A Rendezvous for Every Couple
The Lower East Side Avant-Gardists
Crash happy hour ($2 beers, $3 grilled cheese) at gallerista bar Café Dancer* (96 Orchard St., nr. Broome St.; 212-677-1808). Listen to ambient noise at salonlike music space Spectrum* (121 Ludlow St., nr. Delancey St., second fl.; spectrumnyc.com).
The Harlem Historians
Explore the sites of “Activist East Harlem” with a Museum of the City of New York* walking tour (call 917-492-3395 for more info). Revel in live jazz and Harlem Mules at Ginny’s Supper Club (310 Lenox Ave., nr. 125th St.; 212-421-3821).
The Flushing Adventurers
Take an archery lesson at the Queens Archery Range* (170-20 39th Ave., Flushing; 718-461-1756). Cool off with Taiwanese shaved ice at Snopo in the New World Mall Food Court (40-21 Main St., nr. Roosevelt Ave., Flushing; 718-353-1655).
The Consummate Bushwickians
Warm up with wine punch at British-themed bar Dear Bushwick (41 Wilson Ave., at Melrose St., Bushwick; 929-234-2344). Nestle in for a prix fixe tasting at the tiny Blanca (261 Moore St., nr. Bogart St., Bushwick; 646-703-2715).
The Buzz-Seeking Midtowners
Brave the mobs and walk through the “Rain Room” installation, open till July 28, at the Museum of Modern Art (11 W. 53rd St., nr. Sixth Ave.; 212-708-9400). Slurp housemade ramen at the nearby Totto Ramen (366 W. 52nd St., nr. Ninth Ave.; 212-582-0052).
The Upper East Side Traditionalists
Sip classy cocktails in a dark corner at Bemelmans Bar in the Carlyle Hotel (35 E. 76th St., nr. Madison Ave.; 212-744-1600). Fill up on pasticcio all’Amatriciana, i.e., lasagna, a few blocks south at the recently opened Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto Il Ristorante (903 Madison Ave., nr. 73rd St.; 212-517-7700).
The Red Hook Nostalgists
Stuff your face with crustaceans and play a round of mini-golf at Brooklyn Crab (24 Reed St., nr. Conover St., Red Hook; 718-643-2722). Catch a riverside outdoor screening (like the seminal teen movie Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, on August 27) in Valentino Pier park (Ferris St., bet. Coffey and Van Dyke Sts., Red Hook, redhookflicks.com).
The Outdoorsy Greenpointers
Picnic on the Transmitter Park lawn (West St. bet. Kent St. and Greenpoint Ave., Greenpoint) with General Tso’s seitan sandwiches from No. 7 Sub (931 Manhattan Ave., nr. Kent St., Greenpoint; 718-389-7775). Take a canoe out at the North Brooklyn Boat Club (49 Ash St., at McGuinness Blvd., Greenpoint; northbrooklynboatclub.org).
The Astoria TV Fanatics
See the tighty-whities worn by TV’s meth master at a Breaking Bad exhibit opening July 26 at the Museum of the Moving Image (36-01 35th Ave., Astoria; 718-777-6888). Knock back cocktails at the Astor Room* (34-12 36th St., Astoria; 718-255-1947), the old Paramount Studios cafeteria (now home to Kaufman-Astoria Studios).
The Kips Bay Comedy Aficionados
Catch the city’s alt-comedy stalwarts (Janeane Garofalo, Wyatt Cenac, and Judah Friedlander) and up-and-comers alike at the Stand* (239 Third Ave., nr. 20th St.; 212-677-2600). Split the meat loaf at newly opened comfort-food joint Kipsey’s (438 Second Ave., nr. 25th St.; 646-590-3410).
*Save up to 65 percent at these venues and others when you book your date at New York for Two.
Cheap Dates
A summer calendar of free, couple-friendly diversions.
Mondays:
River Readings
Each Books Beneath the Bridge event is curated by a local bookstore—up next is Colum McCann, presented by powerHouse Books, on July 22.
Pier 1, Dumbo; brooklynbridgepark.org. Through August 12, 7 p.m.
Tuesdays:
Cinema on the Canal
Take in double features in Lavender Lake’s Adirondack-chair-strewn backyard.
383 Carroll St., nr. Nevins St., Gowanus; 347-799-2154. Tuesdays and Wednesdays through October, dusk.
Wednesdays:
Rollerblading After Dark
Join a pack of in-line skaters and swan through the city until 10 p.m.
Union Square South; weskateny.org. Through October, 7:45 p.m.
Thursdays:
Salsa at Lincoln Center
Dance to international performers, thanks to Target’s Free Thursdays.
David Rubenstein Atrium, 61 W. 62 St., nr. Broadway; lincolncenter.org. Through August 29, 7:30 p.m.
Fridays:
Fireworks on Coney
Nothing says TGIF like a fireworks show on the beach.
Coney Island Beach; coneyisland.com. Through August 30, 9:30 p.m.
Saturdays:
Walking Through the Streets
The city’s Summer Streets program allows you to roam parts of Manhattan, free of cars, including the Park Avenue Tunnel.
From 72nd St. and Park Ave. to Foley Sq. August 3, 10, and 17, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sundays:
Shakespeare in a Harlem Park
Catch a calypso version of The Taming of the Shrew.
Riverbank State Park Amphitheatre, 679 Riverside Dr., at 145th St.; 212-695-1596. Through August 4, 8 p.m.
Reporting by Alexis Swerdloff and Emily Ferber