You never know when love will strike. Photo courtesy Thinkstock.
by Melanie Camp
Valentine’s Day is heading our way. Yo! Venice caught up with some locals to get their tips on how to best spend February 14th.
Designer Andrea Tan and her husband Derek Mosher met nine years ago at The Brig, “when the floors were still sticky” says Tan. The couple has a nifty Valentine’s tradition.
“We celebrate by avoiding the restaurants the day of and eat out the night before, then do a home-cooked meal. The next day, Derek goes to See’s and gets me lots of discounted chocolate.”
The couple’s night before Valentine’s Day dinner go-to had always been Marla’s. With the restaurant now closed, Tan says she and Mosher will most likely go to Hinano’s this year, “because we’re not sure how long it will be around. We’re really into the down to earth spots and feel like they are all almost gone.”
Ado on Main Street was certainly one of Venice’s most romantic restaurants in its day. However, Barrique is doing well to hold onto the romance as the new restaurant in the old Ado space.
The restaurant tops the list as “the most Valentine’s restaurant” according to property and event manager, and local small business owner, Melissa Diner. She says, Barrique “reminds me of Lady and the Tramp sharing a dinner by candle light. Swoon.”
Diner also says she thinks “it would be cute to pack a picnic and head to the beach with a blanket.” Trim Hairstylist Antonio Posa agrees with this. His Venice Valentine’s recommendation is for “a nice bottle of wine some good Italian food on the beach!”
Kylie Adams, from the band Desert Sparrow, loves the idea of a romantic Valentine’s Day sunset over Venice Beach. However, she prefers to go high, “I’d say grab a drink at the Hotel Erwin rooftop bar and watch the sun go down, next to the heater, with a nice big, warm blanket on.”
“I love wandering through the walk streets off Oakwood. It was somewhere on Nowita Court that I first fell head over heels in love with Venice. It’s so damn peaceful and magical back there,” says Chairman of the Venice Neighborhood Council’s (VNC) Homeless Committee, Will Hawkins. Hawkins also loves a Venice sunset, “I really like watching the sunset south of the pier and then walking up Ocean Front Walk to Osteria Venice West on Dudley. They’ve got a terrific wine list, and their homemade pasta and Tiramisu is hard to beat.”
Hawkin’s Valentine’s marathon doesn’t end on Dudley. “If we’ve got anything left in the tank, head to Hinano to play some pool and listen to Good Cop Bad Cop, or go to the Townhouse for a glass of whiskey and some Burlesque. Louie has always got something interesting going on downstairs. Or we just head home. Whatever the lady wants,” he says.
For Venice local Alexandra Wagner, who owns a skincare business on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, things can get kind of busy for her in the lead up to February 14th. So, for Valentine’s she prefers to order in and spend a “romantic night at home.”
If you are single, this Valentine’s might be best spent making the most of your “you time.” Because, as Posa says, “You never know when love will strike again, but when it does be ready because it will hit hard and it will feel pretty amazing!”
Read what hypnotherapist Aura Walker has to say about Valentine’s Day.
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