top 10 ways to learn to flirt
1. Good Vibrations (308-A Harvard Street, Brookline, 617.264.4400) offers a slew of sex and relationship classes, including a flirting workshop. Check out www.goodvibes.com for upcoming class schedules.
2. Go to any Faneuil Hall bar on a Saturday night and watch the Yah-Dudes hit on the coeds. Then, do the opposite of that.
3. Rent Ocean’s 11, Ocean’s 12, and Ocean’s 13 for inspiration and channel your inner George Clooney.
4. Ask your grandma for tips. Seriously. Old ladies have it down pat.
5. Take a class at Improv Asylum (216 Hanover Street, Boston, 617.263.6887) to improve your candid conversation skills.
6. Perfect a cool bar trick. (Hey, we’ve got you covered! See our list on page 40.)
7. Hang with Eric Santiago from Cafeteria (279A Newbury Street, Boston, 617.536.2233). Trust us, he’s a pro (see page 26).
8. Watch Animal Planet and pick up some tricks from all of those mating rituals. Or head to Redline (59 JFK Street, Cambridge, 617.491.9851) on February 13, at 5:30 p.m. for “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” an evening on the private lives of animals, presented by the Franklin Park Zoo. The event is free, but an RSVP is required.
9. Sign up for a burlesque class with the Boston Babydolls (www.bostonbabydolls.net). They’ll have you bumping and grinding your way to confidence in just a few hours. Visit their site for a schedule of upcoming classes.
10. Cultivate an amazing but subtle pick-up line. One to avoid? “Nice shoes.”
— Sara Faith Alterman
top 10 places to get all dolled up before a date
1. One-stop shop at Spa Christine (699 East Broadway, South Boston, 617.269.0019). Get one of the best blow-outs in town, a killer makeup application, or choose from a slew of other spa services — all while sipping your choice of red or white wine and chatting with the ultra-friendly staff. They also have a boutique filled with products, gadgets, and gift items galore.
2. Hippie-chic manicure/pedicure at Salon Capri (31 Lincoln Street, Newton, 617.969.1970). Thankfully, living a greener life is more mainstream than ever. So why not throw eco-friendly beauty rituals into the mix? Salon Capri offers manicures and pedicures using SpaRitual’s vegan spa line, leaving you footloose and chemical-free!
3. Affordable blow-out at Francis Ray Jules (205 Portland Street, Boston, 617.720.2288). This North End hidden gem makes our list thanks to their super-quick blow-outs on the cheap. Starting at only $25, there’s really no excuse not to leave it to the professionals.
4. Delicious facial at Violet Skin Boutique (257 Newbury Street, Boston, 617.262.7546). A local favorite, Violet Mkhitaryan is best known for her homemade beauty remedies. Check out her new rose and chocolate facials and spa packages; leave with clear skin and a healthy glow — and smelling deee-licious.
5. Spray tan at Darque Tan (277B Huntington Avenue, Boston, 617.424.1826; 830 Comm Ave, Boston, 617.738.1826). In the dead of winter, we all need a little glow. Darque Tan offers clean, quality service (and no, you won’t end up on a cheesy reality TV show about tanning — this is Boston, not LA).
6. The dress experts at Twilight (12 Fleet Street, Boston, 617.523.8008). Not only does this charming North End boutique have the best dress selection in town, their staff has a special knack for picking out dresses that are perfect for your specific body type. And making the most of what you’ve got is key when preparing for a big date.
7. Brow shaping and makeup application at Rachel’s Makeup and Eyebrow Studio (176 Newbury Street, second floor, Boston, 617.424.0153). There’s nothing like enjoying a little gossip/primp session with a girlfriend before heading out on the town. That’s the vibe at this small, boudoir-like salon. Get your brows shaped and makeup applied and have a girly dish session with the owner (and expert) herself. Make sure to bring your makeup bag; Rachel will also show you, step by step, how to apply your own products at home.
