Plenty of hotels are ready to conspire with Valentine Day lovers to make their weekend tryst a memorable one. They'll ply them with aphrodisiac nibbles, pamper them with sensuous spa treatments, tempt them with bedside champagne and chocolates, love potions and other indulgences they don't enjoy at home.

No one really knows the origin of Valentine's Day.Some believe it started during an ancient Roman festival called Lupercalia. Many legends persist from the days of the early Christian church that had at least two saints named Valentine. Or, it could be something as simple as the nesting habits of birds. In some of the earliest English language texts, it was noted that birds choose their mates on that day.

This Valentine's Day, why not invite Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint over for dinner and a movie?

Call me unromantic (you wouldn't be the first one), but I'm sick to death of diamonds.