An Exciting Second Date

Friday night, I enjoyed an exciting second date with adorable 37-year-old PR executive E.

Bond 45: Great food and service in a bustling Theater District landmark
(photo courtesy: Shanna Ravindra, New York Magazine)

We met up at historic steak and seafood restaurant Bond 45. E took my face in his hand and greeted me with a quick kiss.

“You look great,” he said as he sat down. I smiled, grateful for the good hair day that I was having thanks to a quick blowout at lunchtime.

Over a delicious dinner (skirt steak cooked to perfection), E and I talked about our shared appreciation for architectural history and “NYPD Blue,” and our fondness for the good music and fun to be experienced at weddings.

Upon mentioning that I’ll be attending a friend’s nuptials in Boston next month, E asked if he could be my plus one. If only I had been invited with a guest.

After dinner, while walking through Times Square, E kissed me. I could feel every part of me ignite at his touch and, for a moment, I literally forgot where I was. Heaven.

E treated us to one of the most entertaining Broadway shows I’ve ever seen, “Burn The Floor.”

The high-energy two-hour ballroom dance extravaganza features stunning choreography, fantastic music and couples that truly sizzle. Anya and Pasha of “So You Think You Can Dance” were among the show’s talented troupe, which also boasts dancers from as far away as Russia and Australia.

Next, we headed downtown to E’s office on Hudson Street, where we took in sweeping city views from the roof deck -- and shared a few kisses in the moonlight.

Over drinks at a nearby Irish pub, E leaned forward and pulled at the ribbon on my top, clearly not realizing it was purely decorative.

“You need level 3 clearance for that kind of access,” I teased, “Right now, you’re only at level 1.”

“That’s okay,” he responded with a smile. “I have a lot of patience and I’m not going anywhere.”

Our last stop of the night was a tiny eatery designed like an old ship, where we shared a few appetizers and talked about favorite TV shows and portable gadgets.

Later, E walked me to a cab and pulled me into another knee-weakening, lingering kiss.

When it comes to second dates, it simply doesn’t get any better than this.

An Eventful Week

When it comes to the perfect mix of female bonding, nights out on the town and budding romance, this week had it all.

Girls Night Out: Heidi and me at The Lost Girls happy hour

From a happy hour celebrating The Lost Girls and their upcoming memoir and a schmoozefest at one of NYC's hottest event spaces to an exhilarating second date with adorable HurryDater E, I’ve been on the go non-stop and enjoying every minute of it.

Coming up…details of all the action and the debut of a new SGITC feature.

Second Date With A JDater

Wednesday night, my action-packed evening continued at Upper East Side restaurant Trata, where I met up with JDate.com member and pet pharmacist Scott.

Trata: Scott and I met up for drinks at this lively UES Greek restaurant and bar

Having come straight from the gym, Scott showed up wearing spandex shorts, a baseball cap and lots of cologne. Not my first choice for date attire, but his impish grin and warm greeting helped me get past it.

It had been four months since our previous date, so we talked about how we spent our respective summers. Scott spent most of his on the beach at Fire Island, co-habitating with six female friends.

Speaking of other women, Scott’s Blackberry buzzed while he was in the restroom. I stole a quick glance at it (I know, tsk tsk), noticing a message from ‘Nicole-J Date’ that she was looking forward to seeing him. A message next to hers from me was filed under my JDate username. Ahh, the romance of online dating.

Though it was fun catching up with Scott, date #2 confirmed we’re better off as friends – and reminded me that, the older you get, the quicker you can tell whether or not there’s a mutual spark.

Seeing Scott also got me to thinking how much more fun it is to be on the prowl when you’re not doing it through cyberspace. Tonight, one of my best galpals and I will be heading down to one of NYC’s hottest neighborhoods for some mingling. Watch this space to see where the night takes us.

An Action-Packed Wednesday

It’s not often that you can triple book yourself successfully. Last night, I managed to pull it off, bouncing between two networking encounters and a date.

The Down Town Association: A classy club in NYC’s Financial District

First, I headed to the Down Town Association on Wall Street, to catch up with fellow Columbia j-school alum Eddie and a few of his friends. A grand, inviting space -- high ceilings, mahogany paneling, etc. -- the DTA is a perfect setting for convivial conversation. We talked about website launches, the current state of comedy and the club’s 90% male membership. Sign me up.

