With Valentine’s Day around the corner, there's more and more hype and pressure to find new and unique ways to spend time with your significant other. You’ve exhausted coffee dates, surpassed your monthly budget for downtown meals, and the thought of yet another Netflix and chill sesh already has you yawning. This Valentine’s Day, discover a new part of campus to create a romantic adventure that promises to shake up your mid–winter routine.
If you’re looking for something adventurous...
Return to the Quad this Valentine’s Day for a unique way to bond with your SO that doesn’t involve McClelland, mold, or your really clingy roommate from freshman year. Located underneath the Morgan entrance in Ware are a series of tunnels that link beneath the entirety of the Quad, rumored to extend beyond the limits of the dormitory grounds and perhaps even reaching as far as Hill. Bring a flashlight and some snacks, and together you and your SO can uncover the mysteries behind the mythos of the Quad Catacombs.
If you’re looking to get tipsy...
With its famous $5 margs, Distrito happy hour is the perfect way to signify—or maybe test—you and your partner’s love. Packed with happy hour nachos and an eccentric ambiance, Distrito is a fun and fresh way to spend this day of love. Still, if you’re looking for another option, try taking a step a little closer to campus. Valentine's Day can be the perfect excuse to improve upon your go–to food spot, BYO–style.
If you’re looking for something out of a movie...
We know you haven't left your dorm room since your second midterms, so use this V–day as the perfect excuse to venture outside. Stop by FroGro and first gather the essentials: cheese, fruit, and, of course, a bottle of wine. Taking the elevator up to the top floor, you and your bae can lay down a blanket and enjoy the beautiful Philadelphia skyline while picnicking Valentine's Day away. Bonus points if you witness the sun setting across the Delaware.
If you’re looking to break a sweat...
It’s time to throw on your best workout clothes and head for a workout on the bleachers of Franklin Field. Made for the perfect fitness power couple, cycle through circuits around the field, ending with bench step–ups to witness the view at the top of the bleachers. Here, you and your SO can rest with a view of the entirety of Penn’s campus, Engineering Quad and all. After this scenic date, you’ll have an excuse to chow down on all that Valentine’s Day chocolate your date was persuaded to buy on Locust that morning.
If you’re looking to explore some greenery...
We know that with the building of New College House West, you’ve lost the small amount of green you may have stumbled upon on campus—but don’t fret. Relocate your Valentine’s Day picnic to the Biopond instead. Located in James G. Kaskey Memorial Park, the Biopond is the ideal getaway from the city–feel of campus, giving you the seclusion you need for this most romantic of days. If you’re looking to get a bit further off-campus, visit the Green Roof located on top of the Singh Center for Nanotechnology. With a beautiful view of the city as well as an array of assorted plants, native trees, and grasses, you and your SO can experience the best of both worlds for an eco–friendly V–day celebration.
If you’re looking for something artsy...
Take a stroll down to 37th and Chestnut, where Penn’s independent screening house lies. The Lightbox Film Center hosts film festivals, visual arts organizations film screenings, and collaborates with Penn to offer opportunities for those in Cinema and Media Studies at the university. They will be screening the old–time film, Honeymoon Killers, so grab some food and head on down to spice up your would–be typical movie date this Valentine’s Day.
While all these adventures are amazing with an S.O., these V-Day activities aren't just limited to couples. Bring out friends, that hookup you really want to turn into something more, or get some much needed me–time for a Valentine's day for the books.
