By Lindsay Ercanbrack
While some people dread February 14 like the plague, others mark the days off the calendar in anticipation for a romantic night out. Either way, making Valentine''s Day exciting depends on creating a fun date to share with someone special.
Dave Johnson, student body president, has experienced his own fair share of creative dates.
'I think the very best creative date is any date that involves a scooter,' he said.
Johnson enjoys planning theme dates where each activity intertwines.
'For one date, I took a girl to the opera,' he said. 'Afterward for dinner, I took her to an Italian place that had gondolas. For dessert, we went to get gelato . I totally pulled the Italian theme date.'
Johnson also suggested how the theme night can be used for the traditional dinner and a movie date idea by going to a restaurant which fits the scene of a movie.
If dinner is on the menu for Valentine''s Day, make sure to plan ahead.
Brad Neilson, assistant kitchen manager at Outback Steakhouse in Orem, said a typical wait for a table can be three to four hours.
Outback doesn''t take reservations, but accept calls ahead on Valentine''s Day to be placed on a list.
If the long restaurant wait is unappetizing, a nice homemade dinner by candlelight might be a good option.
Heather Brinkerhoff, 20, majoring in health teaching, said she experienced one unforgettable home-cooked candlelight dinner.
'The guys took us up to the canyon as if they had nothing planned,' she said. 'They eventually took us down a bike trail to a table surrounded by tikki torches and set beautifully with white linen, china and sparkling apple juice chilling in ice. They even had a waiter in a tux. It was incredible.'
For Valentine''s Day, here are some options for a special night out.
CrashUtah.com is a Web site created to provide people with a wide variety of date ideas to choose from.
'If you''re looking for something less expensive but more creative, try a progressive dinner or one of the other food options featured on CrashUtah''s Best Bets for group dating,' said Alicia Carlson, managing partner of the Web site. 'Another option is the shake-making contest - each couple picks different mix-ins and makes a shake. They divide the shake into enough Dixie cups for everyone in the group to take the sample and vote for the best one.'
Carlson said there are a lot of great date ideas outside of Utah County.
'A fun date is to go to a dinner playhouse where you can do dinner and a play all in one,' she said. 'At the Desert Star in Murray, you have the option of dining in the theater or eating in the playhouse restaurant before or after the show.'
Enjoying the arts can also be turned into an elegant date night, Carlson said.
'One really nice date is to go see the Utah Symphony at Abravenal Hall in Salt Lake City,' she said. 'Student tickets are $8 compared to $40 for regular tickets. It''s a great excuse to dress up and have a really nice evening.'
One resource available on CrashUtah.com is the random date generator, which pulls up a random restaurant and activity combination.