Having trouble reading this e-mail? Click Here
Send to a Friend

February 05, 2009

This Valentine’s Day Cherry Creek North has something to offer everyone from the coziest couples to the sourest singles.

History Lesson for The Smitten:
Happy Valentine’s Day! Named for St. Valentine, the holiday traces its roots back some 1700 years, to 270 A.D. when the Romans first held a festival in the famous Saint’s name. Young male Romans gave handwritten notes of admiration to women, and everyone fell in love and lived happily ever after. Yikes! Since then, Valentine’s Day has become a day of expressing one’s true feelings; even school-age children confess their crushes. So pin your heart on your sleeve and express your true desires this 14th.

History Lesson for the Bitter:
Happy Singles Awareness Day! In ancient times a pagan holiday called Lupercalia celebrated health and fertility without a direct connection to love (Read: non-committal). The original Valentines were women’s names entered into a lottery for men to randomly draw a partner to be paired with to be their love for at least the next year. Animal sacrifices were a highlight of the day’s celebration until the holiday was abolished in the Fifth Century, probably jettisoned by a monogamous cattle rancher. Valentine’s Day was then reinvented in 1847 when a certain Esther Howland popularized the written Valentine. Her father owned a stationery company—proof that even in its most modern iteration, the holiday is a hallmark event.

Main

	Love of Fresh Air A great way to spread the love this winter is to recycle. Outdoor DIVAs and SnowSports Industries of America team up to sponsor Keep Winter Cool: Snow Sports Recycling Resolution. When you get new ski gear, don’t let the old stuff go to waste -- the greenhouse gases emitted as a result of our waste could actually make our winters shorter, and then what would you do with the new stuff? Donate your slightly used equipment to be recycled into building materials. Take action to keep the ski season long and make your contribution at Outdoor DIVAs, 2717 E. 3rd Ave.
	Another DIVAs Do The ever-active Outdoor DIVAs also presents a Valentine’s weekend opportunity to hit the slopes – and it’s just for women! Destination: anywhere but Loveland. If you’re freshly divorced or stridently single, this is the ideal anti-Valentine excursion. Get away and get V-day off of your mind. No couples canoodling, no smitten smooching, no lovers loving. Instead: independent enjoyment! Outdoor DIVAS pairs with SnowSports Industries of America on a weekend road trip to Crested Butte. The bus leaves from 3rd and Clayton the night of the 13th and returns the 15th. For details, call 303-320-3482.
	What a Drag…Queen, that is Nuclia Waste, Denver’s favorite drag queen comedian straight from the hilarious hit “Demented Divas” playing at Lannie’s Clock Tower Cabaret, will pay a visit to Cherry Creek North Feb. 10. The Princess of Plutonium will hand out parking tokens to celebrate the Sweet Deals Be Mine This Valentine’s Sale. If you’re looking for a sweet offering that says “be mine,” or if you just want an outlet for retail therapy, the sidewalk sale is where to be. Score up to 70 percent off between 1st and 3rd Streets from University to Steele Feb. 8 - 11. Participating stores are listed at www.cherrycreeknorth.com.

Shop

	Handmade and Heartfelt The most heartfelt expressions of love are handcrafted. Bromwell Elementary students will donate 100 percent of proceeds from the sale of Valentine greeting cards to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Built of wire, batik, collage, metal tooling, printmaking and watercolor, the handmade cards by kindergarten through fifth-graders are only $3 each at the Show of Hands gallery at 210 Clayton Street from Feb. 5-14.
	A Bride’s Dream Come True This is your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to snatch the perfect dress — at a discount. Couture gowns at Andrisen Morton Women’s are now 30 to 70 percent off. Yes, your Vera Wang is now affordable. You really are the luckiest woman in the world, even if you haven’t yet landed the guy. Visit the store at 210 St. Paul St.
	Oh la la Le Soutien (that’s French for – what else? -- “support”) bra boutique reports that 9 out of 10 women cup their girls in the wrong size. Le Soutien staffers insist that a proper fitting will dramatically enhance your appearance, ease your back and boost, well, your confidence. In business since 1994, Le Soutien carries European finery from basic to fancy. Find the lacy best at 246 Milwaukee St. #A.
	Ngiyakuthanda! How many ways can you say “I love you”? Learn 20 ways at Ten Thousand Villages on 2626 E. Third Ave. Stop in for chocolates, organic coffee and a lesson in love in many languages. If that isn’t enough, you will receive a flower with every purchase of any of the fair trade gifts from more than 38 countries. Say “Ngiyakuthanda” to your Zulu heartthrob.

Drink

Q Marks the Spot
Whether you’re jazzed or have the blues, live music at Q’s will speak to you. Q Blues and Jazz Lounge at 2817 E. Third Ave. offers Saturday drink specials including buckets of brews. Check out thebarbeque.com for a schedule of headline talent.

Sweet Sipping
Cheers. Whether you’re toasting your sweetheart over dinner or bar-hopping with your BFFs, we found the most festive concoctions in Cherry Creek North to honor Valentine’s Day:

Piatti Locali, 190 St. Paul St., offers the Blissful Bellini, Bisol Prosecco artfully mixed with peach juice and topped with two cherries. Or try the Lemon Dater, a blend of citrus vodka, Caravella Limoncello and lemon juice—it’s the sweet way to be sour.
Rodney’s, at 2819 E. Second Ave., features Perfectly Peachy, a martini of peach vodka and a splash of cranberry juice for pink perfection, plus The Old Biddy, an Old Fashioned with cherry juice (feel free to order extra bitters).
Plush, at 2710 E. Third Ave., offers the Lover’s Martini made of Malibu rum, pineapple juice and a splash of watermelon Pucker, or raise a glass of the Happily Single Martini, a blend of blackberry vodka, cranberry juice and Triple Sec.

Drink up – if you have the heart!

Cherry Creek North newsletter is strictly editorial. There is no pay for play.
Web design by Unleaded Software, Inc. Editorial Policy | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions