Dating Events in New York

So this week, I’ve been dating on the other side of the Atlantic!

Ok, ok … so I haven’t actually been dating.  And yes, The Rugby Boy is fully aware of what I’ve been getting up to Stateside!  But I’ve been learning first-hand about the New York dating scene, by heading to a selection of singles events around the city than never sleeps.

And it’s certainly been an interesting week!

New York Minute Dating

I have to admit, I tried to avoid Irish Bars on St Patrick’s Day, but the day afterwards, I was in a super quiet irish pub in the business district, for a spot of speed dating.  It proved an interesting evening.  I told everyone I ‘dated’ that I was over in America for work, and most of the guys were quite sweet and happy to chat about their experiences of dating in the big apple.  One guy, however, accused me of recording out conversation, and asked me repeatedly if I was taping him!  He then forced me to  explain all my tattoos, whilst frowning at me disdainfully for having them.  A true catch!!

So what did I think of speed dating in New York? Unfortunately much the same as speed dating in London.  New York Minute Dating were great – very organised, the compere was friendly and approachable, and quite funny during the evening – but the crowd at the event was just too mixed.  We all had little in common, and despite the ‘professional’ tag to the event, and the location, there were very few guys I would describe as being in real professional jobs.  One guy openly admitted to coming regularly because it’s the only time he talks to women, and there was a really limited crowd – just 7 girls and 7 guys, and I got the impression a number of the men were regulars who had been asked late, to balance numbers.

And That’s Why You’re Single

First off, what an awful name for a company!! Apparently it’s tongue in cheek, and started as an ironic dating blog, but when you’re looking for a singles event, it’s the last thing you want to hear!  Apparently this is one of the most successful singles events companies in New York, but I found the site very tacky looking and 1990s.

I signed up to the company’s Friday night event at Hudson Terrace – a singles event which ATWYS promises creates to ‘most hook ups’ of any of its events … hmm …

The party began at 6pm, early in any city, but especially New York, and I was surprised to find Hudson Terrace was more of a nightclub than a bar.  Inside, I did spot a rather amusing difference between London and New York.  In London we rarely have snow, and so as a girl working in London and going out after work, I rarely have to change my footwear.  However here it snowed last Friday night, which meant almost every woman there changed from thick snow boots into dainty heels as she arrived in the lobby of the nightclub!

Here’s the sad part though – the nightclub charged $4 per item at the cloakroom – which meant people with snowballs, coats, umbrellas and bags were being charged up to $20 before they’d even entered the room … and that was on top of the $20+ entry.

Inside the club, it was much like a night club night – just with far brighter lights, and catering which reminded me of a 60th birthday party.  There were apparently drinks offers, but not on what I ordered – a glass of Prosecco cost me $20 including a tip (more than I paid this week at a Broadway theatre!).

The room was busy, it’s clear the events get traffic, though I wouldn’t necessarily call it a ‘success’.  The event was very female-heavy, with a lot of uncomfortable guys sitting alone in corners, playing awkwardly with their phones.  Entertainment was skewed towards the ladies, with free nail stickers available, and the ‘ice breaker’ was a little weak.  I’d assumed from the description online that there might be some group interaction at the start of the night, however, on arrival, the number of people and set up of the room wouldn’t have allowed that.  Instead we were each given a small slip of paper with a chat up line. If you found someone else with the same chat up line, you could claim a drink at the bar.  Nice idea, but in practice I only really saw groups of girls asking one another.

7-in-Heaven

I have to admit … the cheeky Brit in me saw this event and jumped at the idea of going.  America has a real reputation for guns in the UK, because we can’t legally carry them around with us, and so when I saw 7-in-Heaven were running a singles gun shooting event, I thought it would be hilarious to go along.  Provided I didn’t get shot, when the other attendees realised I was a non-single blogger!

In all honesty, this was the closest singles event I could find to the successful ones in the UK – an activity, as opposed to forced communication, or simply getting a load of singles together in a room!  Yes, the shared interest might be a bit extreme to us Brits, but at least it was a shared interest, and you could learn a skill, regardless of whether you fancied anyone at the event.

I went to sign up, and then realised that my search for ‘New York’ singles events had picked up New York STATE, not just New York city … the event in question was over a 90 minute drive away in Uniondale.  Much as I love the world of dating, that seemed a long way to go for a singles event, when I don’t like in the States, and am no longer single!

So unfortunately I didn’t get to see 7-in-Heaven in action … but it did make me chuckle thinking I might spend my Sunday at a singles event where they were shooting guns … and followed by a Blow Job Masterclass!

I did make it to the masterclass … but I’ll fill you in on that in another blog post 🙂

 

Dating Events in New York

For a city with so many singles, I was definitely disappointed with the events I saw.  New York Minute Dating had done everything they could – the location made sense, the bar had booths perfect for speed dating, and the compere was fun, but the unfortunate reality of a successful event is the calibre of singletons.  Meanwhile And Thats Why You’re Single seemed to mock single life before it even started, and then was just a complete rip off!  Yes, they had lots of people, but again the singles were really mis-matched, and the numbers weren’t evenly balanced.  It all seemed like one big money making scheme – I heard several singles complaining that the cash machine charged $5 a time for cash withdrawals – yet another expensive aspect of a rather awkward, and unglamorous evening.

I hate to say it … but London really does do better singles events … and that’s saying something!

Miss Twenty-Nine xxx