From tableside dinner at White Castle to City Hall weddings, Chicago celebrates love on Valentine's Day
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's Valentine's Day, and if you haven't figured out your plans yet, it's getting late, but you aren't completely out of luck.
Fancy upscale fine-dining restaurants might be busy this Friday night for Valentine's Day, but there's another less-thought-of restaurant that also is nearly booked to capacity.
Roses are in place, fresh tablecloths are set, and the final touches are being added at more than 300 White Castle locations, which have been transformed into "Love Castles" for Valentine's Day.
"Today we go formal. This is the hottest table in the city. Reservations have completely sold out," said White Castle regional director of restaurant operations John Whitaker.
Some couples will choose to show their love this valentine's day with a slider. It's a tradition that's lasted more than 30 years. Reservations are still available on OpenTable for some locations.
"The excitement of their facial and their expression, their experience, that's what brings me joy," said White Castle general manager Tawana Washington. "Book your reservations. We're here."
"This is different than a formal Valentine's Day. It's kind of an anti-Valentine's Day," Whitaker said. "I've had proposals. I've had customers show up in costume."
At Chicago City Hall, couples made it official with a Valentine's Day wedding—some waited in long lines for the chance to exchange the ultimate vows.
"I feel so happy, I feel blessed, I feel honored," Segilola Oba said after getting married on Valentine's Day. "It's a day to remember, and I would not have picked any other day."
Nicolas Acosta and Michelle Bueno Vasquez also tied the knot at City Hall.
"We've been together for some time now, and I thought today would be a fitting day to make it official," Acosta said.
And nothing quite says love like fresh flowers. Some couples spent the day at the Lincoln Park Conservatory's "Spectrum of Spring" flower show, where pink azaleas are already in bloom.
"There actually are a lot of couples here today," said floriculturist foreman Sean Hardy. "Azaleas are often red, or white, or pink, and so those colors sort of fit with Valentine's Day."
The flower show runs through Mother's Day, so you still have some time if you don't get there today.
