Walking Date Ideas in New York

Follow the Hudson north from Christopher Street Pier to Little Island at Pier 55, then leave the waterfront path for the island's lawns, secret garden, installations and bright foliage. Enter from the South Bridge near 13th Street or the North Bridge near 14th Street. Little Island stays open until 11pm through October 31 and closes at 9pm beginning November 1.

Start at the Central Park Boathouse and walk along the Lake toward Bow Bridge, the cast-iron crossing over the water. For a quieter detour, turn into the Ramble for the Point, a small peninsula with rustic benches and views toward Bethesda Terrace and Bow Bridge. If you would rather get onto the water, rowboats launch from the Boathouse.

Enter Central Park at West 106th Street and head into the North Woods, 40 secluded acres of winding trails, arches and waterfalls designed to feel like the Adirondacks. Follow the Loch and Ravine, then continue toward the Blockhouse, a War of 1812 fortification and the oldest structure in the park.

Start on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade as the evening lights come on across the Manhattan skyline, then walk toward Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The Promenade also looks toward the Statue of Liberty and the neighborhood's townhouses, with cafes and restaurants nearby if the weather turns. At the pier, benches and the Bridge View Lawn face the Brooklyn Bridge and lower Manhattan.

Begin near City Hall and cross the Brooklyn Bridge on its roughly 1.1-mile pedestrian walkway, letting the skyline open up as you head toward Brooklyn. Finish at Emily Warren Roebling Plaza in DUMBO, where the lawns give you a view up at the bridge's towers and pointed arches. Grimaldi's is nearby if you want pizza afterward.

Walk the High Line from south to north, following the 1.45-mile elevated park from Gansevoort Street to 34th Street as seasonal art and sculpture appear along the route. Stop on the stairs over Tenth Avenue to watch the street below, or pick up food and drink around 15th or 22nd Street. Stargazing runs at dusk on Tuesdays through October. The park closes at 10pm through November 30, then at 8pm from December 1.

Begin on South Portland Avenue between DeKalb and Lafayette Avenues, where a block of brownstones and quiet, tree-lined streets set an easy pace for the start of the walk. From there, head into Fort Greene Park for sloping hills, large trees and the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument.

Walk the Williamsburg waterfront from Domino Park to Marsha P. Johnson State Park with the Manhattan skyline across the East River. At Domino Park, the path includes a raised walkway held up by 21 columns preserved from the old Raw Sugar Warehouse. Marsha P. Johnson State Park adds seven acres of waterfront and another skyline view, with the Manhattan buildings and Williamsburg Bridge lighting up just after sunset. Domino Park is open from 6am to 11pm and the state park from 7am to 10pm.

Begin in Carl Schurz Park in Yorkville, then follow the Bobby Wagner Walk along the East River. The route looks toward the Roosevelt Island Lighthouse, Triborough Bridge and Randall's and Wards Islands, while Gracie Mansion, the mayor's 18th-century residence, sits along the way at 88th Street. Bring a book or picnic if you want to slow the walk down in the park.

Start along the East River at Astoria Park, where benches sit between the Triborough and Hell Gate bridges and the RFK Bridge makes a backdrop for a picnic or sunset. Then continue to Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, a 4.5-acre waterfront park with lawns and large outdoor sculptures. Socrates is open from 9am to sunset, so reach it before dark.