As a wise millennial once said, it’s not real love unless you portray it on the Internet™.
While we may have just made that up (and trademarked it – so watch out BuzzFeed), we’re going to stick to it for the sake of this Valentine’s Day post as there are so many sweet spots for you and your sweetie to go kindle some romance in the city.
So without further ado, get your camera and loved one ready, because we want to see your love – and these lovely attractions – all over our Instagram feed. #onlyinthepeg
Warming Huts at The Forks
What better backdrop for your love than playful structures created by some of the world’s best architects and designers?
One of the new ones for this year, which was made by students at Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute, is called Hug Mug which is about as apropos as it gets. On top of that, for new ones there is an installation by filmmaker/artist Guy Maddin; the giant Golden Bison that you can crawl inside (no funny stuff) by Mexico’s David Alberto Arroyo Tafolla; The Trunk – a tree trunk structure tailor made for getting close together in (but again, no funny stuff) by Camille Bianchi and Ryder Thalheimer of Vancouver BC; and Totem – from Estonia’s Architecture Office b210, which is composed of two towers, so you and your loved one can each climb one in order to look longingly at one another (so you’ll need a third person on the camera).
Bonus: as well, there is the new archway path on land trails at The Forks, which is illuminated beautifully in the evening.
St. Boniface Cathedral
You know what elevates a romantic photo? Symmetry.
And nowhere in the city can you take a shot that provides more of that than underneath the gate and between the trees – with the oculus framing your beaming faces in the background – at this stunning location in St. Boniface.
Bonus: While you are at it, why not head around the corner to enjoy some of the French flavour that permeates out of Old St. B? Perhaps go get yourselves a flaky croissant and some pastries from La Belle Baguette, along with some spicy hot chocolate at Chocolatier Constance Popp – where you can also take photo amongst all the chocolate hearts.
Under the bears at Assiniboine Park Zoo
The Sea Ice Passage has created no shortage of magical moments since it opened a few years ago, so why not add your love to that long list of Instagram-friendly photos that have been shot there?
Our number one bear sighting while swimming tip: go early! We’ve had a great track record of seeing these beautiful, playful bears in all their roughhousing glory right when the Zoo opens up at 9 a.m.
Bonus: If you can land a photo of the two of you with one of the muskox in the background, you are guaranteed to add three happy years onto your love life. It’s a fact.
Double Bonus: All month long it is Northern Explorer Month at the Zoo, meaning that one regular admission ticket gets you into the Zoo for the whole month of February.
Triple Bonus: This lovely couple who got married under the Sea Ice Passage with a bear in the background. What a way to start your life together.
Pasta (so you can replicate that Lady and the Tramp scene)
There’s no shortage of spots that make great handmade pasta in the city, but the three that immediately come to mind (in various areas of the city at that) are St. Vital’s Harth (980, 1 St. Anne’s Road), The Exchange District’s Mitchell Block (173 McDermont Avenue), and the brand new Passero in The Forks Market.
To make the scene authentic, you will need to order a longer pasta, so may we suggest either the lemon ash linguine (which sounds really sexy) from Mitchell Block; Harth’s spaghetti with arrabbiata, clams (said to be an aphrodisiac – #winkyface), octopus, bread crumbs and basil; or the bronze di-cut linguine with fermented chili and crab sauce from Passero – which is hands down one of our favourite dishes in the city right now.
Bonus: for dessert, why not head to Chaeban, Winnipeg’s newest ice cream shop? The ice creams are made on site and they even have an area set up specifically to take a selfie with your cone.
A sexy hotel (aka Mariaggi’s Theme Suite Hotel & Spa)
Well, okay, perhaps we shouldn’t implore you take selfies at Mariaggi's, Winnipeg’s most exotic hotel. But if you do, may we suggest doing so either in the Rome Suite – which has a fireplace and numerous statues, or the Jakarta Penthouse – where 3,000 square feet and a four-person hot tub provide ample room, adding romance to your evening.
