Yearning is IN for 2026 — Harper’s Bazaar said so, and I agree. As a current singleton and life-long yearner (I blame one too many Wuthering Heights read-throughs as a kid) it’s my time to shine.
This Valentines Day, if you’re going to ache, pine, or stare into the abyss wondering what could’ve been, you might as well do it right. Here are a few tried-and-true spots I recommend to indulge in romantic self-delusion and whimsy.
The Yellow Line
A window seat and headphones hate to see me coming (a girl who hasn’t gotten over anything, ever). I could sit there all day listening to Mazzy Star and daydreaming. Especially the moment when the train comes out of the tunnel and goes over the Potomac? C’mon!
The Folger Shakespeare Library
You’ll be in good company here amongst the works of OG yearner Shakespeare. Settle in the Quill & Crumb cafe and write a sonnet to your crush (my mailbox is open 😉), or walk around the neighborhood and yearn after the townhomes.
A Bar Seat At Press Club
Order a sexy-looking old fashioned that you don’t really want. Bring a book you won’t read. Yearn about that one situationship from 2019, then quickly realize you got off easy when the couple next to you starts fighting.
Tell me this isn’t full of romance and whimsy. (RHW Photography/Getty Images)
The D60 Bus
There’s a specific kind of yearning that only happens on the bus. Lock eyes with a stranger for half a second and imagine an entire life together before the light turns green, you realize it’s kinda creepy, and the moment dies forever. Sigh.
The Monuments at Sunrise
During the day? A tourist's nightmare. At sunrise? A daydreamer’s paradise. Yearn in an “I could move to another country” way. You’ll leave convinced you’re meant for more, even if “more” is just moving out of your English basement.
Boulder Bridge In Rock Creek Park
Oh the yearning I have done while leaning on these romantic stones! Stare at the Potomac and yearn for days filled with long hikes, no screens, and a sunny nap (or two).
