Romance and the city

Damn that TV show! You'd think New York had nothing to offer a woman but shoes, sex and cynicism. Catherine Jarvie spends a sentimental weekend with her lover in the city with a big heart

New York: the very name evokes grand, romantic imagery. Even if the city's sexual chemistry has most lately been associated with the emotional trials of Carrie Bradshaw and her gang of inveterate singles, its seductive allure runs much deeper than that. At its best, New York is a city to play in. From its bars, restaurants and luxurious hotels to the iconic cityscapes that have inspired and supported countless opportunities for romance, the city that never sleeps offers the perfect backdrop for born-again and newly infatuated lovers alike.

New York: the very name evokes grand, romantic imagery. Even if the city's sexual chemistry has most lately been associated with the emotional trials of Carrie Bradshaw and her gang of inveterate singles, its seductive allure runs much deeper than that. At its best, New York is a city to play in. From its bars, restaurants and luxurious hotels to the iconic cityscapes that have inspired and supported countless opportunities for romance, the city that never sleeps offers the perfect backdrop for born-again and newly infatuated lovers alike.

Friday, 8.23pm: Empire State Building

My partner and I have been apart for two weeks – and that's as teasing an opener to a tantalising romantic break as there could be. As we are arriving from separate parts of the globe at different times of the day, we decide to reunite in the manner of the heart-tugging weepie An Affair to Remember (1957), in which Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr's attempt to meet on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building on Fifth Avenue, between 33rd and 34th Street (open daily 10am-midnight, adults $10 [£6]; 001 212 736 3100) is thwarted by fate and a collision with a fast-moving yellow taxi. The same plot was cleverly reprised in Sleepless in Seattle (1993), by Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, who find their destiny at the top of the building in the final scene.

For one heart-stopping moment I can't see him anywhere (I wanted only the romance of An Affair to Remember, not the tragic accident and missed opportunities) but then, there he is, familiar face creased into a welcome, enveloping me in a woollen embrace. The air is freezing, but the snow that fell earlier that day has been transformed into a beautiful frosty night. New York glitters below us, the setting for myriad movies and an infinite number of romantic trysts. There are eight million stories in the Naked City; this will be ours.

Saturday, 9.15am: Four Seasons Hotel

We are lying in the biggest bed we've ever seen, with crisp white linen rumpled about us, tucking into a sumptuous breakfast of fresh and dried fruits, coffee, fruit juice and pastries. The bed, however, is dwarfed by the size of the room, which is vast enough to lose one another in, while the bath (almost a metre deep) has also proved memorable for its capaciousness.

The complimentary in-room champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries, which we enjoyed as a nightcap after downing a couple of oversized martinis in the hotel's legendary FiftySevenFiftySeven bar, have left us in need of a mellow pick-me-up. With jetlag and a slight hangover now threatening to kick in, a spot of luxurious pampering is, we decide, overdue.

11am: Union Square

Shija Day Spa at 37 Union Square West, between 16th and 17th Street (001 212 366 0706; couples packages from $280 [£176]) is a tranquil retreat above the noise and brightness of Union Square. The soothing white-walled, eastern-influenced reception room (shija means "let's take a break" in Korean) gives way to one of two treatment rooms specially designed for couples, with low, warm lighting and two matching massage tables, each swathed in luxurious cotton sheeting and ultra-soft cushions.

We are here to sample Shija's star turn for couples: the Supreme Opulence package, $420 (£280), a crème-fraîche body wrap plus liquid sugar scrub – that's what I call high-calorie indulgence – after which we each have an hour-long full-body massage. Indulging in pleasures of the flesh with paid professionals has never really been my thing, but when I find myself suspended somewhere between invigorating relaxation (not a contradiction in terms here) and all-out bliss, I am permanently converted.

While it's lovely in theory to have my beloved alongside me throughout the treatments, the fact that we are in the room together becomes entirely academic. Good massage, after all, can really only ever be about you; a philosophy shared by the aptly named Bliss SoHo spa at 568 Broadway (001 212 219 8970) which is only too happy to schedule concurrent treatments for couples but, for that very reason, doesn't provide twin treatment tables in the same room. Try one of its "blissage" treatments, from $110 (£69) for a 75-minute warm-wax foot-softening pack and full-body massage and you might understand why.

For those who just can't bear to be parted, there's the Plaza Sweet Package at Plaza Hotel, Fifth Avenue at Central Park South (00 212 546 5444). It offers two and a half hours of Swedish massage and a choice of body wraps in a seriously luxurious "couples cabin", plus private shower, whirlpool bath and a take-home kit of bathrobes, slippers and spa products for $139 (£93).

