Fun First Date

The other night, I went out with book publishing exec John -- one of the guys I met during my recent HurryDate experience.

Tall, adorable and easy to talk to, John planned a perfect evening of drinks and live entertainment. Our night started off at Aroma, a cozy wine bar in the East Village. Upon asking him how his day was, John said--

“It went quickly having this to look forward to.”

Aroma: a cozy wine bar and great date spot

Over drinks and a couple of appetizers (including a yummy cod-filled ravioli), we shared a laugh about the HurryDate hostess assigning the same number to multiple guys.

We also talked about our respective stints as Toronto residents, a shared affinity for freelance writing and where our international travels have taken us.

From Aroma, we walked over to the Public Theater to see “County of Kings,” playwright Lemon Andersen’s riveting one-man show. Based on his tough upbringing in Brooklyn, Andersen’s intense, brilliantly staged tale covers everything from AIDS and drugs to death and first love. It captivated through to the final curtain call.

After the show, John and I wanted to see how the Yankees were faring in the World Series so we headed to a nearby sports bar. The effortless conversation continued -- and so did the flirting as we started leaning in closer and closer to each other.

By the time we said goodnight, it was no surprise when John bent down to kiss me. John said he’d love to get together over the weekend and I told him that would be great.

Since our date, John reiterated in an email what a great time he had. Curiously, he never followed up about getting together again. But that's the great thing about speed dating -- I’ve got plans with two other HurryDate guys. There's definitely something to be said for dating in numbers.

Dinner With A British Old Flame

Last week, I met up with E, a British old flame from my college days.

E resurfaced out of the blue in a Facebook email. I couldn’t help appreciating the irony of this, given that he was one of the reasons I hesitated to join Facebook in the first place.

During my junior year in London, E and I were good friends who ended up crossing the platonic line while he was on the rebound. One morning, I woke up to find a troubled look on E’s face. When I asked what was wrong, he responded--

“I don’t know…I just feel less for you than I did before.”

Ouch.

Bar Italia: E and I caught up over dinner at this fabulous UES wine bar and restaurant

Thankfully, it felt like a lifetime had passed since all of this unpleasantness as I approached E at Bar Italia.

Over a delicious dinner al fresco (including a heavenly plate of fettucini amatriciana), we talked about life, love and work. A film editor, E was in town working on the movie “Kick-Ass,” due out next spring. Now married with kids, he was quite inquisitive about why I’m still single, whether I’ve ever been in love, etc. By choice and yes, I answered, adding wryly that he’ll have to wait for my book to find out more.

E thanked me for agreeing to meet him, observing that I had every reason not to. Laughing, I admitted my initial inclination was to say no but then I figured, why not?

I’m glad I indulged my curiosity. Seeing E again put an important period on a brief but seminal chapter in my young adulthood.

As I walked away from him, I thought to myself -- he’s just an ordinary guy, one who happened to teach me the value of proceeding with caution when it comes to romance. And who, by extension, made me appreciate how great it feels to throw caution to the wind whenever you meet someone who warrants it.

Dinner With A Sweetheart From Long Ago

Thursday, after my action-packed experience at Fashion Week, I met up for dinner with my old flame Alain.

Like many blasts from the past these days, this one came about through Facebook. Now married and living in Helsinki, Alain reached out and I was excited to hear from him. Fifteen years my senior, he was my first experience of May-December romance back in the day.

It had been well over a decade since we’d last seen each other, so we had lots to talk about over dinner at Accademia di Vino.

Accademia di Vino: Alain and I talked about life, love and tennis over dinner at this UES hotspot

We talked about timing and the role it plays in finding happily ever after. Alain said it was when he decided he was going to take a break from the New York dating scene that the tide turned. Alain started hearing from several old girlfriends, but it was on the tennis court where he met his match.

Months later, when his Finnish-born sweetheart proposed by declaring they were getting married in her hometown, he was more than happy to say yes. As he shared this, I couldn’t help thinking that, when you find your life’s partner, the semantics of how you wind up together don’t seem to matter so much.

As he did many so years ago, Alain demonstrated that he’s one of the good guys.

“I couldn’t leave this earth,” he told me, “without telling you how sweet you are.”

Wow.

Coming up…a new author’s delectable approach to dating and a look at how to break up without being mean.

Girls Night Out: Upper West Side

Last Wednesday, I met up with fabulous and fun travel writer/author Karen Schaler on NYC’s Upper West Side.

After a pair of heavenly pear martinis at the Empire Hotel’s swanky lobby bar, we headed over to Karen’s favorite neighborhood haunt, Riposo 72. A cozy wine bar with a friendly and vino-savvy staff, Riposo also serves up a mean cheese platter and tasty flatbread. I learned the hard way that ordering both is an exercise in overindulgence.

Riposo 72: A cozy haven for oenophiles on NYC’s Upper West Side (photo courtesy: Time Out New York)

Over the course of the evening, Karen and I talked about the highs and lows of our previous lives as TV reporters, the power of serendipity and the impact of dreaming big. Karen is one of those inspiring people who doesn’t ask why, but instead, why not?

In addition to our shared past in front of the lens, we found common ground in life-changing trips (Afghanistan for her, Australia for me) and industry connections -- it turns out the agent I met with last month was Karen’s first agent when she was pitching her new book, Travel Therapy.

Deciding it was definitely kismet that our paths crossed, we made a toast to our new connection and to sharing future successes.

“This is only the beginning,” she texted me after we said goodnight. “Just believe and it will happen!”

That’s the thing about dreaming big -- when you’re lucky enough to have good friends cheering you along, anything is possible.