Whether you’re looking for a traditional way to spend Valentine’s Day—or if something more unique is your style—here are some perfect settings for celebrating love (or not) as the heartfelt holiday approaches:

Making the traditional call…

One of my favorite ways to spend Valentine’s Day has always been with a nice dinner or hotel stay—laid back, intimate, romantic.  After all, it’s not everyday I get to enjoy such a special experience!  Here are some of the more traditional options Atlanta is offering this year:

The Mansion on Peachtree

This Buckhead hotel offers many choices—from overnight stays to gift cards to dinner.

Hotel Packages

Bubbles & Breakfast

Highlights: Bubbly Banfi Rosa Regale, bubble bath from 29 Spa, breakfast at in-house restaurant NEO.

Love Potion “29”

Highlights: Treatments of choice at the hotel’s 29 Spa, bottle of Mondavi Spellbound wine, breakfast at NEO.

Crush by Candlelight

Highlights: Five-course dinner by candlelight at NEO, bubbly Banfi Rosa Regale, breakfast at NEO.

Additional Options

29 Spa— Luxurious Treatments Straight from the Heart

For those not looking to stay the night, gift certificates for treatments at 29 Spa are the ideal way to indulge loved ones.  Facials, massages and spa packages touch a loved one’s heart faster than Cupid’s arrow.

Dinner by Candlelight at NEO

Dinner at NEO by candlelight offers one of the most romantic settings in the city.  Savor a five course prix-fix meal for $75 (not including beverages, tax & gratuity) to ensure an enchanted evening of magical memories.

JOEL Brasserie

To experience a French-inspired meal sure to bring you closer together, this Atlanta foodie favorite is offering a fab four-course treat:

Thinking outside the phone booth…

Looking for something different?  Whether you want to celebrate with a loved one—or hang with your bitter buds, these events offer great alternatives to a traditional romantic rendezvous:

Daza Dance Academy 

Heard about this from Jessica Shops on the radio this morning.  It seems like a great gift (and a great deal!) to give to your significant other—it’s an experience you can enjoy together!

To El with Valentine’s Day

Single?  Forget about it at El Taco!  Fellas—$2 beers and $4 tequila shots.  Ladies—$5 champagne mojitos & house margaritas (and a chance to win prizes on the Wheel of Taco!)  Throw in a photo booth and tarot card reader, and you’ve got the perfect amount of kitsch for a unique un-Valentine’s party!

Bitter Ball

Q100′s annual singles’ celebration: 

Again, whether you love or loathe Valentine’s Day, you can make the right call with all the options Atlanta is offering this year!

There are many ways to spend this Super Bowl Sunday.  Whether you’re praying for a saintly victory—or hoping the Colts gallop toward a win—there’s a party for everyone.

Here are just a few of my favorite spots:

Callaway Gardens

The Vineyard Green, inside the Mountain Creek Inn, will open at 5; game starts at 6:28. The game will be on FIVE screens with domestic draft beer for $2.50 and appetizer specials. The Ironwood Lounge at the Lodge will have the game on three screens.  TV all around!

Shula’s 347 Grill

Enjoy the fun with great specials:

• Prime Time Sunday – a three-course prime rib dinner for around $30
• $3 Coors Light
• Complimentary tailgate buffet from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Prizes and giveaways
• Wide screen football action all day!

Stewper Bowl

The “2 Live Stews” and 790 the Zone host their 2nd annual “Stewper Bowl” at Opera.

Where will YOU watch the Super Bowl?

The Broke Socialite Does...Sugar Coma

Have a sweet tooth?  This weekend, Atlanta bargain blogger The Broke Socialite will be hosting her Sugar Coma tour.  On January 16th, the spending-savvy socialite will take her “fabulous and foo-foo on a dime” mantra to some of Atlanta’s most beloved sweet shops and bakeries.

Attendees can experience all things sweet – with a sweet ticket price to boot!  For just about $40, fancy foodies will enjoy a tour of such acclaimed places as No Mas Cantina, West Egg Cafe, Noon Midtown and much more.  The candy-coated crew will undoubtedly spend the day in style!  They’ll be transported by several of Cadillac’s 2010 SRXs, have a chance to win door prizes from such places as the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta and enjoy a decadent afterparty sponsored by Yelp.  Many more details here!

The Broke Socialite is just one of the great Atlanta blogs that is getting national attention.  On Thursday, January 14th, she will appear on The Martha Stewart Show – talking about what makes her “tick.”  Though she has been on many peoples’ radars for a while now, I just discovered The Broke Socialite – and I’m so glad I did!  She’s a woman trying to balance all her roles while staying afloat – like so many of us.  And her frugal insights seem sincere – and practical!  She even recently put together a thrift store ensemble for her teenage son to wear to his Senior Winter dance.  Pretty sharp, huh?

The Broke Socialite with her son, Gareth - and his $72 designer ensemble.

With witty anecdotes on “Modern Manners Monday” and a year-end yard sale, The Broke Socialite is making her mark on the Atlanta scene one helpful tip at a time.  She is definitely one I’ll watch for great thrifting ideas, sales and dining deals!

