Galentine's Day

Winter can be very bleak in Chicago, but one bright spot is Galentine's Day. Galentine's Day is a tradition that we've been celebrating for several years now, ever since we learned about it from our favorite Hoosier, Leslie Knope. It's a chance to drink wine, eat, and gossip with your favorite lady friends. We generally celebrate this a day or two before actual Valentine's Day. Luckily for us the past few years, it has fallen on a Thursday or Friday (Galentine's Day hangovers can be the worst).
  

Below are some of our favorite Galentine's Day Activities:

BYOB Dinner followed by more drinking

The first Galentine's Day that we celebrated we decided to go to a BYOB Indian Dinner (Tandoor and Royal Indian Grille are two of our faves). We had planned ahead and made a reservation for 4 not realizing that we would be the only non-couples at the restaurant... While we felt awkward at first, 3 bottles of wine later and some flirty banter with our underage waiter we were feeling pretty comfortable. We topped the night off with more drinks - this time beer - at a nearby bar. 

We decided to continue this tradition the second Galentine's Day with a BYOB Indian dinner followed by karaoke. This is highly recommended.

Our favorite BYOB Restaurants: Chilam Bilam, Joy's Noodles and Rice, Cozy Noodle, Thai Thank You, Buena Vista. 

Some of our Galentines

Dinner, Drinks and a Movie

Traditional Valentine's Day dates might involve going to a nice dinner, enjoying a few glasses of wine, and maybe going to see a movie. For Galentine's Day we combine these all together. This option is good if you're comfortable with sneaking things into a movie theatre. 

First, start out by picking the cheesiest romantic comedy that you can find. Second, pick up some hearty snacks. Cheese and crackers, chocolate, fruits and candy are some of our favorites. Third, pick up a variety of single serve wines. My favorite are the Wine Cube 1L Boxes, which can be found at Target. Fourth, find a discreet way to hide your food and drinks on your person and sneak them into the movie. Fifth, enjoy!

Our initial Galentine's Day plans were thwarted this year because we were late to the game and Fifty Shades of Grey was already sold out. Instead we're planning on drinking copious amounts of wine, eating takeout and watching a half naked Channing Tatum gyrate around in Magic Mike.

While these are our favorite ways to spend Galentine's Day, the only things you really need are good drinks, good food, and good friends!