Singles Event Pick: Young Wall Street and CC4C Happy Hour

City Chicks 4 Charity and Young Wall Street are teaming up for Happy New Year Happy Hour.

Set for tonight from 630-930pm, the event will take place at Traffic Bar and Lounge in Midtown. The $20 donation at the door covers beer and cocktail specials and light snacks, and there will be a raffle as well.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Chess-in-the-Schools, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to improving academic performance and building self-esteem among inner-city public school children.

For more info, click here.

Singles Event Pick: Anti-Valentine's Day Party

If you’re unattached on February 14th, there’s no better way to celebrate being solo than by mingling. And you can do just that at Pros In The City’s Anti-Valentine’s Day party.

Amnesia: Get your flirt on February 13th at this cavernous Midtown nightspot

Scheduled for Friday February 13th, the party will be held from 730-11pm at Amnesia nightclub. Along with icebreaker games, the evening includes hors d’oeuvres and drink specials from 8-9pm, prize giveaways and DJ dancing.

Dress code is business casual and tix are $19.99 if purchased by this Friday. Click here for more info.

Singles Event Pick: New Year's Eve At Stitch

When you live in the Big Apple, finding a New Year’s event that won’t set you back at least $100 is no easy feat. Thankfully, the folks at Professionals In The City have the answer, with a Singles New Year’s Eve Party that’s only $50 per person.

The party kicks off at 8pm at Stitch, a lively lounge in NYC's Garment District. Ticket price includes light hors d’oeuvres, champagne toast at midnight, party favors, cash bar, creative and interactive activities, DJ & dancing.

There will also be door prizes, along with chances to win free adventures as well as private golf lessons, ski packages and a complete home theatre system.

“Dress to impress,” says the website.

Tickets are $50 if purchased by tomorrow (Friday) at 5pm, and sales for the event will close at 11am on Thursday, December 31st. Click here for more info.

Singles Event Pick: Contacts & Cocktails Holiday Party

When it comes to hosting first-class events with young professionals, nobody does it better than Contacts & Cocktails. Which is why I was excited to hear about the group’s Third Annual Holiday Party.

Scheduled for Tuesday, December 15th, the event will feature complimentary peppermint martinis from 6-7pm, and live jazz from 630-930pm.

Admission is free. Advance registration and business cards are required. To RSVP, click here.

Singles Event Pick: The Set's Holiday Bash

TheSet NYC, Time Out New York’s monthly variety show, is celebrating the season with Holiday Bash 2009.

The Sullivan Room: TheSet's holiday bash will take place at this West Village hotspot

Set for Friday, December 18, 2009, the soiree will take place from 9 to 11pm at the famous Sullivan Room in NYC’s West Village.

Mingle with artists, enjoy catered food and drink specials (2 for 1 from 9-10pm), and bring business cards for networking. Music provided by DJ Adam Childs and an after party will follow.

I’ve had the pleasure of attending TheSet more than once and it’s always a fun night out.

Admission to the Holiday Bash is free. For more information and to RSVP, click here.

Singles Event Pick: Vino-Versity At Divine Bar

One of my favorite activities for mingling is wine tasting -- and no place in NYC does it better than Divine Bar in Midtown.

Divine Bar’s Vino-Versity series offers thematic wine tasting sessions in a social, cocktail party setting. On November 24th, Vino-Versity will host “Tuscany and Parmesan” from 630-830pm.

The tasting will feature dozens of Tuscan and Central Italian wines paired with warm garlic-crostini bread topped with fresh parmesan shavings or a Reggianito Parmesan and olive tapenade puff pastry. Wine professionals explain each variety as they pour, and take-home help sheets are also provided.

Tickets are $40 per person. Vino-Versity events always sell out, so click here if you’d like to be part of the wine and cheese-enhanced fun.

Singles Soirée At My Place

Last weekend, I hosted a little singles party at my place.

The last time I threw a singles gathering, an ex’s best friend ended up naked uninvited in my bed. Thankfully, Friday’s event didn’t lead to any similar exhibitionist displays – unless you count a faux marriage proposal induced by a little too much wine (see below).

About 15 people attended my soirée, a perfectly co-ed combination of friends and friends of friends, including charming radiologist Jacques. Jacques and I met through JDate.com and went out on a date last spring.

Since romance wasn’t in the cards for us, we opted to stay in touch. He brought two charming, adorable male friends who added to the convivial vibe.

J-Schoolers Unite: Carl, Eddie and me at my singles soiree

Fellow Columbia j-school alums Eddie and Carl talked about their exciting new online venture, while galpal Andrea shared some of the wild tales which inspired her to start her new blog. Even as a diehard New Yorker who adores her hometown, I have to admit her “so over it” stories are hilarious.

As the evening unfolded, a wine connoisseur pal was openly curious about who had brought a particular great vintage from Spain. Eventually, the mystery buyer was revealed to be my good friend Leila, which prompted Mr. Oenophile to get down on one knee and ask in jest for her hand.

