Editor’s Note: Valentine’s Day approaches with an overcrowding of chocolate, red paper hearts and roses, and it’s hard to avoid the clichés. But if you want to stand out from the crowd and make a lasting impression on your date, the Daily Lobo has come up with some alternative date ideas. Of course these ideas won’t be so fresh once the entire campus reads them, so hurry up and get on it.
Explore
Playful, childish activities are always a solid path to romance — creepy, Freudian undertones aside. Explora Science Center is youth-oriented, but the exhibits are appropriate for all ages, and mainly include hands-on activities that require critical thinking and problem solving. This is a perfect date for a nerd to show off wicked computing skills, for a romantic to relive childhood, and for the rest of us to indulge our secret desire to try out an exhibit like “Math Moves.”
1701 Mountain Road N.W.
Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Sunday, Noon – 6 p.m.
Adults (12 – 64) $8
Listen
Don’t worry, audience members of all orientations are invited to this rip-roaring Valentine’s cabaret put on by the New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus. The show is focused on the physicality of love. What could go wrong with handsome men displaying their feminine sides? No matter which way you swing, Albuquerque’s queer community usually puts on a show worth seeing, so reserve tickets online before they’re sell out.
“Let’s Get Physical”
North Fourth Art Center
4904 Fourth Street N.W.
Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, 3 p.m.
Students $15, general admission $20
Tour
On the subject of physical lovin’, you can excite your animalistic side at the parks by learning about the exotic erotic mating behaviors of animals. The ABQ BioPark offers three tours: “The Birds and the Beasts” at the zoo, “Love Bugs” at the botanic garden, and “That’s a Moray!” at the aquarium. If your main objective for Valentine’s Day is to get laid, then this could be a subtly effective way to get the juices flowing. Each tour starts at 1:50 p.m. at the entrance to the respective park, and tickets can be purchased the day of the event.
2601 Central Avenue N.W.
Saturday
2-4 p.m.
$10
Ages 18
Adventure
Climb the chemistry building. Although getting over those locked gates at the top of the outdoor stairwells is a little nerve-wracking (and illegal), the view is totally worth it.
Spray paint some romantic message onto a billboard. I’m of the opinion that danger makes everything more fun and this certainly falls under that category. Many billboards have ladders leading up to them for easy access, and your significant other will never forget it.
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Create
Write a haiku. You don’t have to be a writer to produce a meditative reflection on love. Just write a three-line poem with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second, and five syllables in the third. Outside-the-box haikus are always winners, so venture freely.
Don’t actually do either of these things. If you do, you’re taking your life into your own hands. Seriously, we can’t afford to be sued right now.
