Valentine's Day roundup: Unusual date ideas

Everybody knows the usual deal for Valentine's Day, however, not all of us can wine and dine at Cafe St Petersburg, catch some random indie show and end the night screaming Sleeper lyrics under the covers. So for the rest (and how I pity thee), I rounded up some weird, kinda random things for lovers to experience come Sunday. From the pages of le Herald:

Two of a kind
By Michael Marotta
Friday, February 12, 2010 - Updated 20h ago

This year, dinner-and-a-movie just isn’t going to cut it.

Whether you’re still in the courtship stage or you’ve already put a ring on it, Valentine’s Day is a good excuse to shower your loved one with affection. And for the singles, free love is in the air.

Whatever the two of you like to do (and who are we to judge?), this Valentine’s Day guide (Sunday events only) has your kind of fun in mind:

We Like to Watch

Dr. Sketchy’s Burlesque Life Drawing Session at Great Scott (1222 Commonwealth Ave., Allston; 2:30 p.m., $8, greatscottboston.com) No better way to get a grasp of the human form than by drawing it, and couples are more than welcome at this risque do-it-yourself art class. Sunday’s model is author Jaclyn Friedman, who’s well-prepared for Valentine’s Day. “She’s single and healing a broken heart, so she’s excited to read some smut while modeling nearly nude,” said organizer Aliza Shapiro.

Naked at the Museum of Fine Arts Scavenger Hunt (465 Huntington Ave.; 2 p.m., $37.50, mfa.org, 877-946-4868) There’s plenty of nudity at the museum, and Watson Adventures’ unique scavenger hunt scrutinizes paintings, sculptures and period rooms for the naughty bits. No nudity is required (the hunt is rated PG-13), which is helpful, since it’s really cold outside.

We Come to Party

Karma Loop Presents: Thunderdome’s Lover’s Ball (Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, 85 West Newton St.; 10 p.m., $20) Thunderdome is one of the more hedonistic parties in Boston, but this one is tailored for lovers, complete with a kissing booth. “We love all who have made things like Thunderdome and Together possible, so on Valentine’s Day we have skipped the flowers and decided to give (Boston) this,” said founder Mike McKay. With DJs Hot Pink Delorean, Steed Lord, Roxy Cottontail and others. Massive.

The Wolf & Lamb Experience at Good Life (28 Kingston St.; 9 p.m., $5, 21-plus, goodlifebar.com) When you hit the dance floor, are you a wolf or a lamb? Valentine’s Day gets sexed-up with the jams of dance music mavens Nicolas Jaar, No Regular Play and local duo Soul Clap, who are expected to crank up the r & b jams and help us all get sweaty.

We’re Old-School

“Casablanca” at the Battle Theatre (3 Brattle St., Cambridge; 4:15, 7 and 9:45 p.m., $9.75, brattlefilm.org) It’s hard to feel the love with a huge, first-run blockbuster movie in a giant cineplex, and modern romantic comedies don’t pack the punch they used to. So kick it old-school like Bogart and Bergman and catch this 1942 romantic classic in a snug indie theater, and hit Sandrine’s Bistro beforehand - so you’ll always have Paris.

“The Art of Romance in the Jane Austen Era at Gore Place” (52 Gore St., Waltham; 1 and 3 p.m., $12, goreplace.org) Guides dressed in period clothing will use Austen’s writings on romance in the early 1800s in a tour of this historic house museum. Why rely on chocolate, when you’ve got “Sense & Sensibility?”

We’re Looking for Love

Alibi’s One Night Stand Against Valentine’s Day (215 Charles St.; 8 p.m., $10, alibiboston.com) Are you a gold digger? Then work it at Alibi, where every $10 donation gets you $100 in funnymoney, to be used on whichever guy or gal catches your eye. The person with the most faux-cash at the end of the night gets a real cash prize, and proceeds raise funds for Alibi staff running the Boston Marathon. “We wanted to tie into Valentine’s Day, and thought the gold-digger thing was funny,” said Alibi GM Dimitra Tsouranis. “After all, we’re still in a recession.”

Love It Or (expletive) It at the Savant Project (1625 Tremont St.; 7 p.m., thesavantproject.com) Couples can wine and dine like lovers do: on steaks, pasta and smooches. However, the Savant Project has whipped up a special side menu for drown-your-sorrows singles: mac ’n’ cheese, fried Twinkies, chicken wings and cheap beer.

We Came to Play

Bowling and pool at King’s Back Bay (50 Dalton St.; 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m., $6.50 per bowling game; backbaykings.com) Are you in the kind of relationship where you race to the car after shopping or battle to guess the total at the supermarket register? Then hit the bowling lanes at King’s. Winner either pays for a nightcap game of pool or the signature Big Ball For Two cocktail at the bar.

We’re Funny That Way

Bugs Bunny Film Festival’s All Bugs Revue at the Brattle Theatre (3 Brattle St., Cambridge; noon and 2 p.m., $7.75) Let the Casanovas of the world worry about flowers and candlelit dinners. If your guy or gal doesn’t take Sunday too seriously and is down with some Cupid caper Looney Tunes, you know you’ve got a keeper. Hare today, love tomorrow.

Get-Together record fair and expo (Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, 85 West Newton St.; noon to 6 p.m., free) Record nerds rejoice! If you’re a couple that bonds over crate digging and finding lost music, hit the Get-Together (also appropriate for the competitive couple, too). Music vending, product demonstrations and fashion shows, all under one roof and tied together with DIY artistic love.
mmarotta@bostonherald.com