Raymond

A familiar presence selling flowers outside Key Food on Avenue A and East Fourth Street...

Photo by Stacie Joy

Valentine's Day is right around the corner ... and next to the Entenmann's at Key Food

It's never too soon to say it seems awfully early to start selling Valentine's candy.

Local blogger wants you to be his or her valentine, maybe

Happy Valentine's Day, as always, from Papaya Dog on East 14th Street and First Avenue…

Your chance for an anti-Valentine's celebration at Ciao for Now

From the EVG inbox...

Ciao For Now Restaurant/Bakery is offering an unconventional gift idea for this upcoming Valentine’s Day. It is a unique twist on the traditional and much beloved Sweethearts® candies.

Give that special someone in your life a box of freshly baked Sweethearts® cakes with personalized messages. Each gift box is comprised of 4 mini, heart-shaped, layered, buttercream cakes including: Chocolate Ganache, Passion Fruit, Vanilla Raspberry Swirl with Chambord Buttercream, and Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Ciao For Now is also hosting an Anti-Valentine’s Day dinner celebration at their East 12th Street location on Friday, Feb. 14. Enjoy the many perks of singlehood alongside friends by indulging in a delicious Anti-Valentine’s Day themed dinner menu followed by complimentary chair massages, palm readings and broken-hearted cookies.

Ciao For Now is accepting Anti-Valentine’s Day dinner reservations at 212-677-2616.

The morning after

Seventh Street and Avenue C via Steven Matthews...

Every rose has its thorn
Just like every night has its dawn
Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song
Every rose has its thorn

Yeah it does — Bret Michaels, C.C. DeVille, Bobby Dall, Rikki Rockett

Scenes from Valentine's Day 2013

The usual line this day at Sunny's on Second Avenue and East Sixth Street, by peter radley



Prepping for a romantic meal at Dallas BBQ on St. Mark's and Second Avenue, by Bobby Williams



Um, this on East 14th Street, via Bride of 7th






Valentine's pigeon in Tompkins Square Park, by Bobby Williams

Is this the cutest couple in the East Village?

As you may have heard, today is Valentine's Day. (Exclusively reported here first.) Anyway, on this occasion, The Village Voice speaks with Pilar and Walter La Rosa, the owners of Pilar Jewelry Repair at 32 E. Seventh St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square.

The couple, who are originally from Lima, Peru, have been married for five decades. And they've been running this shop for 20 years. Reporter Araceli Cruz talked to Pilar about love and marriage and romance ... "Couples are too independent today. Couples should do everything together. Women go off with their friends too much. Instead they should bring them over, even the singles ones."

Read the whole piece here at Runnin' Scared.

[Photo via the Voice]

Last-minute Valentine's Day gift ideas, if you're feeling lucky

Step right up to the (slightly refurbished) Treasure Chest here then on East 14th Street near First Avenue ... outside the Community Grocery & Candy store.



The game of chance has been stocked in recent weeks with some nice Valentine's Day-related items.



But. If you want a sure thing, then we suggest that you try Zoltar.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Before Zoltar, there was Treasure Chest

Valentine's Evening, 2012

Photos by Matt LES_Miserable.

Love and a silverware tray

We always enjoy the more Garry Marshall-movie-sounding Missed Connections ...

silverware tray - w4m - 27 (East Village)
hello strange guy - i just walked into a random junk dollar store on 14th st somewhere between 1st and B looking for a silverware drawer tray and the only other person in there was you, and you were looking for the same thing. we both bought one even though the only option was kind of garbage. you were tall and wearing what looked like a motorcycle helmet. i dont know why i'm writing this, i've never used this before - as far as i know the only thing we have in common is that we both use silverware. as good a foundation as any, i guess.

7-Eleven on the Bowery unveils its Valentine's Day section

What a lovely way of saying "our relationship is pretty much dead" how much you love me.

h/t Paul Anka.

