With Valentine’s Day falling on a Friday before a three-day holiday weekend this year, the pressure is on to think of something out of the box for a fun outing with your besotted. While dinner and a movie is always nice, it’s not very original. Here are a handful of interesting activities you can do around town on the day, or in some cases later in the year, if you missed out on booking a flight to Hawaii and don’t feel like fighting the traffic up to Santa Barbara.
MAKE GELATO
The Gelato Festival might be a prestigious global tournament that started in Italy, but near Robertson and Melrose, it’s a delicious store front with a back-room lab where you can put your own skills to the test. On the walk from the tasting counter to the class, you will learn about gelato history before donning an apron and trying your luck at mixing the ingredients from dark chocolate chips to fresh fruits. If you make it to the finish without throwing any ingredients at each other, then it must be true love. In all seriousness, this is a fun team building exercise as well, so it’s great for an office or group event with friends and family, and who doesn’t love frozen milk and sugar in all its forms. https://gelatofestival.com/en/
WINE TASTING IN A BEL AIR VINEYARD
While this hidden estate and winery in the residential area of Bel Air is extremely charming and owned by Rupert Murdoch, Moraga is not open to the public. This is where your unique gift of a wine membership to their exclusive Cielo Club will come in handy. Cielo (meaning sky) is the block of Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot at the peak of the property which leads to views beyond the canyon to the ocean. What you will be able to experience with the membership is the May, September and December releases of the white and reds, the annual spring release party with lunch in the vineyard, dinner in the Moraga library salon and the holiday open house among other special events in the Hemmingway barn and discounts on wine. https://www.moragabelair.com
VISIT A RYOKAN STYLE SPA
Completely under the radar, yet right here on South Beverly Drive, Tomoko Spa feels like you are at a Ryokan in Japan right down to the no shoes policy and Zen vibe. They pour ginger tea from a traditional iron Japanese tea pot in the waiting room but you will have tea at every step of the way, before, during and after your treatment which starts with an elaborate foot soak and massage that hits all the right pressure points. Be sure to book the full-body couples massage with a hot stone enhancement that will leave you feeling completely relaxed before the deep wooden tub soak at the end, followed by a romantic sushi dinner in your robes. http://tomokospa.com/
VIEW ART ON THE PARAMOUNT BACKLOT
For one weekend only on Feb. 14 to 16, the backlot of Paramount Pictures Studios turns into a treasure trove of modern art. You’ll stroll past the faux streets of New York City while gazing at art from more than 70 galleries around the world. Launched in 2019, Frieze Los Angeles is supported by global lead partner Deutsche Bank for the second consecutive year which happens to fall on a long Valentine’s holiday weekend. The street fair atmosphere is punctuated with ambitious anchor programs of projects, talks, film screenings and institutional collaborations. Frieze Los Angeles is led by Victoria Siddall, global director and Bettina Korek, executive director. Don’t miss the solo presentations by Alvaro Barrington, Sayre Gomez, Gladys Nilsson, Rob Pruitt, Avery Singer, James Turrell and many others. You will also work up an appetite so be sure to check-out the selection of pop-ups Cha Cha Matcha, Craig’s Vegan, KronnerBurger, Roberta’s, Sqirl and Tacos 1986. https://frieze.com/fairs/frieze-los-angeles
BUY CHARITABLE CHOCOLATE
Yes, a box of chocolates might seem obvious but this is not just any old box of confections but a limited edition by artist Alexandria Grant (and girlfriend of Keanu Reeves), with a portion of the proceeds going to her charity grantLOVE. This collaboration between andSons Chocolatiers in Beverly Hills and Grant, the LOVE chocolate box celebrates love in all its forms: the love we have for ourselves; the love we have for our friends, family, and significant others; and the love we have for humanity. The outside features Grant’s signature LOVE design, and the inside holds an assortment of heart shaped bonbons, fruit flavors, French butter caramels and classic European ganaches. grantLOVE, is Grant’s personal project that produces and sells original artworks and editions to benefit artist projects and arts non-profit organizations. https://and-sons.com
