How to Celebrate Valentine’s Day on Campus and Beyond

Roxana Popescu| February 8, 2010

Nothing says “I love you” like a special outing for two, sweet whispered nothings, or a twilight stroll through a eucalyptus grove. For Valentine’s Day this year, UCSD is offering plenty of options, some close to home and some farther afield.

Learn the Language of Love: How do you tell the people closest to you that you love them? A special workshop called “Communicating Love and Appreciation in Relationships” on Friday will give participants the tools to do that in freshly effective ways. Using Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages, the workshop will help strengthen participants’ understandings of communicating love and appreciation. Try out what you learned on Valentine’s Day—and beyond!

Have some folksy fun: Living folk music legend Suzanne Vega will be singing at the Loft Feb. 16. While it doesn’t fall on Valentine’s Day, you can’t find a much more romantic present to give your sweetheart than tickets to this concert.

Cozy up in the mountains: Imagine spending the morning after Valentine’s Day skiing or boarding with your honey at one of California’s coolest winter destinations: Bear Mountain and Snow Summit. Even better, professional guides will take care of all the driving and arrangements in this Outback Adventures sponsored trip, so the only thing you’re thinking about is how lucky you are.

Desert wonderland: Give your beloved the gift of nature: a hiking trip to Joshua Tree National Park, one of California’s treasures. This beginning backpacking trip leaves the morning of Feb. 13 and returns Feb. 15, leading hikers through rock formations, wondrous vegetation and other breathtaking vistas. It’s sponsored by Outback Adventures and it’s sure to be a Valentine’s Day to remember.

 Ideas that won’t break the bank: If reaching for the change in your pocket leaves you grabbing at lint balls, don’t despair. UCSD is full of bargain date destinations. Here are a few: The Guardian is hosting a Valentine’s Day Candy Gram sale at the Price Center. Bring $1 and buy a Ghirardelli chocolate for that special someone. Go for a stroll through any of the campus’s peaceful eucalyptus groves and bring along that very chocolate for an intimate picnic. Jai has a happy hour on weeknights, which means $8 on Friday evening from 5 to 7 p.m.  will get you two pineapple martinis — one for you, one for your date! Or bike down to Torrey Pines Beach and back, and unwind with a movie from the library. Casablanca, anyone?