Though -- this amusing moment notwithstanding -- no love connections were made, the party was a delightful affair. And a fun reminder that, in a city as big as New York, it’s often easier to expand your social circle when the crowd is a small one.

Singles Event Pick: Scavenger Hunt At The Met

If you’re a fan of “The Da Vinci Code,” then Professionals In The City has an event for you.

This Sunday, the group is hosting an urban adventure for singles based on Dan Brown’s bestseller. Teams of 4-6 will compete in a two-hour quest at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to solve clues and find locations. The first team to learn the secret of the Hunting Grail wins.

Think you can open the cryptex? Try on your amateur sleuthing skills and enjoy a little schmoozing at the same time.

Tickets for the event cost $35 and registration closes tomorrow at noon. For more information, click here.

Return To Speed Dating

This weekend -- for the first time in about two years -- I’ll be taking part in a speed dating event. When I signed up last night, I couldn’t help thinking about my past experience with this popular mechanism for mingling.

The Delancey Rooftop Bar: Sunday’s speed dating party will take place at this cozy Lower East Side venue

My inaugural outing with industry leader HurryDate produced four first dates and a five-month relationship with a well-intentioned but clingy Brit. Along with his warp speed wooing, he left an impression for something much less romantic – being uncontrollably gassy. He regularly referred to himself as my “Flatulent Prince.”

Then, there was the angry, tall guy whose opening gambit left little to the imagination.

“I’m 37, Asian and recently divorced – how the hell are you?”

Charming.

On my last speed dating go round, I rediscovered what a small world New York can be for a city with more than 8 million people. Of the dozen or so guys in attendance, two were repeats – one from a previous event, the other being a guy I’d gone out with once through a dating site.

Yes, sometimes it can feel like the Big Apple is pretty small when it comes to the finite universe of available single men here. Which is why it’s fun to shake things up and go on a one-night dating blitz.

Care to join me at Sunday’s speed dating party? Admission is $15, click here to reserve a spot.

Charitable Event Pick: Cocktails For A Cause

Tomorrow night, you can mingle with young professionals down in SoHo at Cocktails For A Cause, a benefit for A Caring Hand.

Southside: A Caring Hand will host a cocktail event at this SoHo hotspot tomorrow

A Caring Hand helps bereaved children and families in grief, offering services to help them with their emotional journey and financial assistance to aid their future education. With 50% of inner city youth experiencing the unexpected death of a close relative or friend, that’s a mission worth supporting.

Cocktails For A Cause runs from 8-11pm tomorrow at SoHo hotspot Southside and will include an auction for exotic trips. Visit A Caring Hand’s website and donate $50 (per person) and your name will be added to the guest list.

Charitable Event Pick: Schneider's Soirée

One of NYC’s hottest new outdoor venues is Water Taxi Beach at the South Street Seaport. On Wednesday September 9th, Schneider Children’s Hospital is taking over the space for its Inaugural Summer Soirée.

Water Taxi Beach: The new downtown location is a popular hotspot

Proceeds from the event will help support the hospital’s $132 million campaign to renovate and expand with the construction of a four-story, 100,000 square foot Inpatient Pavilion. Schneider recently added a new atrium, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Ambulatory Chemotherapy Center.

The soirée will feature three-hour open bar (beer, wine and sangria), appetizers and -- here’s the fun part -- unlimited games including mini golf, skee ball and ping pong.

Tickets are $50 until September 1st, and $60 thereafter. For more information, click here.

Singles Event Pick: Summer Sundays

Summer may be winding down, but the singles event scene in NYC continues to heat up. This weekend, the Empire Hotel’s popular rooftop lounge is hosting Summer Sunday.

The Empire Hotel Rooftop: Enjoy Summer Sundays right here

A seasonal series, Summer Sundays offer sunset cocktails, a view of Central Park and house Djs spinning down tempo and chill beats. The free six-hour event kicks off at 5pm and you can RSVP here.

I learned about Summer Sundays through a fabulous Facebook group co-founded by hostess with the mostess April Lynn Martin. From fashion events and charity galas to gallery openings and art parties, this is the group to sign up for if you’re a single New Yorker and want to be in the know.

Coming up…a memorable tribute to TV’s longest running show and a taste of France right here in Gotham.

Singles Event Pick: WGirls Cocktail Party

Summer tends to be the quiet season when it comes to charity social events in New York. Which is why I was excited to hear about WGirlsNYC’s upcoming cocktail party on Thursday August 20th.

Founded by a small group of professional woman, WGirls is a philanthropic organization dedicated to helping underprivileged women and children and distributing grants to other non-profits.

Sidebar: This lively venue at Irving Place is where WGirls' upcoming soiree will take place

Next Thursday’s cocktail party kicks off at 630pm at Sidebar near Union Square. For $15 ($20 at the door), you can enjoy open bar for an hour, along with 2 for 1 happy hour specials and discounts on assorted specialty cocktails and mixed drinks.

Proceeds from the event will benefit College Bound, a WGirls original program set to launch in 2010. College Bound is a youth summit and online community designed to assist economically disadvantaged youth succeed in their transition to college.

To buy tickets, click here. For more information about WGirls, visit their website.

