An Inspiring Pair

When you’re single and happy, there are some couples that nevertheless manage to get you thinking about domestic bliss. For me, one of those inspiring duos is Morgan and Arthur.

An Inspiring Pair: Morgan and Arthur during their last visit to Africa

Morgan, one of my PR colleagues at Quinn & Co., met her husband of two years when she moved to Paris and became an au pair for his family. It was love at first sight. After a lengthy courtship, they married in a beautiful ceremony by the water in NY’s Westchester County that seemed like something out of a storybook.

One of the truly amazing things about Morgan and Arthur -- they’re as devoted to making a difference as they are to each other. This summer, they’re spending two weeks in Rwanda on a mission trip to help build houses, nurture children orphaned by the country’s 1994 genocide -- and to meet two children that they have sponsored for over a year.

Since 2004, Rwanda Building Blocks, the organization that Morgan and Arthur are working with, has built houses, sponsored more than 800 children and provided medical training for local inhabitants. Click here to learn more about the group’s great work and how you can be a part of it.

Drinks With A Dexterous Travel Writer

Tuesday night, I headed over to the Empire Hotel’s swanky lobby bar for drinks with Michael, a producer on Showtime’s irresistible hit “Dexter” who moonlights as a travel writer.

The Empire Hotel’s lobby bar: cozy chic on NYC’s Upper West Side

Michael was just back from visiting my Paris client, the fabulous Hilton Arc de Triomphe. It turns out his travel writing career began in France’s capital, when a friend of his randomly dispatched him there to go shopping and write about it for NY’s Daily News. And so began a “hobby” that has led to regular bylines in the News and top lifestyle publications like Spa Magazine.

We talked a lot about travel – I did my usual raving about Australia and how it’s a must-see – and about our beloved hometown. Michael and I agreed that living in New York ruins you for any other city, London being the glorious exception.

We also got onto the topic of online dating. Michael often signs on to a female friend’s Match.com account as her, using “guy speak” to attract potential suitors. He told me “she” has been chatting with one guy for two years who’s never attempted an in-person date.

I admitted I wasn’t surprised – online dating sites seem to be a veritable breeding ground for men who prefer cyber communicating to anything else.

My response to those inclined only to be pen pals? Delete.

Up next…a gala preview of NYC’s Auto Show and a musical jaunt to Jersey City.