New Year’s Eve can be tedious for the newly single. Here’s some advice on how to get through it with flying colors! Set the tone for 2015 now, and you’ll be enjoying many 1FineD8s in the year ahead!
Very excited to be asked to contribute to DigitalRomanceInc.com! Check out my first article!
http://digitalromanceinc.com/mens/new-years-count-down-forwardly/
You see someone cute… do you initiate a conversation, or do you just continue admiring from afar? Dateologist Tracey Steinberg and I tackle this question on this week’s Ready… Set… DATE!
Have you been in this situation? How did you handle it and what happened? Please share your experience!
For more information on Dateologist Tracey Steinberg, please visit http://www.traceysteinberg.com!
Being single in a Winter Wonderland can be an interesting experience for us in the dating scene. With the hustle of the holiday season, most of us get caught up with attending and preparing holiday dinners, parties and other outings with friends and family. As a Dater, it’s easy to neglect our dating opportunities with “December Distractions”.
As Daters, we can’t afford to miss an opportunity for what could be an amazing HoliDate!
Turning that Winter Wonderland to a Wonderful HoliDate is actually a very simple thing to accomplish, and the week between Christmas and New Year’s is the perfect time to get into the HoliDating scene. Take my city, for example. There are so many things to do in New York, and with the backdrop of holiday decorations and excitement, the spirit of the season will provide a backdrop to 1FineD8.
Here’s a look at my top ten HoliDate ideas:
• Turn up the heat with some hot chocolate in a romantic setting. Enjoying a hot chocolate or a coffee drink makes for a warm and tasty first date! One of my faves is Knave at Le Parker Meridien Hotel. You’re the boss when it comes to the milk to chocolate ratio, making your hot chocolate a one-of-a-kind specialized creation. For more information visit http://www.parkermeridien.com/eat/knave/
• Be on the top of the world with the City at your feet! Nothing beats a rooftop bar, especially when it’s heated! Check out the specialty drinks and the view from the rooftop of the Peninsula Hotel. Great cocktails, and a view of the Fifth Avenue Snowflake that is unparalleled! For more information visit http://newyork.peninsula.com/en/fine-dining/salon-de-ning-rooftop-bar
• Shopping and Skating and Snacks…. Oh My! Put the “S” in spectacular when you have a HoliDate at the Bryant Park Bank of America Winter Village. You and your date can do some fun shopping (stores close 4 January- hurry!) and take a whirl on the skating rink. Grabbing a snack at Celsius is the cherry on the sundae of this 1FineD8! For more information visit http://www.bryantpark.org/things-to-do/wintervillage.html
• Taking in the holiday themed department store windows is picture perfect! Nothing says holiday like seeing the windows of New York department stores. I suggest meeting your date at Macy’s Broadway entrance, and from there head to Lord and Taylor. Walk uptown on Fifth Avenue, taking in all the store windows, and make a right after visiting Bergdorf Goodman. Head East, starting with Barney’s and ending with Bloomingdales. It’s great cardio, and the walk will give you plenty of time for conversation!
• Keep warm with something… chilly. You’re already on the East Side from your Window Walk, so why not enjoy a famous Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity! Of course, it’s romantic to share, but I always want my date to know the real me…. which is why ordering two is mandatory! For more information visit http://www.serendipity3.com/
• Welcome aboard the Love Boat, 2.0. A cruise around Manhattan with that special someone can be a fantastic experience. From dinner cruises to rides with Carolers, there are many options, including New Year’s Eve! Check out the website below for the perfect sailing! For more information visit http://www.sail-nyc.com/NYC-Holiday-Cruise
• Sometimes you just need a fireside hamburger! When I first moved to New York, one of my first dates as a new New Yorker was at Molly’s. This Third Avenue mainstay makes one of the best burgers in Manhattan, and the fireplace is romantic as all get-out! For more information visit http://www.mollysshebeen.com/
• All you need is Love, Actually. There are lots of holiday movies from which to choose, but nothing really hits the heartstrings like Love, Actually. Enjoying this flick with your special someone before or after Christmas can make for one romantic date, especially if you include a little couch cuddling! When cuddling, all the cool kids are going undercover with Berkshire Blankets. Give one a try! For more information visit http://www.berkshireblanket.com
• A little game playing can be a good thing. If you and your date are college football fans, you know that the fun begins on New Year’s Day. Need to find the perfect place to watch the Sugar Bowl? Try the SportChaser.com app! This new app will tell you the options available for watching your favorite games, be it college football in January or baseball in April. For more information visit http://www.sportchaser.com
• Workout dates? No Sweat! Start those New Year’s fitness resolutions with a partner in crime! 24 Hour Fitness makes getting a guest pass super easy with just one visit to their website. You can do your own thing, or take a Group Fitness class together. With three locations in Manhattan from which to choose, you can pick the perfect place for a hot date without bother. For more information visit http://24hourfitness.com
Regardless of your home base, you can easily take inspiration from these ideas and apply them to your location. Every city has hot chocolate, all towns have cool burger joints, and ice-skating is pretty universal. One thing’s for sure… if you take advantage of the fun vibe and the excitement in the air, you’re one step closer to ending 2014 with a bang-up date!
