Whether you adore or despise Valentine’s Day, there’s no avoiding it. A day brimming with heart-shaped delights and rosy sentiments also holds a reputation for awkward encounters, heartaches and cringe-worthy moments that transform into humorous memories over time.
In New York, where the hopeless romantics and the cynics roam freely, the range of attitudes toward romance varies greatly. Nonetheless, this 24-hour window offers an opportunity to enjoy homemade meals shared in cozy city apartments or rendezvous at local haunts.
With Valentine’s Day looming over lovers and friends alike, where better to observe than Washington Square Park? We asked city-goers how they plan on spending Cupid’s beloved holiday. Will they be struck by his arrow or dodging it like a pro?
Olivia Fairless, 23 – Model
Do you have a Valentine?
Fairless: No, I’m probably just gonna get super high and watch TV.
Chocolates or flowers?
Fairless: Flowers – I love tulips and yellow roses. I had yellow roses in my garden when I was a kid.
Home-cooked meal or fancy restaurant?
Fairless: I love home-cooked because I grew up cooking. Also, I don’t have the money for dining out [laughs].
Who is your celebrity crush?
Fairless: Right now, it’s Hunter Schaefer. I love her, I’m obsessed with her. I think if I ever met her, I’d propose.
Worst date?
Fairless: I had gone on a first date five months after I broke up with my boyfriend. We ended up hooking up, and it was probably the worst sex I’ve ever had in my life. And then he took my favorite glasses and tried to hold them hostage until we would hook up again, so I just told him to keep them.
Have you ever had a horrible dating experience with a girl?
Fairless: My first date ever with a girl. She just started talking about how much she was in love with her ex, and I was just kind of sitting there like, “Right, Ok.” We dated for a few more weeks, and then I was like, this isn’t working out. She wondered why, and I was like, “You’re in love with your ex, bro!” You can’t do that, girl.
Peter, 71, but “can still dance” – Retired, Guitarist, Anti-gun violence activist, and Debbie, 71 – Retired, Former optometrist
Are you each other’s Valentine?
Debbie: Just old friends.
Peter: No, we’re just friends for zillions of years.
Well, do either of you have a Valentine?
Debbie: No.
Peter: [pauses] I do…
Chocolates or flowers?
Debbie: Chocolates.
Peter: Uhhh, flowers.
Home-cooked meal or fancy restaurant?
Debbie: Definitely NOT a fancy restaurant.
Peter: Yeah, a homemade meal and maybe a movie.
Who is your celebrity crush?
Debbie: I like Jeffrey Dean Morgan. I think he seems to be a really good guy.
Peter: Scarlett Johansson, maybe. Did you know that Scarlett Johansson was in second grade in a public school here in the village? And did you know that she has a twin brother who was also in the class?
Worst date?
Debbie: I know this is gonna sound really stupid, but I cannot think of one.
Peter: Neither can I. I was a geeky, frightened child who didn’t date a great deal. So, I lost a lot of those “learn through failure” opportunities. But life is good.
Raiden Mclean, 26 – Musician
Do you have a Valentine?
Mclean: Yes, my girlfriend. But I’m not going to be here on Valentine’s Day, so I’ve been seeing her every day of the week to make up for it. I’m going to South Africa because my grandpa’s a jazz artist, so I’m going to be his roadie.
Chocolates or flowers?
Mclean: Dark chocolate.
Home-cooked meal or fancy restaurant?
Mclean: Eating and chilling at home, definitely.
Who is your celebrity crush?
Mclean: I don’t have one. I find a lot of people beautiful, whether they’re a celebrity or not.
Worst date?
Mclean: Ouu, actually, with my girlfriend. She was studying all day, and I picked her up… damn I shouldn’t be saying this. I mean, it’s in the past, so I guess it’s fine. She was studying for hours and sleeping in the library, so I picked her up for a bit, and then I started talking about my ex. This was our second date, and I took her to the movies. She ended up leaving in the middle of it, so that was pretty bad.
Claire Bromley, 23 – Tech salesperson
Do you have a Valentine?
Bromley: Yes, I just bought a Valentine’s Day card for a guy I’ve been seeing since right before Christmas. It’s too new to get a serious card, but this “I like you” card is good enough.
Chocolates or flowers?
Bromley: Why not both?
Home-cooked meal or fancy restaurant?
Bromley: I prefer a home-cooked meal. I love cooking and just spending time together.
Worst date?
Bromley: I went on a date with a guy I met on Hinge, and I thought we were going to get pastries, and then he asked me to go to a rave. And I was like, maybe this is one of those “for the plot” moments, so I went with him. And when we got there it was a new place, very cool, he asked me to do molly. I was like, “Dude, I met you literally three hours ago.” I was so deep in Brooklyn, and I live in West Harlem. So he tricked me into coming so far from my house, and I left the rave, like goodbye.
Nita Gaunt 19, and Jack Kidd, 20 – Students at Parsons
Do you have a Valentine?
Gaunt: Ummm, no.
Kidd: Nah.
Chocolates or flowers?
Gaunt: Flowers.
Kidd: Chocolates, anything with caramel.
Home-cooked meal or fancy restaurant?
Gaunt: A home-cooked meal for sure.
Kidd: Same.
Who is your celebrity crush?
Gaunt: Pedro Pascal!
Kidd: Ou, that’s a hard one. I guess Ana de Armas.
Worst date?
Gaunt: I was tricked into going on a date. It was a coffee date, and it was really awkward and terrible. He told me my other friend would be there, and all three of us would hang out. I didn’t realize my friend was in a completely different country until I got there. It was bad.
Kidd: I haven’t had a bad experience. Usually, it’s the aftermath that’s worse, but uhhh, I can’t say it right now; it’s not safe for me to talk about [laughs].
Read more: Israeli Fashion at New York Fashion Week 2024: A Global Showcase
