The daily grind can make you forget we live in a city that is a fairytale to many, and that millions of people every year pay big bucks to experience the beauty of New York. So we asked a man who is very in the know — Maurice Dancer, the chef concierge of The Pierre — what he recommends the hotel’s cosmopolitan visitors do when they want to have a New York?City love affair.
1. What’s Valentine’s Day without a little chocolate? Dancer tells guests to stop by Jacques Torres (62 Water St., 718-875-9772) in DUMBO to watch the chocolate factory in action. You can browse the shelves to select hand-crafted chocolates and sample bonbons while sipping homemade hot chocolate in their European-style cafe.
2. For a titillating twist on dinner, Dancer recommends awakening your senses while “Dining in the Dark” at Camaje (85 MacDougal St., 212-673-8184) in the West Village, where you are blindfolded during the meal and performances by guest artists.
3. For dining in a restaurant with your eyes wide open, Dancer likes to suggest reserving a table at One If By Land, Two If By Sea (17 Barrow St., 212-255-8649), a landmark Greenwich Village carriage house once owned by Aaron Burr in the 18th century. Illuminated by candelabras and warmed by two fireplaces, the restaurant has a bar-side pianist and an award-winning pastry chef that make for a very romantic experience.
4. Whisk your lover away on a Staten Island Ferry ride. Channel your inner Kate and Leo while admiring the skyline and Statue of Liberty from the harbor at sunset.
5. Classics become classics for one good reason: They never grow old. Ice skating in Central Park is one of them. Dancer likes to tell guests to grab a house-made hot chocolate to-go from The Pierre’s Two E Bar/Lounge and head to the Wollman Skating Rink for an afternoon on the ice. This is the time to keep your lover on their feet, not sweep them off.
Experience The Pierre
To really knock her socks off, book a room at The Pierre. If the Central Park views, stately guest rooms and five-star service don’t make her fall for you, nothing will. Check out their special “Winter Romance” package, where guests have round-the-clock “Romance Designer” services and the opportunity to shop from an exclusive Lover’s Trunk — featuring sparkling Swarovski crystals, a Prada handbag, sunglasses and little black dress, La Perla lace, Molton Brown body oils, a luscious in-room menu and rich Godiva chocolates — all available for purchase from the comfort of your suite. Rates start at $650, through Feb. 29 (www.tajhotels.com/pierre).
