A Double Dose Of Female Bonding

Saturday, I enjoyed a double dose of female bonding that began with galpal Amanda.

Pershing Square: This cozy bistro is conveniently located right across from Grand Central Terminal

Over brunch at cozy bistro Pershing Square in Grand Central, we caught up on work, life and dating. Amanda filled me in on PR plans for her upcoming travel memoir The Lost Girls, including a book club tour across the U.S. I told her about an industry award that could lead to winning Best of Show with my colleagues for the second time in my PR career.

We also talked about one of our biggest pet peeves in the dating world – text messaging. Phone-o-phobia, as Midtown Girl calls it, has reached epidemic proportions among single men. Both Amanda and I have recently gone out with great guys who choose texting as a means for making plans. Sorry, but romance simply doesn’t go hand in hand with messages of 160 characters or less.

Later, I headed to lively bar Joshua Tree in Midtown for my good friend and former colleague Cristina’s bachelorette party.

All Smiles: Bride-to-be Cristina and me

Over multiple rounds of cocktails and shots, we toasted the bride-to-be on her pending nuptials in Boston next month to longtime love Chris. Thanks to an endless loop of 80’s videos, I got my groove on on top of a chair – until a grumpy bouncer instructed me to sit down. I should’ve told him to relax, because I’ve done this particular maneuver several times over the years without incident.

Shaking My Booty: The music at Joshua Tree made this inevitable

After bidding the bride-to-be goodnight, I was feeling wistful so I decided to walk up Third Avenue for awhile. I remembered when Cristina got engaged two years ago and felt unnerved all over again about still being single.

But then I reminded myself of the upside about being unattached, namely the adventure of what’s right around the corner. HurryDater E is taking me out for date #2 on Friday.

A Perfect First Date

Friday night, I went out with E, a charming, cute 37-year-old public relations exec that I met at HurryDate a few weeks ago.

Our evening began at Tracks Bar & Grill in Penn Station, home to a 105-foot long mahogany bar and a tasty seafood menu.

Tracks Bar and Grill: The venerable eatery has been around for more than 50 years

Over shared appetizers (the lobster ravioli was divine), E and I talked about our mutual experiences of moving from journalism to PR, and some of the far-flung destinations that working in PR has taken us to. Just back from a three-day business trip to Korea, E impressed me with his lack of jetlag – and his razor-sharp wit.

From Tracks, we walked over to Madison Square Garden to watch the Knicks square off against California’s Golden State Warriors. It was my first-ever basketball game, so I soaked up all of the on-court action, which included team dancers, trampoline acrobatics and two random celeb sightings --Actor Anthony Michael Hall and rapper Fat Joe.

What A View: Our initial seats offered a panoramic view of the on-court action

E gave me a crash course in Basketball 101, leaning in closely as he explained game rules and his knack for upgrading to closer seats after half time. Sure enough, we eventually made our way from one of the upper-level rows down to the 200 section.

After the game, I briefly excused myself to use the bathroom. Upon emerging, E suddenly pulled me toward him for a brief kiss. Completely caught off guard and happily dazed by the major sparks between us, I quipped--

“Who knew Penn Station could be so romantic?”

The romance continued as we exited Penn to find that it was raining. While huddled under an umbrella at a nearby garage waiting for E’s car, he kissed me again.

We drove up the West Side Highway then over to the UES, where we parked ourselves at Merchant’s.

Much to my delight, E sat beside me while we talked about the enduring merits of 80’s sitcoms and the fun of karaoke.

“I guess,” he said, interlacing his fingers through mine for added emphasis, “This turned out pretty well, huh?”

“I was just thinking the same thing,” I said with a smile and we fell into another kiss – interrupted this time by our amused waitress, who asked if she should come back later.

Two more hours passed before we decided to call it a night. E parked in front of my building and kissed me goodnight. Several times.

“Thank you for a perfect evening from start to finish,” I said as I exited his car.

What a night.

Up next...dinner with a new online dating expert and a review of one of Broadway's hottest shows.

Another Great First Date...To Nowhere

Tuesday night, I enjoyed another fabulous first date with a guy that I met at HurryDate – one that has me rethinking my approach to dating in NYC.

Bombay-born Taz and I met up at the swanky Chambers Hotel in Midtown for drinks. We settled into a cozy corner of the upstairs bar (complete with a sofa and hardcover coffee table books), where the conversation was as smooth as the service and menu selections.

