully, I’ve been back to Paris three times since then and each time was better than the last. So, go ahead, give Paris and romance a shot. Just avoid the custodial closets.

If you are going to be in Paris on Valentine’s Day here is a romantic dinner cruise you can take on the Seine. If you can’t make it by the 14th, this cruise is a daily event made for two, but book ahead.

Do you have any of your own sad-sack love/travel stories? Here is a place for venting.

Celebrity Honeymoons

by Willy Volk on

Tom and Nicole went to Venice and stayed at the Hotel Cipriani, where Casanova reportedly woo’ed many women. Richard Burton and Liz Taylor visited Botswana’s Chobe Game Reserve, where the views of the stars rival the views of the wildlife. Bill and Melinda Gates celebrated at the Four Seasons Resort Lanai in Hawaii, where they reserved all the rooms and all the airplane seats into the island to stymie zealous paparazzi.

Even if you don’t watch entertainment shows that detail every facet of celebrities’ lives, you might find this profile of celebrity couples and where they honeymooned interesting. From Tiger and Elin to Denise and Charlie, the round-up discusses the accommodation the various couples enjoyed and also dishes some of the dirt on their special events. If this piece doesn’t quell your insatiable thirst for stars and their honeymoons, check out these resources:

In looking over these lists, it occurs to me that Britney and Jessica stayed at the same place in Fiji. That’s, like, so lame.

Photo of the Day (2/7/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Since we’ve committed the day to helping you get your act together for the big V-day next week, I went in search for a friendly photo reminder of what you could get your sweet. The idea is simple: flowers. This photo was captured by londonsir well after purchasing hours in London. London Flowers is the name of the shop window in question and as one might guess love is the flowers. It’s all about the flowers, but if it were up to me I’d prefer a trip to the London Flowers shop for a first-hand look at the window display. That being said I guess I’m just greedy.

Anyhow, great job londonsir for dropping this lovely shot into your Flickr photo stream.

Valentine’s Idea: Visit Valentine

by Willy Volk on

Believe it or not, there are actually a number of cities named Valentine. For example:

  • Valentine, Nebraska (“America’s Heart City”) is home to the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge. According to the website, the Heart City plans to host a Valentine’s Day event, although — like shy suitors — they haven’t expressed their feelings about it yet. In 2005, the town hosted a chili cook-off.
  • Right off Purple Heart Trail, there’s a Valentine, Arizona. Generally speaking, though, unless you’re a bit of an adventurer, I doubt this is where you’ll be spending your special day.
  • Only a few hundred people live in the west Texas town of Valentine.
  • There’s a Valentine Village in New Mexico.
  • Upper Austria seems to dislike the fact that it has a small village called Valentine.
  • France boasts Saint-Valentin — “The Lovers Village” — which also has a Garden of Lovers. Not surprisingly, thousands of couples marry in this village of 258 permanent residents each year.

It’s amazing to me that so few of these Valentines have taken advantage of the rather obvious brand management they could so easily monopolize.

Last Minute Valentine Destinations

by Neil Woodburn on

I’m going to cut right to the chase here. Valentines Day is right around the corner and you want to whisk your date away but don’t know where to go.

Suggestions are popping up all over the internet. Turn, for example, to msnbc.com, which highlights romance deals to Paris, Philadelphia, Alberta (Canada), and Jekyll Island, just off the coast of Georgia.

Or, check out a similar story carried by the Associated Press which focuses more on B&B’s, spas, and the romantic Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City.

And then there is the column by Peter Greenberg, Valentine’s Getaways with a Twist, in which the author tells us of more unique possibilities such as swimming with dolphins, a zero-gravity date, and an invitation to join the Mile High Club.

So you’ve no excuse! Book your getaway now and get a move on before the love fades!