The Best Date Ideas in New York

Row out onto the lake in Central Park from Loeb Boathouse, also called Central Park Boathouse. Rowboats go out daily from 10am to dusk, weather permitting. The last boat leaves an hour before dusk.

Bowl a few frames at Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg, where the live-music stage sits right behind the lanes. The menu comes from the Blue Ribbon team, with brisket and Old Bay fried chicken, and the beer list includes Sixpoint, Rockaway Brewing and Brooklyn Brewery.

Check the website's calendar to see which concerts are coming up.

Pick up a game of bocce at Union Hall, a Park Slope bar in Brooklyn with two indoor courts that are free to use. The courts are strictly 21 and older.

The rest of the bar has cozy firesides, a library and a garden, and downstairs there is music and comedy. The bar is open Monday through Thursday from 4pm to 2am.

Edge NYC in Hudson Yards pairs seven immersive installations with a sky deck outdoors. Step onto the deck for skyline seats, a glass floor, angled glass walls and views in every direction. Most of the visit is indoors, so rain or snow does not cancel the plan.

For a drink, head to the Skyline Bar & Cafe on the 100th level, which has cocktails and light bites. Tickets are for a set date and entry time, and all sales are final.

Friendly competition comes with a drink in hand at Carreau Club, a pétanque bar in Industry City in Brooklyn. The courts are indoors and out, and each court reservation includes a lesson from a guide, equipment and seating.

Between rounds, order a craft beer, a glass of wine or a cocktail, or head to the deli counter for socca waffles, flatbreads, sandwiches and French-inspired salads. Guests must be 21 or older after 5pm.

Take on a spy-themed challenge together at SPYSCAPE, an interactive museum in Midtown West. Read up on real spies such as Alan Turing and Virginia Hall, then work through a laser-beam hallway and a lie detector test while a profiling system grades your performance as a pair.

A visit takes about 90 minutes, and the museum is open seven days a week.

Trade a few rallies at PingPod Astoria, a table tennis space in Queens where everything is automated. Go in the afternoon or late at night, since the space is open 24/7.

The Astoria location has three open-pod tables, two private pods and a robot table, with paddles, balls, beverages and light snacks.

Shoot pool or play ping pong, then catch live jazz at Cellar Dog, a basement bar in the West Village.

Live jazz runs every night, from 7pm to 11pm Sunday through Wednesday and from 7pm to 2am Thursday through Saturday. Worn couches are there for the breaks between games.

Dinner at Hellbender, a Mexican-American restaurant in Ridgewood, Queens, comes with a bar-like feel, stools and booths, and a stuffed life-size jaguar. Fried Oaxacan cheese and a strip steak in ancho brown butter both appear on the menu.

Lamb tacos and piña coladas are on the menu too. It is closed Tuesdays.

Sip something from 21 rotating draft lines at Tørst, a dimly lit, wood-paneled bar in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The menu also covers cocktails, natural wine and food.

Walk next door to Van Leeuwen for ice cream, then continue to McCarren Park. Hours run from 3pm Monday through Thursday and from noon Friday through Sunday.