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Where Should This Reader Propose To His Girlfriend?

02/02/2010

Quick note: A reader wrote me asking for a good place to propose to his girlfriend. Rather than limit it to my locations knowledge, I asked my readers, and was inundated with lots of great ideas. If you’re looking for a good place to propose in NYC, just check through the comments.

A Scouting NY reader is planning on proposing to his girlfriend, and needs your help!!

I recently got a letter from a fan of the site telling me that he is planning on proposing to his girlfriend, and is looking for the perfect NYC location to do it. Both he and his girlfriend are huge fans of NY history and enjoy exploring the city together, and he really wants to choose a location that ties the city into his proposal in a unique, intimate and historical way, a locale they will remember for the rest of their lives.

His first thought was Gramercy Park – neither of them has ever been inside, and his hope was to work something out with the Gramercy Park Hotel for access, take her on a tour, then ask the big question when she was least expecting it. Great idea, right?

Of course, it comes as no surprise that the douchiest park in NYC is bordered by the douchiest hotel in NYC. They said the rules are very strict, and that he could only gain access by paying the $500/night room fee, which he can’t afford.

Coming up short on ideas, he wrote me a very thoughtful letter asking if I could suggest any other locations. His only requests were that it be somewhat off the beaten path, pretty, intimate, and historical. My first thought was Bannerman’s Castle, an incredible abandoned castle-like structure located on an island in the the Hudson. Then again, perhaps visiting decrepit ruins on an island in the middle of the freezing winter doesn’t exactly scream romance. Other ideas include Staten Island’s Snug Harbor, Governor’s Island…Bethesda Fountain is probably too cliched, no? Perhaps he could gain access to Grove Court by talking with a neighbor? Gantry State Park in Queens is a pretty amazing location.

Rather than limit the options to my knowledge of the city, I promised I’d turn it over to SNY readers: where should this guy propose?? Historical, intimate, off the beaten path, and New York-centric. Hell, if one of you comes up with something that he uses, maybe I’ll come up with a cool Scouting NY prize for you. Just post your ideas in the comments.

Ready? Go!

-SCOUT

PS – “The park was at one time opened to the public on Gramercy Day (which changed yearly, but was often the first Saturday in May). In 2007, the Trustees of Gramercy Park announced that it would no longer open the park on that day.” Fuck you, Gramercy Park. Seriously, go fuck yourself.

Many more posts in the archives!

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brendan

02/02/2010

my fav place, is the spot in grand central station,(its near juniors) where one person stands on one side of a wall under an arc across from the other and can whisper to another by talking to the wall. SO CUTE. pop the question and then the person hears it and has to turn away from the wall with all these strangers walking by, and they realizes the rest of their life has been answered for.

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Lisa

02/02/2010

Let’s see. There’s a very romantic park on 5 Ave and maybe 103 St. There’s an arbor there overlooking a garden. It probably doesn’t look like much in the winter. How about one of the glass houses at either the Bklyn or Bx Botanic Gardens? Beautiful, inside/outside vibe, some privacy could probably be arranged. Congrats!

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1. Michael
  
  01/19/2012
  
  I used to pass by this park all the time. I always thought it was really cool. What’s the name of this park, do you know? I always assumed it was private. Is it public?
  
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Lisa

02/02/2010

How about at the Temple of Dendur at the Met? Cleopatra’s Needle?

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OM

02/02/2010

I was going to say Grand Central Station too. Campbell’s Apartment has always had a cool history of NYC vide to it.

I’ve also always loved the piers over in LIC which look over the whole city. Kind of cold this time of year but on a clear night it’s the best.

Brooklyn Bridge, just don’t be this dude: http://gothamist.com/2009/04/02/brooklyn_bridge_proposal_nearly_end.php

How about set up a personal walking tour for them of historical NYC locations then pick a romantic last stop and he can propose then. If they’re a fan of SNY that would be pretty awesome.

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Ethan

02/02/2010

I’m going to suggest either Astoria Park, Roosevelt Island, City Island or Governor’s Island.

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theonewhoknowstorock

02/02/2010

i’d go for D.U.M.B.O.

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Mod Betty / Retro Roadmap

02/02/2010

Retro Roadhusband and I had our first date in NYC as it was half way between Boston and Delaware. We stumbled upon Bethesda Fountain while trying to find Strawberry Fields (we’re both rabid Beatles fans) and spent most of that first date talking while sitting there watching brides getting their photos taken at the fountain (talk about first date pressure!)

2 years later we were at the fountain after he played a gig in the city, and he popped the question on that very same spot where we sat on our first date!