8. Brazilian wax at Total Skin Care (270 Babcock Street, Boston, 617.783.0565). Keeping your bikini area groomed is obviously an important thing to consider when primping for a date. Barbara Smith, the owner and waxing expert at Total Skin Care, uses a homemade honey-based wax to get rid of unwanted hair. An added bonus: Smith is so fun and friendly, she’ll almost make you forget what she’s doing down there.
9. Personal styling at Parlor (1248 Washington Street, Boston, 617.521.9005). Nowadays women have myriad local independent fashion boutiques from which to choose. Among them is the South End’s Parlor. They’re fully stocked with well-edited, understated, urban-chic clothing and accessories, and they’ll style you from head to toe — a service most stores claim they offer, but few actually do. Let them work their style magic on you.
10. Magical Makeover at the Carriage House Salon (33 Church Street, Cambridge, 617.868.7800). Life is complicated; your beauty routine shouldn’t be. Our over-stimulated, ADD brains are on information overload. So make getting dolled up easy and opt for the Magical Makeover package. It includes a manicure, pedicure, shampoo, blow dry, and a bikini or lip-and-brow wax — all for $100. We’re not sure about the “magical” part, but the service is definitely top-notch.
— Erica Corsano
top 10 things to hide when your new boyfriend/girlfriend comes over
1. Those bra inserts you wear for a little extra boost that oddly resemble raw chicken cutlets — in look and feel.
2. Your half-completed application for the upcoming season of A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila.
3. That Yankees cap. (For the record, it was about a boy and you totally regret it.)
4. Any piece of literature, packaging, or anything else that references “debilitating cramps”
and/or a “heavy flow.”
5. Incriminating photos from the summer internship at Disney World, when you had to wear a Tigger suit for eight hours a day.
6. Your extensive collection of ’70s-era porn — no, she’s not impressed.
7. The complete Celine Dion discography that’s normally front-and-center on your CD rack.
8. Any sort of ointment.
9. Your copy of A Comprehensive Guide to Nudist Vacationing in the Northeast.
10. Undergarments worn to slim, shape, smooth, and, worst of all, control.
— Heather Bouzan
top 10 activities to get you in the mood
1. Getting your hands dirty with a sexy cooking class at Stir (102 Waltham Street, Boston, 617.423.STIR). On February 12 and 13, they’re offering “Seduction à la Stir” ($205); participants will learn to create a passion-filled dinner for two — think caviar, foie gras, and oysters.
2. A soak in the hot tubs at Inman Oasis (243 Hampshire Street, Cambridge, 617.491.0176), though please avoid grossing us out with any funny business in the community tub.
3. Taking an erotic field trip: bounce from a browsing session at Hubba Hubba (534 Mass Ave, Cambridge, 617.492.9082) to bawdy bakery Sweet & Nasty (90a Mass Ave, Boston, 617.266.7171), which stocks an unparalleled selection of sexy edibles. Finally, if it’s February 16, head to the Coolidge Corner Theatre (290 Harvard Street, Brookline, 617.734.2501) for the midnight “Love Hangover” screening of the Second Annual Good Vibrations Amateur Erotic Film Competition.
4. Star-gazing in the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Science (Science Park, Boston, 617.723.2500). Or braving the elements and doing the real thing from your roof deck.
5. Pampering yourselves with back-to-back appointments for 50-minute “Heart-Felt Love” Swedish massages ($98), offered at the Spa at Equinox (131 Dartmouth Street, Boston, 617.578.8918). You’ll emerge totally blissful and ready to try out your therapist’s techniques on each other.
6. Indulging in the luscious three-course prix fixe dinner ($36) offered nightly at Grotto (37 Bowdoin Street, Boston, 617.227.3434). There’s something about the hidden basement space that gets us in the mood.
7. Decked out in full sports regalia, cheering your heart out at the Sports Depot (353 Cambridge Street, Allston, 617.783.2300) while clutching a fistful of nachos in one hand and a cheap beer in the other. Doesn’t matter the game, the league, or the team. Do it for him.
8. Donning a pair of rubber gloves, arming yourself with a sponge and a bottle of Fantastik, and cleaning her apartment top to bottom when she’s still sleeping. If she doesn’t jump you, we will.
