Are you looking for date ideas in the Financial District, NYC? Then you’re in the right place!
From playing an escape game to seeing the city from above, there’s a large variety of things you can do during a date in the neighborhood. There are options that are great for a first date, such as waterfront dining, but there are also great options for couples who have been dating for a while and want to do something special, such as a helicopter tour.
I made this Financial District date ideas guide to help you find the most fun and romantic activities for your date!
Date Ideas in the Financial District
See the City from Above at the One World Observatory
Admiring an incredible view is a very romantic activity, and a great place to do this is the One World Observatory. This is an observation deck that you can find on the top of the One World Trade Center.
The observation deck is located on the 102nd floor, and from the top, you’ll be able to get a view of the Financial District as well as other areas of New York City. The observation deck offers you the possibility to get a panoramic view while being indoors in a climate-controlled area.
It is the highest point in the city.
Besides going here to admire the view, you can also go to the restaurant of the One World Observatory. This restaurant is ONE Dine, and you can find it on the 101st floor of the building.
Whether you want to have dinner, lunch, or a drink, you can do so at ONE Dine.
Address: 117 West St, New York, NY 10007
Do a Cruise and See the Statue of Liberty
When you are in the financial district, a fun date idea is to do a cruise of the waters near Manhattan. This is a fun and romantic experience during which you can enjoy great views.
While onboard, you can see some of the most iconic landmarks of the city, such as the Statue of Liberty and some of the most famous towers of NYC.
During the cruise, you’ll also get interesting live commentary through which you can learn about the city, its landmarks, and its history.
This cruise departs from Pier 16 and the cruise takes about 50 minutes in total, which means its great for a short date or a great activity to incorporate in a longer date.
Play an Escape Game at BrainXcape
BrainXcape is a place that makes for one of the most fun date ideas in the Financial District. You can find various escape rooms there. An escape room is a room in which you play an escape game, and an escape game is a real-life interactive game during which you need to find clues and solve puzzles in order to escape from the room.
Each room has a different theme, different clues, and different puzzles.
You can play the games at BrainXcape with two people, and it is a great activity for a date as you have to work together a lot.
At BrainXcape, there are two horror-themed rooms. One of these is “Rikers, 1932”, which is based on the penitentiary, Rikers Island. Another room is “The Haunted Hotel”.
Address: 160 Broadway 3rd floor, New York, NY 10038
Do a Helicopter Tour that Leaves From the Financial District
An incredible way to see the city is by doing a Manhattan helicopter tour. From the sky, you can see the city’s buildings and sights from above, which can be very romantic to do as a couple.
When you are in the financial district, it is easy to do this tour when you are in the Financial District, as you can do the tour from the HeliNY Downtown Manhattan Heliport, which is located at Pier 6.
Some of the places that you can see during this tour are Central Park, the Hudson River, the Statue of Liberty, and the Brooklyn Bridge.
Each helicopter tour takes about 17 to 20 minutes, and during the tour, there’s live narration, so you can learn about the city as well.
Enjoy Waterfront Dining at The Fulton by Jean-Georges
The Fulton by Jean-Georges is one of New York City’s best waterfront restaurants, and having dinner there is a very romantic thing to do in the Financial District.
At the restaurant, you can enjoy delicious food made by Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten while enjoying a view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the East River.
The menu of the restaurant includes many seafood dishes, and the dishes are made with regional produce and seafood. In addition to that, the menu includes seasonal items as well.
Whether you want to have brunch, lunch, dinner, or a drink with light bites, you can do that at this restaurant.
One of the best dishes at The Fulton by Jean-Georges is the “Pan Fried Swordfish Milanese”. The “Spaghetti alle VOngole”, which is made with clams, caperberries, lemon, and parsley, is also a great dish to have.
Address: 89 South St, New York, NY 10038
Have Fun By Going to an Event at The Rooftop at Pier 17
The Rooftop at Pier 17 is a concert venue that is located at Pier 17 in the Financial District. Lots of concerts take place at this venue that you can attend as a couple.
What’s special about this venue, besides the great concerts that take place here, is that you can enjoy a view of the Manhattan skyline while listening to music. You’ll be able to see other landmarks as well, such as the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.
The concerts take place during the summer months, and there are usually famous musicians that perform here. Some artists who performed at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in the past include Ringo Starr, Billie Eilish, and Lil Nas X.
In addition to concerts in summer, other types of events take place during other times of the year, including movie nights. These events are great for a date as well.
Have a Drink With a View at the Highkey Rainforest Rooftop
The Highkey Rainforest Rooftop is an all-season rooftop that you can go to every day of the week. The rooftop is located on the 29th floor.
The rooftop is perfect if you want to have a drink or food while enjoying a view of the city.
You can have dinner at the Highforest Rainforest Rooftop. Some dishes that you can get here include tacos, steak, burger sliders, and much more.
It is also possible to have brunch at the rooftop on Saturday and Sunday. One of the best dishes to get for brunch is the “French Toast Mezcal”, which comes with grand marnier batter, toasted almonds, mezcal whipped cream, and other ingredients.
