Is Val Day the Best Day in New York?

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Kaitlyn: Years ago, our friend Tamar was seeing a boy who had three or four odd qualities. I’m only going to state one of them here because otherwise he will be instantly identifiable and may become angry: He wouldn’t say “Valentine’s Day”; instead he said “Val Day,” which we absolutely loved.

Now, look, I grew up in the suburbs, and like everyone else I have trauma from never receiving a carnation from my crush during homeroom and never being offered a promise ring or whatever by my one true love. Valentine’s Day as a teenager is brutality. Val Day in New York City, however, is a different story. They sell roses in tents by the subway. They sell teddy bears out of the backs of vans. The restaurants have cupids and arrows painted on the windows … grown-ups eat candy and heart-shaped baguettes! Oh, and my eyes just fill with tears because Val Day in New York City is for everyone; it is so beautiful, and we call it Val Day because a boy with odd qualities offered us the term and then, after some weeks, sweetly disappeared from our lives.

So imagine all that, and then, I’m sorry to ask, imagine it is 20 degrees and windy and you’re headed down to the