9. A couple’s trip to Centerfolds (12 Lagrange Street, Boston, 617.292.2600). Trust us.
10. Kicking it old-school with dinner and a jazz show at the Regattabar (Charles Hotel, One Bennett Street, Cambridge, 617.661.5000) or Scullers Jazz Club (Doubletree Guest Suites, 400 Soldiers Field Road, Boston, 617.562.4111). Irma Thomas takes over Regattabar for Valentine’s weekend, while Scullers is booked with Marcia Ball and Jane Monheit.
— HB
top 10 ways to celebrate your singledom
1. Hit up an almost-hipper-than-thou singles night, like the St. Singles Day party at UpStairs on the Square (91 Winthrop Street, Cambridge, 617.864.1933), held on February 13, from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Dancing, drinking, and flirting can be yours for the anti-Valentine’s Day price of $13 per sexy, single person. Not so fast, cutesy couples: your price for this scorching-hot event is $14,000 at the door. Suckers.
2. Challenge your friends: one night, one bar. Whoever hooks up with the most strangers wins. Loser buys drinks (as if you need any more of them).
3. Splurge on some ultra-swanky sheets at Linens on the Hill (52 Charles Street, Boston, 617.227.1255). Sleep spread-eagle, baby — that bed is all yours.
4. Invest all of that money you’re saving from not dating and track it online, watching giddily as it accrues interest.
5. Party with other love-haters at the annual Fuck Valentine’s Day party at Bukowski Tavern (50 Dalton Street, Boston, 617.437.9999). It’s on February 14, of course, running all night long.
6. Spend Friday night alone with a bottle of wine and www.YouPorn.com.
7. Travel Western Europe, solo. Just you, a backpack, and hundreds of German students looking for a good time.
8. One word: Centerfolds (12 Lagrange Street, Boston, 617.292.2600).
9. Invite your closest friends to join you on an all-day pig-out fest. Start with the nearly unconquerable burgers at R.F. O’Sullivan’s (282 Beacon Street, Somerville, 617.492.7773 ). Suck some ribs clean at Redbones (55 Chester Ave, Somerville, 617.628.2200), scale a mountain of nachos at the Sunset Grill & Tap (130 Brighton Avenue, Allston, 617.254.1331), and top it all off with endless sweet treats at the Chocolate Bar Buffet at Café Fleuri (Langham Hotel, 250 Franklin Street, Boston 617.956.8751).
10. Make a list of 10 things you want to do in your lifetime. Do two of them this weekend.
— SFA
top 10 unexpected places to find a date
1. Drenched in sauce over racks of ribs at Redbones (55 Chester Street, Somerville, 617.628.2200).
2. In a neighboring manicure chair at g2o (338 Newbury Street, Boston, 617.262.2220) — at least you know he’s well-groomed!
3. During a Photo Hunt challenge at the Avenue (1249 Comm Ave, Allston, 617.782.9508).
4. Perusing the lonely single-person food in the frozen-dinner aisle at Shaw’s (53 Huntington Avenue, Boston, 617.262.4688).
5. In the suburbs.
6. Downstairs at Marc by Marc Jacobs (81 Newbury Street, Boston, 617.425.0707), when you just “happen” to help him choose between hipster graphic Ts.
7. When she, wearing a Garnett jersey, drowns out your spirited cheers with her own during a Celtics game at the Fours (166 Canal Street, Boston, 617.720.4455).
8. At 3 a.m. outside the South Street Diner (178 Kneeland Street, Boston, 617.350.0028) when you’re both exasperated designated drivers/babysitters for your inebriated friends.
9. On a weekend night, huddled together for warmth in line for Alibi and Clink at the Liberty Hotel (215 Charles Street, Boston, 617.224.4000). Getting in can be so time-consuming that the line ends up developing a scene of its own.
10. Wedged into his armpit on a crowded train during one of the T’s random, unexplained delays.
— HB
top 10 sexy cocktails
1. Love Potion #33 ($14) at 33 Restaurant & Lounge (33 Stanhope Street, Boston 617.572.3311). Mexican hot chocolate, Godiva liqueur, Jack Daniel’s, and cinnamon are a tour de force of rich, spicy romance.
