Five Romantic Movie Valentine’s Day Spots in NYC You Might Have Missed

 
While there are a slew of romantic Big Apple spots from films everyone can agree on, each of us also has their own personal list of favorite locations from movies that get their coals piping. Personally, I have a thing for Fort Tryon Park, but that’s a long story and we only have enough time here to run down five alternative spots to snag a cinematic kiss on the 14th.

“The Fisher King”—Grand Central Terminal
Yes, normally this majestic marble treasure is filled with people running to and fro, moving too quickly to slow down and appreciate the beauty of life, love, or even that doughnut they’re scarfing down on the way to the office. In “The Fisher King”, however, Robin Williams’ homeless, schizophrenic knight does stop the mother-of-pearl-faced clock atop the brass information booth in the middle of Grand Central’s great floor from ticking for just a few moments as he and a crowd of commuters briefly pause for a rapturous, fantastical waltz. Then, as quickly as the dance begins, it ends. You yourself can enjoy a spin at GCT with your honey, then repair to the 1920s luxury of The Campbell Apartments, just off the main floor, for cocktails and longing glances (bonus: it’s a regular “Gossip Girl” location).
The Campbell Apartments at Grand Central Terminal
15 Vanderbilt Ave
Reservations – (212) 953-0409
www.hospitalityholdings.com
Note: No sneakers or casual attire allowed.
  
“When Harry Met Sally”—The Temple of Dendur
Everyone goes on and on about this movie, about its moments in Central Park or the infamous “orgasm scene” in Katz’ Deli. Well, they can keep them, because we’re going with the scene in which they decide to spend the rest of the day talking like a Yiddish “granpa” from Carroll Gardens and then we first see a tinge of jealousy in Harry. The Temple itself is a true ancient marvel in a magnificent space that’s sure to stir emotions and this is one of the few scenes in the movie when the principals actually act like real people with inexpressibly real emotions about each other. If there with an unrequited (or requited) love, share a bottle of at the Petrie Court Café and Wine Bar and see what happens.
Petrie Court Café and Wine Bar at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue
Reservations – (212) 570-3964
www.metmuseum.org
  
“Ghostbusters” – The Fountain at Lincoln Center
When picking up women in New York, it helps to be a charming, undefeated jerk. Somehow, obnoxious persistence with a trace of wit, but not too much, pays off in a town filled with models, businesswomen, and other ladies who get what they want when they want it. How else would Bill Murray have been able to squire Sigorney Weaver in “Ghostbusters” (the Manhattan location movie to end all Manhattan location movies) without his unsinkable attitude on full display as they walked around the fountain? It couldn’t have been his looks. While up at Lincoln Center chasing birds or taking in the opera, stop by Bar Boulud for simple, gourmet fare on the quick (speed also comes in handy when on the prowl).
Bar Boulud
1900 Broadway
Reservations – (212) 595-0303
www.barboulud.com
  
“Unfaithful”-The Streets of SoHo
You might know SoHo as the place featured on the cover of “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” or the site of the Uggs Store—both brash, youthful expressions of emotion. But it was “Unfaithful”, the 2002 Claude Chabrol’s-penned affair flick filmed by dirty, dirty director Adrian Lyne that saw SoHo’s windswept streets and cast-iron facades become a stage set and plot device for Diane Lane and Olivier Martinez’ torrid affair. After a brief hand-in-hand walking tour, stop by Peasant for Chianti, pasta, talk, and maybe something more.
Peasant
194 Elizabeth Street
Reservations – (212) 965-9511
www.peasantnyc.com
  
“Crocodile Dundee”—A Subway Platform
Ok, we know you got your kicks out of the whole knife/not knife game, but this fish-out-of-water whopper is more than just a formulaic 1980s comedy that taught you proper use of the word “mate”. It’s where improbable onscreen couple Paul Hogan and Linda Kozlowski became an improbable off-screen couple (and they’re still together thankyouverymuch). Most importantly, though, the climactic scene features a crowd of New Yorkers blocking Kozlowski and Hogan as the two besotted opposites attempt to communicate across a subway platform, leading to a game of “telephone” where the City itself helps the couple say “I love you” to each other. This kind of thing happens to us all the time on the 1 line, where we’re sure, if you want to make a go of it, you could enjoy some box wine and jerky sticks with you person of choice all night long.