Blind Date Roulette

The other night, I heard from Michael, a guy that my friend and fellow travel PR maven/blogger Lyla wants to set me up with. As we chatted about our mutual appreciation for Latin dancing and NYC’s theater scene, I couldn’t help thinking about the unpredictability of blind dates – and some of the memorable setups I’ve experienced.

There’s been no shortage of blind dates that failed to ignite any sparks. Like the tête à tête with a 40-something businessman who scoffed at my decision to leave the world of TV news behind for a career in PR. Or the tardy attorney who kept me waiting for a half an hour then proceeded to talk only about himself.

For every lackluster matchmaking attempt, though, I’ve been fortunate enough to experience a few blind date successes that made those disappointing evenings worth it.

Ten years ago, a college friend’s British-born husband suggested I meet up with David, a friend of his who had just moved to the Big Apple. The chemistry between us was immediate. Over the course of a year and a half together, David would become my good guy benchmark, seeing me through the devastating loss of my mother and taking the grand gesture to a whole new level with roses by the hundred.

Parade of Roses: Five dozen of the twenty-five dozen (!) roses that my British beau David gave me for my 25th birthday, January 1999

In 2001, at the tail end of my year-long TV reporter stint in Southern Illinois, my neighbor’s daughter invited me to dinner with her stepson Steve. I ended up changing my return flight to New York three times, as Steve and I fell into one of the most passionate romances I’ve ever had. Our friendship endures to this day.

Michael and I are scheduled to meet for drinks sometime this week. Though It’s too soon to tell how this latest go round of blind date roulette will turn out, I’m just happy to be back in the game.

Brunch At Beach Cafe

Earlier this week, I caught up with fellow travel PR maven and blogger Lyla (http://www.globetrottingbride.blogspot.com/) over brunch at one of my favorite neighborhood bistros, Beach Café.

Beach Cafe: This Upper East Side bistro is one of my favorites

As I enjoyed a delicious egg-white omelette loaded with cheddar cheese and spinach, newlywedded Lyla and I talked about the camaraderie of the blogging community and the challenges of thirty-something singlehood in NYC. While musing about the latter, we found ourselves discussing a peculiar phenomenon -- male reticence about becoming involved in the matchmaking process.

Sex And The City’s Charlotte once suggested that the single friends of married men are “the city’s greatest untapped resource.” Both Lyla and I have found quite the opposite to be true, largely because it seems men aren’t often likely to recommend any of their friends for a blind date.

In fact, whenever I’ve asked guys who are spoken for if they have any nice, single friends, the response is usually no. I can’t help wondering -- is this really because they don’t have any normal peers or simply because they don’t want to get entangled in matching people up?

It’s a mystery that Lyla and I decided is worth exploring further. In the meantime, Lyla has promised to let me know if she encounters any eligible bachelors I might be interested in. Because when it comes to being on the prowl in the Big Apple, four eyes are always better than two.

Outrageous First Dates: Verse Five

When I think about outrageous first dates, I invariably recall previous blind dates -- particularly the ones I’ve experienced which made me think the matchmaker was, in fact, blind.

Like well-meaning family friend Dorothy who set me up with her stepson. Dorothy said she was baffled by the fact that he was still single and I looked forward to meeting what sounded like a very eligible bachelor.

I had a feeling rumors of his charm were greatly exaggerated when he showed up to meet me wearing an old sweatshirt and thick gold chain. Call me crazy but appearance matters, especially on a first date.

Merchant's East: Trendy restaurant and lounge and site of an outrageous blind date

Over drinks at Merchant’s on the Upper East Side, Mr. Eligible proceeded to share his pet peeves about, well, everything, including life in New York. I couldn’t decide what was more unattractive, his attire or his attitude.

For my friend Louise, too much information took on a whole new meaning when a date casually mentioned he was a fan of erotic asphyxiation. He also revealed that he likes to choke sexual partners in the throes of passion without asking them first if they share his proclivity for it.

Talk about leaving a bad taste in your mouth.

Cleveland native Julie had her own brush with outrageous behavior on her first and only date with a guy she met online.

Boasting that he had a great coupon for the restaurant they went to, he instructed Julie on what she was allowed to order.

“He was very into it, trying to make sure that there was absolutely no expense for my meal,” she says. “I thought - jeez, I can pay for it if it's that big a deal.”

After dinner, Julie’s date shifted his attention from saving money to saving her soul. During the drive to a nearby watering hole, he put his hand on hers and asked if he could pray for her, saying aloud “God, bless this woman. She is young and in need of your guidance."

He then presented Julie with a CD of Christian music -- and a few other parting gifts.

“He pulled out his coupon book and started asking me, ‘would you use this Taco Bell coupon?’ ‘Do you eat at Arby's?’ and tearing out individual coupons and handing them to me,” she says. “He must have gone through the entire book before I finally pulled away.”

Which just proves that fast food, even under the guise of thriftiness, isn’t exactly first date fare. And that, when it comes to outrageous first dates, truth really is stranger than fiction.