2. Forbidden Passion ($10.50) at Croma (269 Newbury Street, 617.247.3200). Johnny Love Passion Fruit Vodka, blueberry schnapps, and puréed strawberry get a bubbly kiss of Zardetto Prosecco. You’ll barely be able to contain yourself.
3. Mint Ambrosia ($10) at Vintage (1430 VFW Parkway, West Roxbury, 617.469.2600). House-infused mint bourbon rendezvouses with cava in a refreshing sparkler that’ll make your tongue tingle.
4. Cab Calloway ($8) at 6B Lounge (6 Beacon Street, Boston, 617.742.0306). Stoli Razberi. Dark Crème de Cacao. As smooth, sweet, and lip-puckering as any Valentine should be.
5. Madam Ex ($14) at Excelsior (272 Boylston Street, Boston, 617.426.7878). Stoli Peachik, Black Muscat, Mathilde Pêches, lime juice, and sparkling wine join forces in a sweetly succulent cocktail that will leave you licking your lips. Or someone else’s …
6. Lust ($10) at Church (69 Kilmarnock Street, Boston, 617.236.7600). The name says it all. Suck one down, sinners.
7. Sex Kitten ($12) at Nebo (90 North Washington Street, Boston, 617.723.6326). After one or two of these confections of Stoli Ohranj, Bacardi Razz, Chambord, and raspberry purée, you’ll be purring in your date’s ear. Meow!
8. You Give Me Fever ($11) at Cuchi Cuchi (795 Main Street, Cambridge, 617.864.2929). Temperatures heat up when you sip the hot-hot-hottest drink at one of the slinkiest tapas lounges in town.
9. Jail Bait ($13) at Alibi (Liberty Hotel, 215 Charles Street, Boston, 857.241.1144). Go ahead, take a long, sensual sip of this Bacardi and pomegranate mojito. It feels so wrong, but it’s just so right.
10. The Silver and Gold ($14) at Radius (8 High Street, Boston, 617.426.1234). This brand-spankin’-new cocktail may convince you to administer a little spanking of your own.
— SFA
top 10 things to avoid on Valentine’s Day
1. Heart-shaped jewelry.
2. Last-minute planning — reservations are necessary, and Chinese take-out is not an option.
3. Three words: Lifetime Original Movies.
4. In and around certain Faneuil Hall bars at what’s sure to be an extra-sloppy closing time.
5. The lingerie department at your local department store.
6. The greeting card aisle at CVS (various locations).
7. Tequila shots.
8. Making it official: Lamest. Anniversary. Ever.
9. Sending yourself flowers in an attempt to fake a secret admirer. Even worse if you’re doing so in hopes of making an ex jealous.
10. Pity makeouts.
— HB
top 10 places to impress your date
1. Clio (370 Comm Ave, Boston, 617.536.7200). Order the Chef’s Tasting Menu.
2. The TD Banknorth Garden (100 Legends Way, Boston, 617.624.1050) in courtside seats for a Celtics game.
3. No. 9 Park (9 Park Street, Boston, 617.742.9991), at the best table in the house.
4. Mantra (52 Temple Place, Boston, 617.542.8111), with a personal shout-out (slash declaration of love) from the late-night DJ.
5. Saks Fifth Avenue (786 Boylston Street, Boston, 617.262.8500). Set her up for the Julia Roberts/Pretty Woman treatment — even if you do have to agree on a spending limit.
6. Radius (8 High Street, Boston, 617.426.1234), if the evening includes a tableside visit from co-owner Christopher Myers.
7. The InterContinental Hotel (510 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, 617.747.1000). Spend a night in the super-swank presidential suite.
8. The Beehive (541 Tremont Street, Boston, 617.423.0069). Finagle some sort of line-cutting maneuver.
9. Shreve, Crump & Low (440 Boylston Street, Boston, 617.267.9100). Send her with orders to “choose something sparkly.”
10. Anywhere, if you’re wearing a tuxedo.
— HB
top 10 date movies for the third date
1. Swimming Pool. Sexy psychological thriller from 2003. Lots of gratuitous nudity and French hotties to complement the intriguing plot line.
