IT WAS LOVE UNTIL CHECKOUT

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY (IT WAS LOVE UNTIL CHECKOUT)

• 30–40 million people fall in love each year (US + Europe, estimated)

• Average person falls in love 2–3 times in a lifetime.

• Some surveys suggest around 3–5 serious loves across life.

• ~4 million marriages per year

• ~1.3 million divorces per year

• ≈250 million flowers sold worldwide for Valentine’s Day

• ≈200–250 million roses among them

• 300+ million total stems when all flower types are included

If We Had a Valentine…..

If we had someone exactly like the ones in our pictures, the one who always looks like they’ve just stepped out of a train from Milan, who orders for the table without asking, who somehow makes a cashmere coat look like eveningwear, we suppose Valentine’s would look something like this:

An early martini at a hotel bar where the carpet is older than both of you. Oysters somewhere discreet, preferably with a maître d’ who pretends not to recognize you. 🍸

A long walk through cold streets, collars up, hands tucked into the same pocket. And a final stop at a place that doesn’t take reservations, where you wait anyway, because the night feels too good to end.

Of course, this is all hypothetical. But the table for two is still booked (just in case).

VALENTINE’S GUIDE
@HERROBERCITY

ZÜRICH
ANNA SEIDEL

Anna Seidel is a poet and creative strategist at the intersection of cultural economics and transdisciplinary collaboration. There is an ease to her elegance, a quiet authority in her eloquence.

Her work explores how hosting shapes language, identity, and collective attention. She studied economics, philosophy, and literature across the US, UK, and Switzerland, and has written and curated for couture maisons, hospitality brands, and cultural institutions, including Venice Biennale 2025. She shares some of her favorite spots in Zürich with HERR OBER:

Dr. Peter Bichsel Fine Books: Founded by antiquarian bookseller Peter Bichsel, this respected shop specializes in first editions, philosophy, theology, and Swiss literary history, serving academics, collectors, and institutions as a center of intellectual preservation.

Kronenhalle Bar : Opened in the 1950s, the bar became a postwar meeting point for artists, writers, and collectors. The walls feature original works by Miró, Chagall, Giacometti, and Picasso, privately assembled by the owners. 🍸

Never stop reading: Founded in the 2010s as an alternative to chain bookstores, Never Stop Reading became a hub for Zurich’s literary scene, known for bilingual programming and international author talks, continuing the city’s tradition of hosting exiled and transnational writers.

B2 Hotel Wine Library: Once the 19th-century Hürlimann Brewery, now the B2 Hotel, preserving industrial architecture. Its shelving holds thousands of wines, embodying Zurich’s blend of industry and refinement 📕 🍷

Bernheim Gallery & Rämistrasse Galleries: Rämistrasse connects Old Town to the University, linking civic and academic life. Bernheim Gallery shows contemporary work in materiality, abstraction, and political form. Nearby galleries benefit from proximity to Kunsthaus and ETH, strengthening Zurich’s ecosystem where theory, art, and research intersect.