I am planning to surprise my partner in May or June this year, with a long weekend in New York and a proposal. We are a gay couple. Can you recommend some romantic places to propose? - Name withheld

Sunday Times travel expert Richard Green responds: New York City does gay-friendly glamour like no other, so finding great hotels, restaurants, bars, and shopping is easy enough; but where to propose is more tricky. In general I'd say go for something uncomplicated that has a resonance for both of you ­ you¹ll be even more nervous and he'll be more confused if you do something totally out of character.

A sure fore way to sweep someone off their feet, partly thanks to Meg and Tom in the famous proposal scene in Sleepless in Seattle, is the top of the Empire State Building. Or if you prefer to have the Empire State in view when you ask, there's the terrific new three story observation deck that starts at the 69th floor of 30 Rockefeller Centre, the Top of the Rock. There are a few useful strategies here; and of course it's a bit dependent on the weather, as you might not want to pop the question open-air in a gale, or behind a rain-drenched window, but if all is set fair either be on in the first lift up, then casually secure your own deserted patch of terrace, or try for sunset, or maybe in the moonlight, when the sky and the city are all illuminated for you.

If you think the vertigo might interfere with the romance of the moment, Central Park is the perfect place on terra firma. You could ask while in the back of a horse drawn cart clopping sedately through the greenery (www.centralparkcarriages.com), or perhaps on a surprise gondola ride on The Lake after a meal at the Central Park Boathouse. If you prefer a bigger boat, you could try the Staten Island Ferry while passing the Statue of Liberty, or a Hudson River cruise.

You might be relieved to know that you¹ll be too late for a proposal on ice at Rockefeller Centre ice rink, which closes in mid April, but it saves you accidentally crashing down on one knee every few seconds and so camouflaging the real one.

You'll have enough adrenaline I think, but people do pop the question on helicopter rides over the skyscrapers (www.libertyhelicopters.com), or during a ride on the Cyclone roller coaster at Coney Island (www.astroland.com). And sport fans have their proposals displayed on one of the giant screens at the Yankee Stadium.

Back to basics though, with no vertigo or complex arrangements, why not opt for a romantic evening stroll along the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. It's a natural for fostering romantic conversations, gazing across the water at the Brooklyn Bridge and the wall of sparkling windows that is night time Manhattan.

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