Singles Event Pick: Glitz & Glam

This Thursday, Project Runway’s Zulema Griffin is teaming up with Upper East Side hotspot Haven to host Glitz & Glam, a benefit for SMART -- Sisterhood Mobilized for HIV/AIDS Research & Treatment.

Glitz & Glam kicks off at 7pm and will feature cocktails sponsored by Prairie Organic Vodka as well as a surprise show and performance. Proceeds will benefit SMART’s efforts to provide life-sustaining treatment education programming for youth and women affected by or living with HIV/AIDS.

Tickets are $30 in advance, $40 at the door. Click here for more information or visit the event’s Facebook page.

Singles Event Pick: Big Apple Bash

When it comes to knowing what’s hot on the cultural and culinary scenes, there’s no one savvier than my Quinn & Co. colleague David. Which is why I wasn’t surprised to learn that he’s affiliated with the Young Members Circle for the Museum of the City of New York.

Museum of The City of New York: The upcoming Big Apple Bash will take place on the terrace here

On Thursday August 6th from 7-11 pm, the group will host its second annual Big Apple Bash. They have quite a night planned with a fun DJ, eats from Sullivan Street Bakery and Whole Foods and drinks including a cool new potato Vodka. Among the raffle prizes – Circle Line tickets, $100 to Seamless Web and a selection of beauty products.

Tickets are $50 for non-members until August 1st and then $65 afterwards. For more info, click here.

Singles Event Pick: Night Under The Stars

One of my favorite things about summer in New York is the rooftop bar experience. On Tuesday July 28th, the Starlight Foundation will host Night Under The Stars, an event at one of Gotham’s swankiest rooftop settings, 230 Fifth.

230 Fifth: The rooftop garden here is NYC’s largest

In addition to hors d’oevures and premium open bar, the three-hour event will feature a raffle with great prizes ranging from a Costa Rican getaway to a $650 La Prairie gift basket. Attire is summer chic and proceed benefits the foundation’s mission to help ill children and their families through entertainment and education.

Tickets are $50 in advance and $60 at the door. Click here for more info.

Coming up...drinks with a globetrotting showbiz security chief and a visit to one of NY's most popular beer gardens.

Singles Event Pick: South Street Seaport Party

One of the best places to enjoy a night out in NYC is on the water. Tonight, that’s what Gemini & Scorpio is offering with “Hobos & Mermaids on The High Seas” at the South Street Seaport.

The themed sunset dance party will take place aboard New York’s only tall ship, Clipper City. Says the invite on Facebook--

“We'll bring the party on board with DJ Jon Margulies, originator of hobo-tech: depression era techno-contemporary music that nods to a forgotten America, celebrating half-smoked cigars and steaming cauldrons of stew.”

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the dock. The boat leaves from Pier 17. Only 125 tickets will be sold first come, first served. For more information, click here.

Singles Event Pick: Let's Get Wild Party

In a city like New York -- where single women outnumber their male counterparts by 200,000 -- finding singles events with a balanced male-female ratio can be a challenge. Which is why I was excited to discover on Facebook AC Productions, a group that knows how to throw a great, truly co-ed party.

On Tuesday June 16th, ACP is hosting Let’s Get Wild, an island-themed event at Retreat Lounge on West 17th Street.

Retreat Lounge: Where this week's Let Get Wild party is taking place

From attire to cocktails, everything tropical applies and entertainment will include a celebrity magician and mentalist. Even better, organizer Amy Herman promises--

“I will be personally matchmaking should you wish to seek me out and show me that special person who you want to be introduced to.”

Admission to the party is $30 (cash only) and more than 100 guests have already confirmed through AC Productions’ Facebook page for the event. For more info, email info@acproductions.us or click here.

Singles Fun At Tavern On The Green

The only thing better than celebrating the start of summer and end of the work week is doing it in one of New York’s iconic outdoor spaces. This Friday, that’s what Professionals In The City is offering with its social networking party at Tavern On The Green.

A Great Place To Party: NYC’s iconic Tavern On The Green

The party offers free admission and dancing in Tavern’s lush garden. The giant sculpted animals alone are great conversation starters, and the setting within Central Park (tourists and all) remains one of my favorites.

Doors open at 5pm. For more information and to RSVP, log on to Pros In The City’s website.

Coming up...catching up with an old flame and revisiting the wisdom of playing hard to get.

Singles Event Pick: Spring Tuesdays

One of my favorite rooftop bars is at the Empire Hotel on New York’s Upper West Side. From a Time Out New York summer soiree to a St. Patrick’s Day celebration, I’ve enjoyed many memorable evenings here.

NYC's Empire Hotel is hosting Spring Tuesdays

The Empire Hotel Rooftop is currently hosting Spring Tuesdays - Sunset Cocktails and (Free) Jazz. Music is performed by the Stephane Wrembel trio from 6:30 to 9:30pm and you can RSVP for the event here.

Spring Tuesdays run through May 26th. For a look at the swanky crowd that has attended so far, check out the Sunset Cocktails feature at GuestofaGuest.com.