2. Secretary. This 2002 black comedy was a break-out role for Maggie Gyllenhaal. It’s about S&M, but from an arty hipster perspective.
3. Betty Blue. A French film nominated for the 1986 Best Foreign Language Picture Oscar. Two lovers live and work and do other things on a beach.
4. Y Tu Mama También. A threesome on a road trip through Mexico in 2001. Sexual tension, jealousy, and homoeroticism all in the mix.
5. The Dreamers. Delicious 2003 film by Bertolucci stars an early Eva Green and the equally sexy Louis Garrell and Michael Pitt as budding nymphos in 1968 Paris.
6. Fire. Two Indian women fed up with arranged marriages turn to each other for some satisfaction in this lush 1996 Bollywood offering.
7. Malèna. Though some hot scenes were cut from the American version of this 2005 Italian film, a young Monica Bellucci as a WWII widow is still searing.
8. Henry and June. A 1990 Uma Thurman stars as the wife of promiscuous author Henry Miller in 1930s Paris. And we know that authors have the hottest sex lives ...
9. In the Realm of the Senses. Europeans don’t have a monopoly on hot flicks. This 1976 movie follows an affair in 1936 Tokyo. Just press pause before the heroine pulls a Lorena Bobbitt in the last scenes.
10. Don’t Look Now. This 1976 thriller stars Julie Christie, still the most slammin’ Bond girl. The sex scenes were so believable, Hollywood insiders still say they weren’t faked.
— Melissa Cronin
top 10 aphrodisiac dishes
1. Grilled asparagus spears with chili garlic salt and citrus yakitori sauce ($6.50) at Wagamama (Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, 617.742.9242).
2. Belgian-chocolate fondue with Oreos, graham crackers, almond biscotti, and marshmallows ($11) at the Beehive (541 Tremont Street, Boston, 617.423.0069).
3. Oysters ($2.25 each) at B&G Oysters (550 Tremont Street, Boston, 617.423.0550).
4. Slow-roasted rib-eye au poivre with kohlrabi, grapefruit, and licorice root ($40) at Clio (370 Comm Ave, Boston, 617.536.7200).
5. Salmon and mussels with fennel, tomato, and smoked paprika oil ($11) at Flat Iron Tapas Bar & Lounge (119 Merrimac Street, Boston, 617.778.2900).
6. Toasted chorizo sausage sandwich with melted fontina, onions, and mustard aioli on fig-anise bread ($8.95) at Sel de la Terre (255 State Street, Boston, 617.720.1300).
7. Fennel cake with curried mango purée, mango carpaccio, honey frozen yogurt, and mango-mint lassi ($10) at OM (92 Winthrop Street, Cambridge, 617.576.2800).
8. Caspian Heaven with roasted fingerling potatoes, crispy oysters, crème fraiche, salmon caviar, and Champagne sauce ($12) at Cuchi Cuchi (795 Main Street, Cambridge, 617.864.2929).
9. Dark chocolate and hazelnut beignets ($12) at Great Bay (500 Comm Ave, Boston, 617.532.5300).
10. Molten chocolate soufflé cake for two with vanilla-bean ice cream and raspberry sauce ($18) at Icarus (3 Appleton Street, Boston, 617.426.1790).
— MC
top 10 worst texts to receive the morning after
1. Thx for making my first time as a woman so special!
2. i think u left ur viagra in my bathroom.
3. Hey, i think I left some of my weave in your bed.
4. Last nite was great, let’s do it again sometime! with my mom.
5. Thanks for your business! Please forward a check in the amount of .
6. Want to meet my friends tonite? They thought you were great but it was hard to tell what you really looked like on the night vision.
7. here’s a link to the ring i want. okthxbai.
8. So my doctor just called …
9. Look how cute you look when you’re asleep! Awwww.
10. Hope you don’t mind i borrowed some of your underwear.
— MC
top 10 reasons not to propose
1. If Chet and Natalie can’t make it work, who can?
2. Your buddy’s Red Sox season tickets.
3. Happy hour at Tia’s on the Waterfront (200 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, 617.227.0828) isn’t as much fun accompanied by the ball and chain.
