Skip the V-Day sads. Romance is everywhere. 

Valentine’s Day! The day every February when you either feel like a loser because you’re single, or spend the day looking at other people’s sappy posts on social media comparing your relationship to theirs. Love is hard. 

But you know what’s not? Finding fun things to do in the DMV. And you know what’s actually super romantic? Getting stoned and going out into the world and appreciating 

beautiful things and the fact that you’re alive. 

So here’s a list of romantic date ideas in DC, great for going stoned, whether you’re with someone special or flying solo: 

1. The courtyard of the Natural Portrait Gallery: Great light and serene sounds. Indoor/outdoor hybrid for when it’s cold but you don’t wanna wear a jacket. A trippy ceiling to stare at. As Phillip Kennicott (dude was born to be an architecture critic with that name) wrote in the Washington Post in 2007, “The glass roof is an undulating form, supported by eight slender columns. When the sun is out, it casts a lattice of shadows on the walls of the old building. When it’s cloudy, the sky seems farther away, chilly and remote. When the sun is setting, the double-glazed glass filters the light and colors into a watery, otherworldly presence.” It’s free and open til 7pm!
   
2. Frederick Douglass Bridge: The views up and down the Anacostia river are gorgeous. There’s pedestrian and bike lanes that cross that bridge so you can do it on foot, car, or bike. Can’t recommend bike enough. It just makes it feel like more of an adventure. Don’t have a bike? There’s a Capital Bikeshare station not far away at Maine Ave & 7th St SW. The bridge is free and open 24 hours and lights up at night in fun colors. Watch the light wiggle dance on the water.

3. The hill at Fort Reno Park – the “Highest Point” in the District of Columbia: Bundle up and pack a picnic to feed yourselves and your munchie monsters. This spot is a perfect place to watch the sunset. You can also see the red brick water tower that looks like a giant chess piece or the place where a princess would be held captive in a fairy tale. Or the other round pointy building that’s wearing another tiny round pointy building as a hat. Excellence in architecture, 10/10 no notes.
   
4. Delta Solar: This abstract, kinetic sculpture outside of the National Air and Space Museum is something that you should definitely spend some time staring at, at once in your life. It has stainless steel sail-shaped panels that move in the wind, attached to an open geometric grid in a delta shape. The whole thing sits in a reflecting pool. It was built by Venezuelan sculptor Alejandro Otero and dedicated in 1977. Let the slow movement of the metal panels soothe your soul.
   
5. The waterfalls at Great Falls, VA: Waterfalls are crazy. Nothing better to wash your soul of the petty BS weighing you down and remind you that being aive on planet Earth is a pretty cool thing. Great hiking trails and when it’s not cold you can even watch rock climbers doing inadvisable things.
   
6. Union Market: What can we say? We love Union Market. On Valentine’s Day they’ll have a cooking class with wine pairings. And you know what pairs great with cooking and wine? You guessed it. Weed. Or stop by the District Candle Lab and make your own candle. Wax is mushy. Mushy is nice. 

Spark a pre-roll, skip the overpriced prix fixe menu, and hit the town. 

Fall back in love with the DMV. It’s full of strange and beautiful spots waiting to steal your heart. Go see them. Really look. Because at the end of the day, there’s nothing more romantic than being in the moment and paying attention. And weed happens to be a great helper for that.  

(Consume at home before you head out. Public consumption is still illegal, and getting arrested is not romantic.)

WEED THE PEOPLE.