Should you spend a lot or a little on your first date? Dateologist Tracey Steinberg and I tackle this question in the video below! What are your thoughts? What is your perfect first date? Let me know!
For more information on Dateologist Tracey Steinberg, please visit http://www.traceysteinberg.com!
1985 was a fantastic year. I was a sophomore TV Communications Major at Capital University, and was already the Executive Producer of a popular weekly cable show. I was on Executive Board of my fraternity, and between being sorority sweetheart for the Deltas and my groovy Zeta pals, I never lacked for a “date” to a fraternity party (and yes, we’d go dancing at the Garage, a popular Columbus gay bar, afterwards). 1985 didn’t bring me a real boyfriend, but it did provide me with the perfect American college experience, complete with friendships I’m blessed to enjoy to this day.
1985 was a big year for Mr. and Mrs. Smith, too. They had a boy! I wonder if it ever crossed their minds while changing his diapers that there was a 20-year-old college boy out there that their baby would one day ask out on a date.
I’ve mentioned before that I have very little interest in dating men that are younger, and by younger I mean 40 and below. I’ve spoken to some friends- gay and straight- about the fact that even though my online dating profiles clearly state that I’m interested in men between 45 and death, the random twenty-somethings will still approach me. My friends’ reactions are very similar…“Do it!” “That’s hot!” and “Score!” are the top three responses. But my favorite, which came from a middle aged straight guy…“Is he a flight attendant or a nurse?”
There seems to be a consensus that dating (and I use that term very loosely) a twenty-something is something, if given an opportunity, is one not to be missed by any forty-something. Maybe it’s all about exposure to the boundless energy that comes with youth? Maybe, like my friend Coco Brown said, it’s because they don’t come with the baggage of lifetime disappointments in the love department. Or maybe it’s just an ego thing, delivering some sort of validation that a twenty-something is attracted to you.
I decided that perhaps it was time I found out. Justin was an accomplished 29 year old that I met at G, a Chelsea mainstay. He was very aggressive in wanting a date, and had a rebuttal for every excuse I gave. He was as persuasive as he was charming. It turns out that Justin is a member of a gym in Manhattan where I teach spin (Justin admitted to checking me out at the gym, which kind of scared me because I always look my personal worst in any fitness situation). I relented, and suggested that he take one of my classes and we could grab coffee afterwards. He loved the idea, and that was the plan for two days later.
The funniest thing happened during my “spin date” with Justin. As I was teaching a killer class, I looked at Justin, who incidentally knew every word to Katy Perry’s Roar and was fearless in singing along as he effortlessly rode. But the real action was in the row behind Justin, where a man in his mid-fifties was working as hard as he could, sweating to keep up with determination to do so. He was adorable. Two men before me- one was the athletic Justin, who sailed through class, and the other guy with the silver flex in his hair that was working it. I thought to myself, who’s more attractive… to me? The answer was simple, because at the end of the day nobody is going to know my favorite flavor better than me.
After class, I thanked Justin for coming, and told him that I hoped he continued to come to class. As for coffee, I politely declined, but was sure he would have absolutely no problem in finding a date. Like most twenty-somethings, Justin was beyond resilient and totally understood. He was fine with being friends.
A week later I had a conversation with the determined fifty-something man with the silver flexed hair. We’re having coffee next week.
1Gr8Lesson
I’ve given a lot of thought as to why men my age sometimes are in dating relationships with twenty-somethings. I mentioned earlier that maybe it’s an ego thing, or a control thing or perhaps as a last ditch effort of reclaiming youth.
Maybe I was wrong.
Sure, those scenarios may be the case for some May/December romances, but meeting Justin and spending some time with him made me realize that I wasn’t totally correct with my summation of reasons. Justin has a lot of great qualities, and I realize that to judge him solely on his age is doing him a disservice. He will make someone a fantastic boyfriend. The reason he won’t make a great boyfriend for me is because I didn’t feel the attraction or connection I typically feel with men my age.
For me, and maybe for you as well, it’s really as simple as ordering from a menu at Peter Luger. If your palate is asking for aged prime rib, then why order the veal?
Spending some time with my new friend Justin reminded this old dog of a not so new trick- don’t be so judgmental of those with dating tastes that differ from mine. Not all May/December couples are built on a foundation that is sketchy. Couples are built on several types of foundations, and my hope is that each includes attraction, respect and love.
Those are three necessary relationship building blocks that are required at any age.
1FineD8... confessions of an accidental single guy 