4. The Boston Harbor Hotel (70 Rowes Wharf, Boston, 617.439.7000) is booked until the year 2030 — and where else could you possibly have your reception, Bridezilla?
5. The inevitable move to the suburbs. Hello, minivan! Sigh.
6. Desperate housewives are much more glamorous on TV.
7. Your bridesmaids will really, honestly never wear those dresses again.
8. You can no longer “show your appreciation” to that attentive bartender at District (180 Lincoln Street, Boston, 617.426.0180) who’s always giving you free drinks.
9. You so cherish those sketchy late-night makeout sessions with strangers in North End alleyways.
10. You’d like to have sex again.
— SFA & HB
top 10 songs to avoid during Valentine’s Day karaoke
1. “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette: “And I’m here to remind you/ Of the mess you left when you went away/ It’s not fair to deny me/ Of the cross I bear that you gave to me/ You, you, you oughta know”
2. “Tired of Being Alone” by Al Green: “I’m so tired of being alone/ I’m so tired of on-my-own”
3. “Every Breath You Take” by the Police: “Every breath you take/ Every move you make/ Every bond you break/ Every step you take/ I’ll be watching you”
4. “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” by Michael Bolton: “So tell me all about it, tell me ’bout the plans you’re making/ Then tell me one thing more before I go/ Tell me how am I supposed to live without you”
5. “Hello” by Lionel Richie: “Hello, is it me you’re looking for/ ’Cause I wonder where you are/ And I wonder what you do/ Are you somewhere feeling lonely or is someone loving you”
6. “Big Pimpin’ ” by Jay-Z: “You know I thug ’em, fuck ’em, love ’em, leave ’em/ Cause I don’t fuckin’ need ’em”
7. “Greatest Love of All” by Whitney Houston: “No matter what they take from me/ They can’t take away my dignity/ Because the greatest love of all/ Is happening to me”
8. “Always” by Bon Jovi: “I’ll be there ’til the stars don’t shine/ ’Til the heavens burst and the words don’t rhyme/ I know that when I die, you’ll be on my mind/ And I’ll love you always”
9. “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison: “Every rose has its thorn/ Just like every night has its dawn/ Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song”
10. “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson: “Since you been gone/ I can breathe for the first time/ I’m so movin’ on, yeah yeah”
— SFA & HB
top 10 signs your partner is “the one”
1. You tell him you’re on a diet. His reaction: “You’re not going to become one of those skinny girls, are you?”
2. You join a kickball team together and she doesn’t cackle at your pathetic lack of coordination.
3. Your friends call her to hang out, even when you’re not around.
4. You don’t even notice that you’re finishing each others’ sentences.
5. He thinks that lingering pimple at the end of your nose “gives you character.”
6. Her taste in beer surpasses that of the majority of your buddies.
7. She quotes Family Guy better than Seth MacFarlane ever could.
8. He gave you the worn-in Sox cap he’s had since seventh grade.
9. You find yourself turning down A-list invitations in favor of a night in, cuddling with him on the couch.
10. Her second cousin’s grandfather’s neighbor’s fifth-grade teacher’s nephew has an in with Bill Belichick.
— SFA & HB
top 10 bar tricks
1. Tie a cherry stem into a knot with your tongue. Don’t know how? Slip a pre-tied one into your cheek, and make a quick switch.
2. Fold a dollar bill into a ring and slide it on the finger of your object of desire. (Learn how at www.origami-
instructions.com.)
3. Brag to a cutie at the bar that you can fold a cigarette in half without breaking it. The trick is to have secretly taken a few puffs on the cigarette first, so that the paper is moistened and more flexible.
4. Astound the bar crowd with simple physics. Take a pint of beer and place a coaster over the top of the glass, pressing down around the edges to form a seal. Quickly flip the glass over onto the bar, then slide the coaster out from under it. Voila! Your beer is upside down. If only you could turn it right side up ...