2.45pm: Grand Central Station

Enough cocooning for now; it's time to hit the streets. A few hours later we find ourselves outside the Oyster Bar on Lower Level, Grand Central Station, Vanderbilt Avenue and 42nd Street (00 212 490 6650) in New York's famously magnificent railway station. Our plan is to take advantage of the acoustic wonder of the "whispering corners" in the corridor directly outside, so called because any softly murmured sweet-nothings uttered by one person to another, standing at the opposite end, can be heard, crystal clear, as if the two of you were standing only inches apart.

The vast crowd of commuters on the concourse, however, invokes stage fright in both of us and we opt for intimacy inside the Oyster Bar instead. More than 4,000 of the molluscs are shucked here every day, beneath the high, vaulted and tiled ceilings designed by Raphael Guastavino. In the retro elegance of the white vinyl lounge area we get our tongues round a dozen Long Island bluepoints and a bottle of New World chardonnay.

In this glorious setting, the romance of rail travel is far from dead and, fortified by aphrodisiacal food and wine, we rise above the apparent absurdity of it all and make full, giggling use of the whispering hallway, ignoring the bemusement of commuters and tourists.

8.30pm: Upper East Side

After a late-afternoon stroll through the sexily curvy Guggenheim Museum at 1071 Fifth Avenue, at 88th Street, (001 212 423 3500, adults $12 [£8]) we duck into the soothing darkness of Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle Hotel, 35 East 76th Street ($15-$20 [£9-£12] cover charge after 9.30pm). The tinkling of cocktail-hour piano music, the plush upholstery and the famous murals evoke the timelessness of uptown Manhattan elegance.

Having set the requisite tone for our evening on the town, we move on to UnderBar, in the basement of the currently hot West Union Square Hotel at 201 Park Avenue South (001 212 253 9119). If you like to publicise your need for privacy, this is the place for you: the candlelit, lounge-style bar features a number of richly upholstered, womb-like alcoves, hung with soft velvet drapes that enable you to shut out the rest of the world or simply ward off prying eyes while you play footsie. Use the rope pull to alert waiting staff to your desire for another round of drinks; otherwise you won't be disturbed.

On our downtown bar hop we take in the red-walled opulence of Belly at 155 Rivington Street, between Clinton and Suffolk (001 212 533 1810), an elegant wine bar whose bittersweet chocolate bar snacks are perfect for a lovers' treat. Then we move on to hip, live-jazz venue Zinc at 90 West Houston Street (001 212 477 8337, $5 cover), its muted back room filled with murmuring couples. We finally call it a night at the provocatively named Spread, in the Marcel Hotel, 323 Third and East 24th Street (00 212 683 8880), where the bar's candlelit, exposed-brick "caves", made semi-private with gauze curtains, persuade us to test the properties of their allegedly aphrodisiacal apple martinis.

Sunday, 11.10pm, Central Park South

Next morning we stroll along Fifth Avenue to 59th Street and, in a haze of old-school New York romanticism, my partner suggests we take a carriage ride through Central Park. (Purchase tickets from the booth in Grand Army Plaza.) It's certainly a great tourist cliché and, at around $40 (£25) for 20 minutes, hardly cheap. But, snuggled together under layers of coarse blankets which are provided to keep the February chill at bay, it's a magical way to take a turn round the city's beloved green space.

Central Park is an oasis for lovers, and if a carriage ride just isn't your bag there are many other ways to immerse yourself in its beauty. In summer, the Loeb Boathouse rents rowing boats on its lake at 74th Street and East Drive (001 212 861 4137; $10 [£6] per hour) and there are even Venetian gondola rides available ($30 [19] per half-hour) should you really wish to, ahem, push the boat out. In winter, however, a tandem bicycle ride is a great alternative for couples wishing to stay close ($15 [£9] per hour, plus refundable deposit). Experienced riders can hire horses at Claremont Riding Academy, 175 West 89th Street (001 212 724 5100; $50 [£31] per hour) and follow the park trails.

We find the formal Conservatory Garden in the northern end of the park at 105th Street at Fifth Avenue (001 212 360 2766; open daily, 8am-dusk) a tranquil place to stroll hand in hand, and wander back through Strawberry Fields, the John Lennon memorial, at West Side between 71st and 74th Street. We spend a damp, giggling hour falling over on the ice at the open-air Wollman Memorial Rink at 62 Street (001 212 439 6900; $8 [£5] adults, plus $3.50 [£2.20] skate hire).

3.40pm: Greenwich Village

Time for a spot of souvenir shopping. Finding a romantic memento to take home with you is vital, and Greenwich Village's Li-Lac chocolate shop at 120 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Bedford Street (001 212 242 7374) is an ideal spot in which to find one. It has been selling home-made chocolate since 1923, and caters for quirky and indulgent tastes. What better for my partner and me, then, than a foot-high solid chocolate rendition of the Empire State Building?

