Daily Dose: Romantic Buildings

Posted on February 15, 2010 by mtidry

It’s a little late this year to take your sweetheart to one of these romantic locations on Valentine’s Day, but keep these places in mind for your next outing or vacation destination – they’re sure to inspire the two of you to keep the love alive!

Empire State Building on Valentine's Day; Still image from Sleepless in Seattle

Perhaps the most obvious choice is the Empire State Building in New York City. Weddings are held year-round in a 55th floor suite of the 102-storey tower. Those wishing to marry on Valentine’s Day can apply with a creative tale of how they met and why the Empire State Building is special to them. Fourteen couples are chosen to wed on February 14th each year; during the past fifteen years, over 220 couples have married there on Valentine’s day.

Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr in An Affair to Remember; Still image from film

The film industry has also made the Empire State Building a beacon of romance. Two popular movies, An Affair to Remember (1957) and Sleepless in Seattle (1993), had scenes in which the lovers (Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr in An Affair and Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in Sleepless) agree to meet on the top floor to affirm their commitment to one another. Misadventures ultimately keep each of the couples apart in those scenes, lending the building some poignancy in its romance.

Crim Dell Bridge in Williamsburg, VA

The brightly painted Crim Dell Bridge on the campus of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA is a whimsical means of transport across the scenic pond below. It was built in 1966 and was dedicated with a plaque showing the following quote from Pascall:

…that one may walk in beauty, discover the serenity of the quiet moment, and dispel the shadows.

Crim Dell Bridge in Williamsburg, VA; Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

It is said that if two lovers cross the bridge together and kiss at its peak, they will stay together forever. However, I beseech women to embark on such an endeavor with care. If you and your partner don’t find eternal bliss, you must throw your ex-lover off the bridge into the water to avoid perpetual spinsterhood. (Both women? Maybe it’s a race to who throws whom off first. You’re doubly warned!) And though it may look like a peaceful place to walk in solitude, beware; crossing the Crim Dell Bridge alone ensures that you will be single forever.

Finally, the Trevi Fountain in Rome is cloaked in romantic potential – but only if you count your coins correctly. One tossed in over your shoulder ensures that you will someday return to Rome. It’s generally purported that two will lead to new romance and three will guarantee a marriage or divorce. An estimated 3,000 euros are thrown into the Trevi Fountain each day. The money is used to help fund a supermarket for low-income citizens.

I hope this post gives you refreshed inspiration for next year’s Valentine’s Day destinations. If you have your own stories about romantic buildings in your life, share them here!