5. This one’s for the ladies, and it’s guaranteed to get you free drinks all night long. Take that piece of gum you’ve been chewing; sneakily loosen a single strand of hair from your ’do and attach it to the gum. Now, bet someone that you can make your gum float. Force the (attached to your head) gum out of your lips and blow so that it swings out on the hair, then quickly suck back in. Sounds a little gross, sure, but it’s enough to mesmerize even David Blaine. Okay, a drunk David Blaine.
6. Courtesy of www.EasyBarTricks.com: place a glass near the edge of the bar and balance a business card across the top, leaving a bit of the card hanging off. On top of that, carefully balance a cigarette so that it’s standing on its filter. On top of that, balance a coin. You’re going to make the coin fall into the glass without touching any of the elements. Ready? That piece of business card that’s hanging off ... crouch down and blow on the card from below. Blow harder. There ya go. The card and cigarette will fly off, and the coin will drop into the glass.
7. Place a full shot glass and an empty shot glass next to each other. Balance two quarters on opposite edges of the full glass. Can you pour the liquid from the full glass into the empty one without touching either glass, or dropping the coins? Sure you can. Place your thumb on one coin, your index finger (same hand) on the other. Use your fingers to slide the coins over the edges and down the sides of the glass. Pick it up (the coins are between your fingers and the glass, so technically, you’re not touching the glass!) and pour the liquid into the empty glass.
8. Grab a plastic straw, pinching both ends closed tightly. Twist the straw, beginning at the ends — the idea being to force all of the trapped air into the center of the straw. When you can’t twist anymore, and the center of the straw is bulging with air, grab both ends of the straw with one hand, making sure to keep pinching them tightly. Use your newly freed hand to flick the center, sharply. BANG! You’ll scare the pants off of everyone, which might not be such a bad thing, Casanova.
9. Lay out four coasters in a straight, horizontal line. Put one coaster on either side of the second coaster from the top, creating a cross. Bet someone a drink that they can’t transform the cross into two rows of four, by only moving one of the coasters. They aren’t allowed to add any coasters, either. Give them two minutes of head scratching. Then pick up the coaster at the bottom of the cross and put it on top of that second coaster down, creating two intersecting rows that each contain four coasters. Think about it ... there ya go.
10. Bet your object of desire that you can make his or her cocktail disappear. Slyly reach out and pick up their glass. Drink it. Offer to buy him or her a new one, and voila! You’re welcome.
— SFA
top 10 offbeat dates
1. Challenge each other to a weird-shit-eating contest. Test each other’s gastronomic boundaries with the offal dishes offered at spots such as Green Street (280 Green Street, Cambridge, 617.876.1655), Eastern Standard (528 Comm Ave, Boston, 617.532.9100), and KO Prime (90 Tremont Street, Boston, 617.772.0202).
2. Make snow angels in the Public Garden.
3. Channel your inner punk-rock artiste with a Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School class at Great Scott (1222 Comm Ave, Allston, 617.566.9014). Be prepared: there might be boobs.
4. Drive out to Walden Pond for a midnight swim. Don’t get busted, law-breaker!
5. Take a hip-hop dance class together at the Dance Complex (536 Mass Ave, Cambridge, 617.547.9363).
6. Steal a kid (preferably one who’s at least sort of related to you) and channel your inner six-year-old with a trip to the Children’s Museum (300 Congress Street, Boston, 617.426.6500) and the New England Aquarium (Central Wharf, Boston, 617.973.5200), topped off with a few races through the jungle gym at Christopher Columbus Park (Atlantic Avenue, Boston).
7. Watch the sunset from the Skywalk Observatory (Prudential Center, 800 Boylston Street, Boston, 617.859.0648).
8. Flaunt your vocal talent at a Friday night sing-along at Jacob Wirth’s (37 Stuart Street, Boston, 617.338.8586). Now with more piano!
9. Challenge each other to races at F1 Boston (290 Wood Road, Braintree, 781.848.2300) — get liquored up only after you’re finished on the track.
10. Rent a bunch of Kurosawa films and stock up on takeout sushi for an at-home film festival. @
— SFA & HB
