It’s kind of hard to feel the love from six feet away. Valentine’s Day is coming up on Feb. 14, and with the COVID-19 pandemic still raging in Weld County. Greeley couples are scrambling to find responsible and fun holiday dates that can be done from the comfort of their own homes, but celebrators shouldn’t cancel their plans just yet. There’s plenty that can be done from the comfort of your own homes. We asked three Greeley couples to share their best ideas for socially distanced Valentine’s festivities.
Cooking from home- Don’t be afraid to get messy in the kitchen!
They say the key to the heart is through the stomach. A romantic dinner for two is a classic date night that many couples partake in during the Valentines holiday. While traditional dining remains available in Greeley, it isn’t necessarily the most viable option to keep yourself and your date safe. Instead, try staying home and cooking a meal together. Find a new recipe to try, and follow it step by step together.
Khloe Wilfley is a fourth-year theater education major at UNC. Her and her partner, Zach Carbaugh, are planning on creating a restaurant-like atmosphere in their home for a pandemic safe Valentine’s date night.
“We’re going to cook something from home. We’re going to set the table really nice. Maybe add some candles and flowers, and we’ll probably make festive cocktails. Maybe something pink and fruity. It should be fun,” Wilfley said.
If you’re flying solo this Valentine’s Day, don’t worry! You can just as easily hop on a Zoom call and cook a meal with your friends from a safe distance.
Movie night on the couch- Or on Zoom
Movie theaters may be open with limited capacity, but some Greeley residents may not feel comfortable being in an enclosed space with strangers quite yet. If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of catching a flick in public, you can still participate in this textbook night out by turning it into a textbook night in. Popular streaming services like Netflix and Hulu have hundreds of hours of classic couples’ movies to watch, giving you a perfect excuse to pop some popcorn and slip into your sweats.
Greeley resident Rory Cauley and his partner, Jacob Cross, built their relationship on a shared love of going to the movies. With the pandemic raging, Cauley said the pair plans to celebrate Valentine’s Day by watching their favorite romcom on the couch to try and recapture the feeling of watching a film on the big screen.
“Our favorite romantic movie is “10 Things I Hate About You” on Netflix. I’ve really missed movie theater popcorn, so when I get my next paycheck, I’m gonna see if I can get some of that movie theater butter to make the experience feel a little more real,” Cauley said.
If you’re single and waiting for a safer time to mingle, try Zoom’s screen sharing feature for a movie night with your favorite people.
Take a tour of Denver- From anywhere
Couples from all over Colorado like taking in the sights of the capitol city on Valentine’s Day. However, just because these locations are temporarily unavailable in person does not mean they’re not available at all.
Virtually Denver is a portal on denver.org that connects Colorado residents with virtual tours and events happening all throughout the state. Guests can tour exhibits at the Denver Museum of Art, go on a virtual Safari at the Denver zoo, or stream live concerts, all from the comfort of their own homes.
Anna Rosenthal, a UNC fourth-year theater education major, recently went on the virtual tour of the Denver Museum of Art with an unnamed Tinder date. She said her favorite type of date nights are experience based, and she was glad she could still take in new sights with a romantic prospect.
“It was nice still getting to experience a date. It almost felt normal, and that was nice. There was no social pressure. We could tour the museum at our own pace, and they made it really easy to navigate,” Rosenthal said.
If you’re interested in taking a virtual tour of a Denver experience visit https://www.denver.org/blog/post/denver-events-this-weekend/.
