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[title]Taking your love to new heights can be a tricky task but after a date night at One World Observatory, it's not so daunting—it's fun!
In March, I was invited by the observatory for a complimentary dinner date with my husband that started with the observatory experience and ended with a decadent meal at ONE Dine—its elevated New American restaurant from Chef Reuel Vincent.
I'd never been to the top of ONE World Trade before. At 102 stories (1,268 feet) high, the observatory offers a rare view of New York City and New Jersey other vantage points do not. It's so high up that you nearly touch the clouds and you can easily view flight traffic in the distance. Because it's situated Downtown, the city unfolds before you like a vast landscape of twinkling stars. You can see the skyscraper-less West Village, the bright LED lights of Times Square, the bridges over the East River, the tiny boats in the harbor and so much more.
To get there, my date and I got to take a quick photo together before heading into a super high-tech elevator that whisked us up 102 floors in 47 seconds. The elevator's interior walls were actually screens that show the development of the city across 400 years, from its indigenous roots to today. As our ears popped, we got to envision our city from its birth to its role as the crossroads of the world. Once the doors slid open, we were escorted to a room for a quick film in the See Forever Theater that celebrated the city today with scenes from the streets, stages and sidewalks of New York City. OWO promises the film experience is "breathtaking" and it is. Once the film ended, the screen slowly lifted one section at a time to reveal the view for the very first time. We were breathless. We gasped in delight along with the other visitors as we took in the stunning view together.
After checking in with our tickets, we headed down to the 360-degree observatory, which was buzzing with excitement as people took in the now-tiny details. OWO has stickers around the space that tell you how to get the perfect shot, for example, "place your phone against the window to reduce glare." We took our own photos in front of the pinky-orange sunset that peaked out from clouds over New Jersey—photos that might rival our wedding day shots.
After "ooh-ing" and "ahh-ing" over the city for some time, we finally made our way up to ONE Dine for a dinner for two overlooking all of Manhattan. Chef Reuel Vincent's menu is full of tempting dishes. We ordered the prosciutto flatbread with ricotta, chicory greens and roasted pears to start, the pasta al Pomodoro (mezzi paccheri in crème fraîche with fried garlic and Grana Padano) and the steak frites. Every morsel was satisfying and surprisingly better than I'd imagined from an observatory restaurant. Our drinks hit the spot—the Uptown Martini designed by Sujon Varghese (made with Ketel One Citroen, elderflower liqueur, lime and grapefruit) and the Irie Times, which was a seasonal rum based cocktail with cinnamon.
Our dinner was made even more special by the twinkling lights right outside the windows. Every once in a while, between topics, my partner and I would look out and point out new things we noticed—the change in the skyline right below Central Park, the line of flights coming in for landing at our airports, how the village stands out with virtually no skyscrapers.
After our romantic dinner, we were allowed one last glimpse of the city downstairs in the now-empty observatory. It felt like we were given secret, after-hours access to the view. Its lights were off, letting the city do the shining.
Experience it for yourself by booking your dinner date night on Opentable.com.