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Great imaginative dates

Four ways to woo your sweetie this summer

COMPILED BY PAT BURSON

July 17, 2008

Dinner and a movie: They're the stuff Friday night date cliches are made of. Whether you're trying to make a good impression (and ease getting-to-know-you awkwardness) on a first date or taking your longtime sweetie out for a summer evening, here are some romantic ideas:

Date 1: Stroll the boardwalk

Where: City of Long Beach's boardwalk, parallel to East Broadway and West Broadway, with access through any of the city's boulevards

Cost: Free

Run, ride a bike or walk along the 2.2-mile boardwalk in Long Beach, but leave your dogs and Rollerblades home. Sit on a bench and watch a game of beach volleyball on the sand and surfers riding waves in the ocean. Buy an ice cream cone or stop in to one of the nearby restaurants.

More Long Island boardwalks

Date 2: The Carltun
516-542-0700, ext. 1
thecarltun.com

Where: Inside Eisenhower Park, East Meadow

When: Open Tuesday to Sunday; closed Monday. During the summer, lunch (Tuesday to Friday), 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner (Tuesday through Sunday), 5 to 10 p.m.

Cost: $75-$200 for two

Feeling romantic? Consider lunch, brunch or dinner at Palm Court Restaurant and Wine Cellar at The Carltun, a mansion in the center of Eisenhower Park that owner Susan Capetola calls "a special place in every way, from the fabulous food to the ambience to the service."

On Friday nights, there's a clam bake and barbecue from 6 to 11, with reggae music, tropical drinks and dancing under the stars on the Palm Court patio. If you'd rather stay inside, the restaurant serves a five- to six-course wine-tasting dinner for $100 a person. You also can reserve a table for dinner in the wine cellar with a view of the vintages behind a glass enclosure.

For budget-minded daters, there's a prix-fixe menu by request for $35.

Date 3: Ocean Beach, Fire Island

Where: Fire Island Ferries, Bay Shore
631-665-3600
fireislandferries.com

When: Several trips a day