The beautifully arranged The End of History store at 548 Hudson Street (001 212 647 7598) entrances us too, with its vintage furniture and home accessories (including some fine examples of mid-20th-century American glassware), while the numerous art galleries around SoHo tempt us to buy a rather more original and expensive souvenir of our romantic weekend in New York.

But as any woman will tell you, nothing says "I love you" quite so fluently as a piece of expensive jewellery. Fragments, an ultra-chic SoHo store at 107 Greene Street, between Spring and Prince Street (001 212 334 9588) offers bold, modern and extremely desirable designs. But I'm more of a traditional gal, so for me, the decision is already made: I want my New York memory presented in a pale-blue box tied with white ribbon.

And so we come to find ourselves standing in front of the glory that is Tiffany & Co, 727 Fifth Avenue at 57th Street (001 212 755 8000), where we plan to immortalise our weekend break by sealing it with a small silver band.

5.30pm: Rockefeller Centre

After our little spree, we head skywards to the Rainbow Grill on the 65th floor of the Rockefeller Centre at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, between 49th and 50th Street (001 212 632 5100). It's one of the city's most popular spots for a romantic assignation, with panoramic views spanning from Queens to New Jersey with everything from the Statue of Liberty to the Chrysler Building inbetween.

We take a seat in the bar, sip our bellinis and prepare for the evening show: sunset over New York. As the sun slips down in all its late winter glory, the twinkling, multicoloured neon takes centre stage. Right on cue, the snow that has been threatening to fall since Friday breaks free of the clouds, adding to the romantic magnificence of the view. At this point my partner urges me to unwrap the little blue package from Tiffany: what better setting, he reasons, in which to christen our most significant purchase?

He gently places the ring on my finger. Behind us the city's skyline glistens, and before us stretches the promise of another glorious Manhattan night.

Five New York date movies...

Manhattan (1979)

Woody Allen explores the fickle nature of adult relationships, simultaneously declaring his one true love: the city of New York. George Gershwin's music, Gordon Willis's spectacular black-and-white photography and, of course, the Manhattan skyline all play key roles in this sweet and vibrant comedy.

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Screenwriter Nora Ephron owes a debt to Woody Allen for this witty urban romance, but her whip-sharp dialogue and some inspired original scenes (the fake orgasm; the department-store karaoke) make it a contender in its own right. Uptight Meg Ryan and boorish Billy Crystal find their friendship zigzagging towards love against a backdrop of Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum and Katz's Deli.

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

"Nothing bad could ever happen to a person at Tiffany," opines Audrey Hepburn as the chic but flaky good-time girl Holly Golightly. That's assuming your credit card isn't refused at the Fifth Avenue store, which has consequently enjoyed four decades as a shrine to true romance.

On the Town (1949)

Three sailors on shore leave spend 24 hours in New York City, looking for romance and pert girls wearing cute blouses – hey, we're talking 50 years ago, OK? Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin play the trio of bell-bottomed beaus in pursuit of love. This was one of the first movies filmed on location and it contains remarkable footage of the city landmarks.

Love Story (1970)

The ultimate tearjerker: boy meets girl, boy marries girl, girl falls sick and dies. Boy walks home through Central Park in the snow. How sappy can you get? Ryan O'Neal and Ali McGraw's artfully shot snowball fight in the park, plus that theme tune, made it a huge hit. Evidently, love means never feeling embarrassed even when your partner is partial to wearing a nerdy duffel coat.

Jackie Hunter

The Facts

Getting there

Expedia (0870 050 0808; www.expedia.co.uk) offers flights with Virgin Atlantic from Heathrow to New York in February from £193.

Being there

The Four Seasons Hotel (001 212 758 5700; www.fourseasons.com) offers double rooms from $395 (£248) per night. The Romance and Style package featured costs from $585 (£368) per room per night, including accommodation in a deluxe room, champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries on arrival and breakfast.

For a more modest yet stylish option try The Marcel (001 212 696 3800; www.nychotels.com), which charges $140 (£88) per night for a double room.

Attraction Tickets Direct (0845 130 3876; www.attraction-tickets-direct.co.uk) is offering 10 per cent off helicopter rides for bookings before Valentine's Day. The "A taste of New York" ride costs £29 per person and flies over the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings, the Hudson River and Central Park. "The Big Apple" ride costs £59 per person and takes in the above attractions plus New York Harbor, Ellis Island and George Washington Bridge.

Further information

NYC & Company (020-7202 6368; ww.nycvisit.com).