Next, I hopped in a cab bound for the hip Hudson Hotel in Midtown, where I had the pleasure of meeting up with another j-schooler, travel correspondent Val. Over a quick bite at neighboring pub Coliseum, Val filled me in on her upcoming trip to Mexico and ongoing contentment with her long-term beau. I mentioned my renewed focus on being out and about now that I’ve said sayonara to online dating...for the most part.

Tuesday, I received an unexpected text message from Scott, a JDate.com member with a penchant for last-minute invitations and cutesy text messages (e.g. “Hi Beautiful xo”).

Scott and I had gone out once back in May, then spent the better part of a month texting each other until I decided enough already. I wondered whether a second date would make me reconsider and so, Scott became my final stop of the night.

By The Numbers: Online Dating History Edition

In the world of online dating, chemistry is an elusive thing. My hot and heavy recent encounters with hunky cop and Match.com member Rich got me to thinking about my long history with seeking romance in cyberspace.

It was my good friend and diva extraordinaire Heidi who convinced me back in ‘04 to sign up with Match.com. Since then, I’ve had my share of both lackluster dates and unexpected sparks.

Here are some of my online dating milestones -- By The Numbers:

Number of online dating sites tried: 5
Number of first dates that failed to merit a second: 11
Number of online connections that stretched to two dates: 2
Number of Match.com boyfriends whose dogs were a factor in our breakup: 1
Number of weeks spent texting a Jdate.com guy before saying no to date #2: 4

That JDater was Scott, who had a penchant for texting -- and for inviting me out at the last minute. Interestingly, he said I was being ‘difficult’ for not obliging him.

“So difficult,” he wrote in a text message, “I think I may have to kiss u for days to keep you in one place xo.”

Considering we’d only gone out once, his overture seemed creepy rather than cute.

When I finally told him -- by text, of course -- that our scheduling patterns would prohibit a second date, I couldn’t help appreciating the irony. After all, I pointedly mention in my online profile an aversion to interminable email/IM/text communication. With good reason, as Scott reminded me.

Coming up…the effect of weddings and babies season and the importance of a mutual spark.

An Exhilarating Second Date

Monday night, I went on a second date with Rich, an adorable, engaging cop I met on Match.com.

A month had elapsed since our first date. Why? After Rich’s follow up call, he never received the voicemail I left and assumed I wasn’t interested. I opted to send him an email last weekend saying hello, which is when we discovered technological gremlins had gotten in the way.

We met up for drinks at Midtown watering hole Turtle Bay. More comfortable with each other this time around, we fell quickly into flirting mode, leaning in close as we sat at the bar.

Turtle Bay: my eventful second date with Rich kicked off here

I learned more about Rich, namely that he’s of Aruban descent and knows his stuff when it comes to art and current events. We tested our mutual knowledge of the latter with trivia night at nearby pub Pig ‘N’ Whistle.

It was here that we shared our first kiss of the night. As I told my best friend via text later, major sparks.

After falling from second to third place in the trivia ranks, Rich suggested we move on to our next activity -- karaoke at Mustang Grill on the Upper East Side. I was impressed with his version of the 80’s hit “Here In My Car,” and exhilarated by the chemistry between us.

When we parted, Rich pulled me into his arms for another kiss.

“I feel like I’ve learned a lot about you in a short space of time,” he said.

I felt the same about him. As far as second dates go, it doesn’t get any better than that.

My Internet Radio Debut

Tuesday, I had the pleasure of appearing on Dating Coach Kira Sabin’s weekly show on Blog Talk Radio.

Joined by her sassy, charming British co-host Richard, we talked about making time for romance in your thirties and starting an offline dating revolution -- i.e., encouraging singles to limit their online interacting and get back out in the real world.

Kira cited a sobering statistic about dating websites, and that is they only have a 5% success rate. I can vouch for these unfavorable odds.

I’ve been part of the online dating world for nearly five years now and gone out with dozens of men. During that time, I’ve only had real chemistry with two -- my dog-obsessed ex and, more recently, hunky and multifaceted cop Rich.

Rich and I had our second date earlier this week. Tomorrow…more details about our eventful evening.