Bethesda Fountain worked for me! I do have a soft spot for Grand Central as well, and told the husband if they ever make a movie of our courtship I’m going to pretend that I got off the train at GC on the way to our date instead of getting off the bus at Port Authority like I really did 😉

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allison

02/02/2010

Bear Mountain State Park – from wikipedia: Bear Mountain State Park is located on the west side of the Hudson River in Orange and Rockland counties of New York. The 5,067-acre park offers biking, hiking, boating, picnicking, swimming, cross-country skiing, cross-country running, sledding and ice skating as well as a zoo, trailside museums, a hotel called Bear Mountain Inn, a carousel (!!!!!) and a dining facility. You could really just go exploring, and propose when the moment struck you – making the spot truly and uniquely yours!

p.s. from the NYSP website: The Merry-Go-Round at Bear Mountain State Park features hand painted scenes of the park and 42 hand carved seats of native animals including black bear, wild turkey, deer, raccoon, skunk, Canada goose, fox, swan, bobcat, rabbit and more.

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Nicole

02/02/2010

Brendan’s idea is the best idea anyone could think of, in my opinion. That spot in Grand Central where you can talk to each other across the room is an amazing place to do it!

If the guy doesn’t know how to do it, he should ask someone there so everything goes perfectly. It may not be intimate, but there’s something special about the thought of a proposal in a busy place like that. It won’t matter, in a way, because they’ll feel like they’re the only people there. 🙂

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Nicole

02/02/2010

Oh, to expand on the Grand Central idea, they have guided tours every Wednesday and Friday at 12:30. Maybe he could call ahead of time and set it up where that one spot is the last stop on the tour.

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Tom

02/02/2010

Probably not the most romantic, but maybe Castle Clinton in Battery Park? http://nyharborparks.org/visit/cacl.html

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Evan Sharp

02/02/2010

There’s no better place than Hunters Point South – especially since it’s going to be a generic high-rise neighborhood in just a few months.

For now, however, it’s unbelievably gorgeous:

http://evansharp.com/images/huntersPointSouth/22.jpg

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Jesse E

02/02/2010

By the Gowanas canal. Very romantic, especially on a warm spring day.

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Rachel

02/02/2010

I’m not sure how these locations would play out in winter, but…

* The Chinese Scholar’s Garden at the Staten Island Botanical Garden is amazing: http://media.timeoutnewyork.com/resizeImage/htdocs/export_images/sg08/Sg08.x600.Seek.17.jpg?

* The abandoned Fort Tilden in the Rockaways is very historical, pretty (in a desolate kind of way!) and definitely “off the beaten path”: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/21/arts/21tild.html

* The Shakespeare Garden and Belvedere Castle in Central Park are not so out of the way, but very pretty and intimate (and probably not as crowded with tourists in the winter)

* On Barrow Street in front of “NYC’s narrowest house” http://www.nyc-architecture.com/GV/GV043NarrowestHouse.htm or on any of the surrounding cobblestoned, adorable streets in the Village, many of which have rich architectural and cultural histories, like Grove Court, which was the setting for an O. Henry story. The alley of Patchin Place has the only original gas streetlamp left in Manhattan and was once home to the poet e.e. cummings and actor Marlon Brando. See http://www.forgotten-ny.com/Alleys/GREENWICH%20VILLAGE/green.html

* The Unisphere in Flushing-Meadows Corona Park — it’s not exactly romantic, but it’s definitely different.

* My husband proposed to me on a walk in Forest Hills Gardens. We happen to live in Forest Hills, but it’s absolutely a picturesque neighborhood that’s intimate (no throngs of tourists or commuters like you’d find in Grand Central) and historic. Here are some pictures from flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/fhg/pool/

Best of luck to the happy couple — please keep us updated on what happens!

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meg // morningmidnight

02/02/2010

The Cloisters and the surrounding park is pretty epic, as long as you don’t mind the tourists, all the religious art, and the 92839 other people taking wedding photos there!

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Tara

02/02/2010

I’ve always been partial to the tobacco warehouse in DUMBO. It feels very historical and has great views of the bridges and lower Manhattan.

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Dave

02/02/2010

Carl Schurz Park … in the circular sunken garden, past the footbridge.

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ryecroft

02/02/2010

I like the idea of Grammercy park. If you’re only getting in once, make it the most important “once” in your life. I bet the readers of this fund could pool enough change together to get the kid access to the park.

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KRey

02/02/2010

I just did a post on this: “If You Like It, Here’s Where to Put a Ring On It” – http://kreyrecommends.com/9948786. My third suggestion is definitely off the beaten path but is still in NYC. Good luck with the proposal! 🙂

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Sebastian

02/02/2010

Fort Washington Park, at the foot of the majestic George Washington Bridge and right next to the cute Little Red Light House. That spot can be reached by a wild and romantic trail through an abandoned part of the park. It has a sweet little beach area – where the Hudson ‘waves’ come crashing in -, splendid views of the New Jersey Pallisades and the Hudson Valley and there are hardly ever any people there. Far away Downtown, the skyscrapers loom in the distance, as well as the tower of the Riverside Church. My vote!

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