You can also get avocado toast, English breakfast, and other dishes for brunch.
In addition to that, you can get all kinds of cocktails and other drinks at the Highkey Rainforest Rooftop.
Address: 6 Platt Street, New York, NY 10038
Go for a Walk and See FiDi’s Famous Sculptures
The Financial District is home to some of the most famous sculptures in New York City. You can for a romantic stroll in the neighborhood and explore FiDi’s statues.
Bowling Green, which is the oldest public park in New York City, is a great place for a stroll, and you can find the most famous statue here. Charging Bull can be found here, which is a sculpture is a large bronze sculpture of a bull that is a symbol of Wall Street and financial prosperity. Seeing Charging Bull is one of the best things to do in the Financial District.
Fearless Girl, a sculpture that promotes gender diversity and women in top management teams, is an interesting sculpture at the New York Stock Exchange.
At Federal Hall, which used to be the capitol building of America in the 18th century, is where you can find a statue of George Washington, the first President of the United States.
Go on a Coffee Date at 787 Coffee
There are many coffee shops that are great for a coffee date in the Financial District, and one of these is 787 Coffee. You can find this coffee shop at 66 Pearl Street, and there are several other locations in New York City.
At 787 Coffee, you can get delicious coffee drinks made with coffee beans that were grown, processed, and roasted on one coffee farm in Puerto Rico.
You can get all kinds of classic and unique coffee drinks at this place.
For example, you can get classic espresso, rum-infused espresso, or whiskey-infused espresso.
You can also choose from a variety of unique lattes. For example, you can get the “Mazapan Latte”, which is a sweet and nutty coffee drink.
Some other drinks to get here include mocha, macchiato, flat white, and rum-infused cold brew.
Address: 66 Pearl St, New York, NY 10004
Join a Guided Tour and Learn About Wall Street
It can be interesting to learn new things during a date, and a great way to do this is by doing a guided tour of Wall Street.
During this guided tour, you’ll see some of the most important places, such as the New York Stock Exchange, Wall Street, Charging Bull, and the Federal Reserve. You’ll also learn about the history of Wall Street, from its starts as a Dutch trading post to the present.
This tour takes about 75 to 90 minutes and is led by guide who worked on Wall Street and who can tell you stories from their own experience.
See a Movie and Have Food at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Lower Manhattan
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Lower Manhattan is a movie theater that makes for a great date idea in the Financial District. The theater has 14 auditoriums with a great sound system and comfortable reclining seats.
You can see the newest movies at the movie theater, as well as classics. There might be a classic movie that is perfect for a movie date night!
In addition to seeing a movie, you can also have dinner at the movie theater with delicious food that is served to your seat.
There is a full menu with lots of different dishes, including burgers, pizza, fries, sandwiches, salads, and much more.
You can also get sweets, including delicious chocolate chip cookies.
In addition to that, there are many different types of drinks, including lots of draft beer options. There are more than 30 beers on tap at this movie theater.
Address: 28 Liberty St Suite SC301, New York, NY 10005
Learn About History at the South Street Seaport Museum
The South Street Seaport Museum is one of the best museums in NYC and you can find it in the Financial District. It is a museum where you can learn about the history of New York City as a port city during a date.
The museum has a large collection of all kinds of objects and art related to maritime history, as well as a large collection of historic vessels.
For example, you can find the 1885 Tall Ship Wavertree at the museum. This is a 19th-century cargo sailing ship where you can learn about the people who worked and lived on the ship, such as cooks and officers, in the 19th century.
Sometimes, there are events, such as workshops, at the museum, that can be great to attend during a date. For example, during Valentine’s Day, there’s a workshop.
Address: 12 Fulton St, New York, NY 10038
Hang Out and Have Beer at Clinton Hall
Clinton Hall is a restaurant with 5 locations in New York City. The first location of Clinton Hall is located in the FiDi neighborhood at 90 Washington Street.
Clinton Hall is a great place to get a delicious burger and enjoy craft beer at the same time.
From nachos to burgers to pizza to salads, there’s food for everyone’s liking. One of the best dishes is the “Korean Fried Chicken” burger, which is a chicken burger with sweet and spicy sauce, pickles, and kimchi slaw.
You can try one of the many craft beers, and you can see what’s currently on tap on Clinton Hall’s website.
Having dinner here is one of the most romantic things to do in the Financial District for couples as the restaurant has an amazing atmosphere and you can play all kinds of games at the bar.
For example, there are all kinds of board games and supersized versions of games.
Address: 90 Washington St, New York, NY 10006
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Financial District Date Ideas Tips
Each activity on this Financial District date ideas list can be made more fun by choosing to do two of the ideas during one date. For example, you can do the Manhattan helicopter flight or the cruise to the Statue of Liberty, and have coffee at 787 Coffee afterwards.
You could also go for a walk to see the most famous sculptures of the neighborhood and have dinner with a view at The Fulton by Jean-Georges after that.
Date Ideas in Financial District Map
This was my list of date ideas in the Financial District. I hope you liked the activities!