And she is just ONE fo the great bloggers this city has to offer – regular people sharing their experiences with us.  I, for one, am excited about the Atlanta blogging scene – and look forward to what’s happening next with The Broke Socialite – and all her friends!

Do YOU have a favorite blog?  Share it with me – I’m always looking for new and exciting social networkers!

Picture from @JessicaShops on Twitter

Here are some more visuals of Canoe during the heaviest of the flooding.  Tonight, to thank Atlanta for “the flood of support,” Canoe is hosting a re-opening.

Make reservations and support this Atlanta landmark!  Canoe is offering Thanksgiving dinner specials and other holiday celebrations!  There are more updates on Canoe’s official site and Facebook page.

Now, here is your next wake-up call, Atlanta: a Holiday Dinner Round-Up! The dining scene in Atlanta is getting better and better – and given the economic climate, traditionally pricey and indulgent restaurants are adapting to offer elegant experiences that won’t break the bank.  Here are some of my favorite upcoming events…

Billetcart-Salmon Champagne Dinner at JOEL Brasserie, December 8, 6:30pm

The Gist: A five-star, four-course menu – paired with six Billecart-Salmon Champagnes – for $115 per person.  Founded in 1818, the Billecart-Salmon Champagne House is one of the few houses that have remained in the same family and is renowned for its commitment to finesse, balance and elegance.

The Scene: I visited JOEL Brasserie just yesterday for the restaurant’s holiday brunch – only the second brunch they’ve hosted.  In short, it was amazing!  A deliciously impressive spread – and a tour through the kitchen – was the perfect way to get ready for Thanksgiving!

The More, The Merrier at The Mansion on Peachtree, December 18, 12pm – 2pm 

The Gist: An elegant, upscale office party where “small companies can enjoy the benefits of a large office party.”  For $55 per person, small companies that don’t have the budget for a large office party can experience the atmosphere without the costs.  By combining with other small offices, companies can enjoy an affordable holiday experience, network with other companies and invite clients to an elegant celebration.

The Scene:  I went to an event at 29 Spa last month, and The Mansion is gorgeous!  I find it refreshingly elegant – without being stuffy.  At “The More, The Merrier,” party-goers will enjoy a decadent holiday buffet, live holiday music by the Joe Gransden band, mini spa treatments from 29 Spa and a festive seasonal setting.  Sounds like a party to me!

Hope this Holiday Wake-Up Call helps YOU decide how to celebrate with style this holiday season!

I’m sure you know the deets, so no need to recap.  But what I want to know is – what do you think?  Is it a fabricated story?  Is it true?  And if true, is it really all that bad?  Why do we care?

So tell me your thoughts – another celebrity marriage in trouble or just a Tattletale wanting her fifteen minutes??

Writer and star Lin-Manuel Miranda is pictured here with the "In the Heights" ensemble.

If you’re not familiar, In The Heights is a musical that explores three days in the characters’ lives in New York City – specifically, the Puerto Rican-American neighborhood of Washington Heights.  The show won Best Musical at the Tony Awards in 2008 and has gotten a lot of critical acclaim for its portrayal of the immigrant experience – it’s even been hailed “an instant classic.”

I for one, CANNOT wait to see this show!  A little Broadway in Atlanta…heaven!  Here‘s a great article from Access Atlanta about the upcoming show.  It opens tomorrow night…see you there!

As they say, a picture’s worth a thousand words, so I’ll let these do the talking:

Here I am with my dear friend, Kristen, at the opening ceremonies. We have known each other since we were six years old. We walked with our other friend, Kala, in memory of Kristen's mother, Trina.

These are just some of the 2500+ participants, waiting for the closing ceremonies to begin. In Atlanta alone, we raised nearly six million dollars for breast cancer research and prevention.

The walkers honor all the survivors as they parade through the closing ceremonies.

A select group of survivors carried in these banners - and helped raise the 3-Day flag. What an inspiration...

Here we are after the closing ceremonies - what a great way to end this wonderful experience!

The Atlanta Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk is coming up THIS WEEKEND!  We have all been touched by breast cancer – and this is a great way to support research and awareness…

I’ll be participating this year in memory of a dear friend’s mother – my teammates and I have raised close to $10,000 for breast cancer prevention!

Find spectator info here about how you can support us as we walk – come cheer us on throughout our 60-mile route.  Hope you all will come out and support this great cause!

Paris Hilton, Jon Gosselin and that pesky telemarketer that always calls during dinner - there are none more annoying than these three, right?  Nothing provokes such visceral reactions from inundated media consumers than this overexposed nuisance trifecta.

Likewise, many people – and companies – use blogs and other avenues as a unapologetic means for marketing overkill.  These people push and hawk their products ad nauseum.  But we’re different.

We want this blog to be your go-to resource for what’s happening in Atlanta.  We’re not interested in shoving anything down your throat, yelling at you or being incomprehensibly annoying.  We just want to let you know what’s going on!

Think of us as your own personal directory to all things lifestyle in Atlanta.  Let us connect you…make the right call, y’all!