Breaking: On New Year's Eve, Duane Reade preps for Valentine's Day

Matt LES_Miserable notes that Valentine's Day hit the Duane Reade shelves on Avenue B at 3:30 p.m. today.

Sixth Street, 8:20 p.m., Feb. 14

Via @kashhill

An early Valentine

On Avenue C...

...and near a trash can in Tompkins Square Park ...

Valentine's Day tragedies: When you mix up Gramercy Cafe and the Gramercy Tavern

We heard about this third-hand... So we can't verify the authenticity of it. But! A man from out of town was here this past weekend to be with his girlfriend. She is new to the city, and was interested in trying one of Danny Meyer's highly regarded eateries, such as the Union Square Cafe or Gramercy Tavern.

Anyway, some details were apparently lost in translation, and the couple arrived here at the Gramercy Cafe on 17th Street and Third Avenue for an early Valentine's Day weekend dinner on Saturday...




Not all was lost. After realizing their error, they made their over to the Gramercy Tavern on 20th Street near Park Avenue South... they eventually got seats at the bar...

Valentine's Day cheese and bacon recap

Noted

In front of the Redhead, 13th Street near First Avenue.

A special Valentine's via Craigslist: "have fun jerking it to the pics you took of the bartenders"

Epic smackdown via Criagslist.

Douchebag at LIT obsessed with my teeth, - w4m - 37 (East Village)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2010-02-13, 5:06AM EST

Yeah, you're the "hipster" ass at LIT who insulted me for no reason than I caught you buying Maxim or some pathetic mag at the bodega. You obviously have women issues to just walk up to me in a bar and throw insults - especially when my teeth are white and perfect. Jealous much? Horny much?..then of course, you run away when I talk back. You are pretty unattractive in the first place - and you probably haven't gotten laid for years..you should just masturbate before you go out clubbing..then you may stand a chance. You're uncalled for hatred of me spoke volumes about your lonely pathetic "life". I may not be a model, but i'm way more attractive than you are in anyone's book..What a douchebag you are - insult my teeth then run away. I would gladly have told you off more since I live on that block for 17 years and was quite comfortable there - but you were out of your hood so you must have hopped in your little old cab to Billyburg..Ah well, hope to see you at LIT again soon - i'll surely remember your ugly face and since they love me there we are bound to have a GREAT time...See ya soon...have fun jerking it to the pics you took of the bartenders..Maybe you'll get them in Vice even! Oh - and besides your crooked teeth, you have a bad nose, zits and a gross body I noticed. Sorry-just being honest! I'm sure you've heard it all before!

Be my Valentine

More on the Hotel Carter

(Photo by Jeffrey Docherty)

A few weeks back I did that post on the Hotel Carter being named the dirtiest hotel in America by TripAdvisor. This past Wednesday, Curbed had the goods on blogger Mike Barish, who spent a few hours there to see how bad it really is. He filed this must-read report:

So, is the Hotel Carter the dirtiest hotel in the United States? Not from what I could see. It's unkempt. It needs major renovations including new paint, carpeting, and lighting in both the rooms and the hallways. The bathroom tiles need to be completely replaced along with the vents. But overall, it's just not that disgusting.

However, it is the single most depressing hotel I have ever been in. In fact, it may be the bleakest place I have ever been. Period. The whole environment is joyless. The wan lighting wears on you after a while. It just makes you sad. The uninterrupted white walls offer no stimuli to keep your mind focused on anything other than the sadness of the room. If there was a sequel to The Shining about a hotel that made you despondent instead of insane, it would be filmed at the Hotel Carter.

Which brings me to today. A press release came through the transom from UrbanMaidGreen, an eco-friendly cleaning service on Union Square. They're offering "a cleaning to any couple spending their Valentine's Day in the infamous Hotel Carter." And. "We will send our staff to clean your room for free on Valentine's Day, to help get you out of the doghouse from your significant other."

Well, OK. Unlikely, but. Anyway, as Barish wrote, no guests are allowed at the Carter. Which means, presumably, no outside cleaning crews. Or hookers.