The Chambers Hotel: A great date spot

Over cocktails, yummy appetizers and – unexpectedly – milk and cookies, Taz and I found plenty to talk about. Along with the usual first date subjects of career, travel and hobbies, we chatted about U2’s brilliant shows at Giants Stadium and the merits of speed dating versus online dating, i.e., less time wasted on interminable back and forth.

Though we lingered until closing time, neither of us wanted to call it a night so we walked a few blocks to Papillon, an inviting bistro and bar.

Finally, after nearly four hours of effortless conversation and playful teasing, it was time to say goodnight. Taz leaned in for a quick kiss before taking off.

He texted me the next day to say what a great time he had. And, much like fellow HurryDater John, that’s the last I heard from him.

Having gone on two great first dates to nowhere in a row now, I can’t help thinking about the lopsided female-male ratio here. And how it breeds a plenty-of-fish mindset among NYC men – especially among those who belong to the thirtysomething age bracket.

I’m also thinking that I had it right in my early twenties when I dated older men. It’s time to up the age ante and go for the fortysomething bachelors.

Coming up…my first Twitter flirtation and another HurryDate date.

Women In Digital Media Mixer

Tuesday night, I joined my new friend, SingleEdition founder Sherri Langburt at a Women In Digital Media (WIDM) cocktail party.

Held at the fabulously futuristic Sony Wonder Lab in Midtown, the mixer attracted over 100 women from a variety of industries working in the digital media space.

The Schmoozing Scene At Sony (photo courtesy: Aileen Atkins)

Since launching less than a year ago, WIDM has quickly grown from 4 to 400 in membership. Based upon the smart, savvy ladies I met the other night, I’m not surprised.

I chatted with branding consultant Jennifer and TV host Vanessa about the upcoming new webisode series “Girl Blog” and the need for more shows profiling intelligent women.

Upon mentioning Single Gal In The City, Vanessa asked me about the pros and cons of online and speed dating. I told her I’m all for both -- as long as you don't rely on them as your only mechanisms for meeting new people.

Sherri, whose hubby is New Jersey born and bred, says I should cast a wider net geographically speaking. Brooklyn and Westchester speed dating, here I come.

Much as I wanted to continued schmoozing, I had to make an early exit....for my date with HurryDate guy #2.

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.

A Return To Speed Dating

Last night, I headed down to East Village bar Sin Sin for HurryDate – my first speed dating event in well over a year.

Sin Sin: Not nearly as inviting as it looks here

Of the handful of times I’ve participated in HurryDate, this was the most lackluster in terms of logistics. Sin Sin’s downstairs lounge was dark and poorly ventilated. And the friendly hostess was having such a good time that she inadvertently gave the same number to multiple men – a mistake that could’ve led to missed connections because of incorrectly filled out scorecards.

Fortunately, all of this proved to be a good icebreaker during my 12 four-minute dates. It was a very international crowd, with men from Europe, India, Mexico and Hong Kong. And, much to my great relief, I enjoyed meeting most of them.

Handsome Italy-born Paolo and I chatted about Columbia University – my alma mater and his current employer. Charming Brit David impressed me with his dry wit and shared my opinion that London and New York are sister cities.

Of the American born and bred, former Milwaukee resident and book publishing exec John was far and away my favorite. Especially after I discovered that he was one of the men who’d received a duplicate number.

A few minutes after our date, the frazzled HurryDate host came over to tell me the number to which John had been reassigned.

“He told me to make sure you know,” she said.

Meanwhile, soft-spoken New Yorker Assim and I commiserated over our shrinking pools of single friends. Upon informing him that my favorite wingwoman recently married, Assim sighed empathetically and said his go-to buddy is now forever lost to domesticity too.

Of course, there were a few HurryDaters who didn’t leave a great impression. Like the one who said I sound like I’m from Brooklyn (trust me – this is not a compliment). Or the guy who said abruptly—

“You don’t have a lot of free time, do you?”

When I asked what prompted this observation, he said--

“You speak very quickly.”

Not surprisingly, I can’t remember his name.

All in all, for $35 and one hour, not a bad deal. I met a dozen men and enjoyed two glasses of wine for the price of one. That’s my kind of recession-friendly fun!

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.