When PDA Attacks

It’s not often that a public display of affection lands you in the doctor’s office -- but that’s exactly where I hobbled to this afternoon with a badly bruised leg and possible fracture.

The injury happened Saturday, during date #3 with adorable PR exec E. Having just sang karaoke at Top Tunes in Midtown, we were feeling particularly celebratory. E and I began smooching until, all of a sudden, we both lost our balance and I fell backward.

As it turns out, we had an unexpected audience for our PDA. I received an email from my cousin the next day saying that she and her husband spotted us at Top Tunes, but refrained from saying hello since we were…otherwise engaged.

I guess the moral of the story here is make sure you’ll holding onto something other than your date when engaging in PDA. Or at least, that you’re both surefooted.

Coming up…drinks with two fellow NYC dating bloggers and a special event perk for SGITC readers.

An Action-Packed Halloween

New York always puts on a quite a show for Halloween – and this Saturday was no exception.

For the first time in years, I opted to join the costumed ranks by dressing up as a gypsy. A rhinestone-crusted headscarf and some fake eyelashes, and I was good to go.

Sala One Nine: Great tapas in a cozy, candlelit setting

First stop -- dinner at Sala One Nine with good friend Leila. Over some delicious tapas (ham croquettes, cheese plate, shrimp in garlic and olive oil), we had a good laugh thanks to our two servers. One was dressed as the cowboy from the Village People, another as the grim reaper.

Afterward, we caught a glimpse of the colorful crowd lining up to watch NYC’s legendary Halloween Parade. Along with an assortment of devils, cats and pinstriped inmates, I spotted a bloody health care patient and a pregnant smoking nun. Only in New York.

Trick Or Treat: Sara (left) served up plenty of Halloween goodies

Leila and I headed to the Upper West Side for our friend Sara’s intimate Halloween bash. Sara outdid herself with homemade treats. Among the creations she spent 12 hours preparing were pumpkin cake, meringue kisses, Rice Krispie treats, apple cake, chocolate chip cookies and vanilla and chocolate cupcakes.

Once I had eaten enough to go into a sugar coma, I made my way back across town to meet up with galpal Heidi at UES bistro Baraonda for “Scaraoke.”

All Dressed Up: Heidi and me at Baraonda

It was an endless parade of great costumes at the party, from Alice in Wonderland characters and hippies to a drag queen emcee and – my personal favorite – a cereal killer (get it?) wearing a knife and blood-stained Cheerios.

What A Crowd: Colorful costumes reigned at Baraonda’s bash

While waiting to submit my Karaoke song (Whitney Houston’s “So Emotional”) to the DJ, I chatted with her cute assistant and cowboy-for-the-night Tim. Later, as I was leaving the party around 2am, Tim asked—

“Can I walk you home and make out with you?”

Laughing, I said that he could walk me home but there would be no making out.

“But, it’s Halloween,” he insisted.

“Technically, it’s not Halloween anymore,” I said.

Ghoulish excuses or not, it was fun to flirt with a cowboy – as any good gypsy would do.

Coming up…a date with my favorite HurryDate guy and a swanky party some of NFL superstars.

By The Numbers: Art Of Courtship Edition

When it comes to dating, there’s a lot to be said for the art of courtship.

Over the years, I’ve had the good fortune of dating a variety of men who know what it means to truly woo a woman. In this day and age, that’s no easy feat given how modern mores seem to scoff at the very idea of romance – and imply that being an independent woman is somehow at odds with wanting (and enjoying) the rites of courtship.

During those heady first days and weeks of getting to know a new love interest, I'm a big fan of mixing it up. A combination of spontaneity and planning, of the grand gesture and the little things, goes a long way toward getting off on the right foot romantically speaking. Here are a few of the memorable ways I’ve been wooed – By The Numbers:

Number of men who said it with flowers early on: 5
Number of men whose initial courting tactics included a concert or Broadway show: 5
Number of men who whisked me away on a romantic trip: 3
Number of men who added to my menagerie of stuffed animals: 3
Number of men with whom I’ve done karaoke (and not lived to regret it): 3

My most recent karaoke outing was with hunky cop and Match.com member Rich. He belted out Bon Jovi’s “Dead or Alive,” while I made like Tina Turner and sang “The Best.” Never underestimate the icebreaking effect of warbling after you’ve had a few drinks.

What are some of your top picks for great dates?