1. Carriage Ride through Central Park

The horse - drawn hansom cabs lined up at the edge of Central Park are romance personified. The driver, appropriately attired in fancy dress and top hat, will help you up as you nestle in for a 20 - minute trot past park landmarks.

• From Central Park South to 110th Street & between Fifth Avenue and Central Park West
• Open dawn - dusk
• Rent horses at the Claremont Stables, 175 West 89th Street
• www.centralparknyc.org

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2. Dinner at the River Café

The Manhattan skyline is never more dazzling than when seen from this barge restaurant just across the East River in Brooklyn. The food is worthy of the setting; the package is worth the price.

• 1 Water Street, Brooklyn
• Subway High St
• 718 522 5200
• Men require jackets after 5pm
• $$$$ (over $80)*

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3. View from the Empire State Building at Twilight

It has been the setting for dozens of romantic movies and countless proposals have taken place here. At dusk you can watch the sun set over the city as a million lights go on in its towers.

• 350 Fifth Avenue, at 34th Street
• Open 9:30am - midnight daily
• Adults $9, seniors $7, children $4

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4. Drinks at the Top of the Tower

The 26th floor of this Art Deco landmark building affords unsurpassed views of the city lights and the East River from its wraparound terraces. Order champagne and enjoy the scene and each other.

• Beekman Tower Hotel, 3 Mitchell Place at 1st Av & 49th St

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5. Gondola Ride on Central Park Lake

Relax aboard the authentic, Venetian gondola as you glide out on the water and revel in the beauty of the park reflected in the lake and the city buildings ringing the park like a crown - the gondolier may break into song.

• Loeb Boat House, Central Park at East 74th St
• Charge

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6. Walk in the Cloister Gardens

Away from the city’s clatter, this branch of the Met is an oasis of serene beauty, a chance to glory in the past while planning the future. More than 250 kinds of plant grown in the Middle Ages are found in these gardens. The Trie Cloister features plants shown in the Unicorn Tapestries.

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7. Dinner at One if by Land...

A restored 18th - century Greenwich Village carriage house, candlelight, and soft piano music make for Manhattan’s most seductive setting.

• 17 Barrow Street, between 7th Av Sth& West 4th St
• 212 228 0822

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8. Staten Island Ferry Ride

Stand on the top deck to watch Manhattan’s skyscrapers recede as you sail past Liberty, Ellis, and Governors Islands. Take the car deck coming home for close - up photos of the skyline.

• Whitehall Terminal, Whitehall & South sts
• Boats every 15mins - I hr, 24 hours daily
• Free

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9. Brooklyn Bridge Stroll

A classic experience, the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge yields thrilling vistas of city skyscrapers through the intricate bridge cable work. Bring the camera to record unparalleled views.

• The bridge begins behind City Hall, Broadway & Park Row

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10. Concert at St. Paul’s Chapel

Just to walk into this chapel, New York’s oldest public building, is to enter a world of grace and reverent serenity. The concerts held on Mondays at 1pm offer a chance for visitors to revel in the beauty of the setting and the music.

• Broadway, between Fulton & Vesey sts
• Episcopal service 8am Sun
• Concerts 1pm Mon, $2 donation

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