As a newly single New Yorker, I have quickly become all too familiar with the debacle that has become known as dating. Let’s be honest: most blind-dates actually make you wish you were visually impaired and the cute ones usually have numerous strikes against them in other categories. So when I was given the opportunity to try speed dating, I figured, “what the hell?†– anything to prevent me from sitting through a brutally boring dinner with a dull date ranks high on my list. Plus, since seeing The 40-Year Old Virgin, the idea of speed dating has seemed somewhat (and scarily) seductive.
The short of it is that you meet lots of dates in a short period of time (at NY Easy Dates you can have 30 dates for 3 minutes each!), screen them quickly, and decide if you want to see any of them again. The next morning you log onto your account, indicate if you’re interested in seeing any of them again, and, if there is a match, you receive each other’s email addresses. However, the best part is that you don’t have to carry on conversations for more than a few minutes and you get to avoid the awkward post-date phone call when you would rather never see the person again but don’t want to be rude (so, in my case, often end up going out on a second date when you knew three minutes into the first date that it would never work out).
Regardless of my logical assessment that speed dating was a great way to potentially meet new men, I was nevertheless a bit weirded out by meeting a bunch of strangers (and, like most women, convinced myself that bringing a friend along made it infinitely less scary and awkward). So, with my dear friend Julie in tow (also single and looking – check out her Facebook page and message her if you’re interested! – Bryce: it’s okay if TheLuxurySpot doubles as a dating site, right?), we arrived at NY Easy Date’s event at M1-5 Bar & Lounge. And let me just say I was really glad I brought a friend because the first 20 minutes or so (while you wait for everyone to arrive) were spent awkwardly spread out around a bar while 80s-themed sex music played (and Cops played on the big screen TV – but that’s fodder for a whole other story).
Once, however, we were in our places and the dates began, the evening went by surprisingly quickly and was, at the very least, very entertaining. Minus the one guy who didn’t speak a word of English other than “Dentist†– I figure he’s a dentist but, then again, I’m not even sure of that – the men were all nice and easy to talk to (well, for 3 minutes anyway) and I felt like it was the perfect amount of time to determine if I would ever want to go out again.
While I didn’t meet any keepers (what can I say, I’m damn picky), Julie was matched with two guys after the event! Plus, you get 50% off your next speed-dating event if you don’t find a match, making speed dating infinitely more appealing the second time around.
Think 3-minute dates are too short? Or want to narrow your dating pool – think: tall, Jewish, “well-endowed,†Ivy-leaguers, firefighters, other women, or even self-proclaimed nerds (hey, speed dating is here to fill any some of your fantasies), there are events for you too.
Let me know what your experiences are. (Or if you have someone to set Julie or me up with…)
