Close up of wine bottle and two glasses of wine on table outside with candles

Dinner and a Movie… at Home!

After spending the spring indoors, New Yorkers are getting nostalgic for simple pleasures like heading out on the town for dinner and a movie. With modified social-distancing recommendations still in effect, residents of the Central Park luxury apartments at 800 Fifth Avenue are bringing date night home, turning their spacious homes into intimate settings for candlelit dinners and cozy film viewings. Keep reading for our list of New York City-inspired dinner and movie pairings perfect for this summer!

New Yorkers nostalgic for the manic glamor of midcentury Manhattan will love Billy Wilder’s classic comedy The Apartment, which swept the 1960 Academy Awards. Starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine at the height of their stardom, the film follows interwoven extramarital affairs of the kind that would become fodder for Mad Men. Pair this film with a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, although you should probably use a real strainer and not a tennis racket like Jack Lemmon did.

No film captures the unique romance of New York City quite like When Harry Met Sally. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal’s journey from platonic acquaintances to romantic partners became an instant classic when it came out in the late 1980s, and scenes like the iconic conversation in Katz’s Deli became instant cultural touchstones. After watching this movie, you and your beloved are sure to crave a couple of pastrami on rye sandwiches, though it’s up to you to make them as good as they are at Katz’s.

No matter who you are, it’s probably been too long since you sat down and watched Ghostbusters. Another instant classic, Ghostbusters follows a team of scientists who set up their own entrepreneurial ghost-hunting business, clearing the evil spirits out of many Manhattan landmarks, some of which, like Dana’s apartment at 55 Central Park West, can be seen from the apartments at 800 Fifth Avenue! Make sure to pick up the ingredients beforehand and cook up a steak and egg dinner as you’re settling in for this New York classic. (Sorry, but the ghosts won’t cook the eggs for you.)

For a truly inspired date night, put on West Side Story and cook up some sumptuous pernil empanadas. No film conjures the sights and sounds of a New York summer quite like West Side Story, which updated the tale of Romeo and Juliet to the 20th century while featuring one of the best musical scores of all time.


These are just a few ideas for hosting your own New York-flavored movie date night at home, and there’s no better setting than the spacious luxury apartments at 800 Fifth Avenue. It’s time to start your cinematic new life overlooking Central Park!