Category Archives: New York

by Ella

Remember your first few dates? You spent hours prepping for the event even though it was just your parents dropping you off at the movies. You and your date barely spoke, except to joke about your English teacher or share locker room drama. The sexual tension was incredible, and you had to stop holding hands every fifteen minutes in order to wipe the sweat onto your pants. You may not miss the nerves, but especially with a shot of nostalgia, middle-school date ideas can bring playfulness to a new relationship. Remember simpler times with these potential plans, in the city and at home:

Ride the Cyclone at Coney Island Though adults are commonplace at amusement parks, the oversized stuffed animals and saccharine snacks at Coney Island automatically invoke childhood memories. Ride the rickety Cyclone and then take advantage of the adrenaline to be extra affectionate (i.e. make out on the beach). Restore your energy after with a funnel cake and some cotton candy.

Go camping in your living room After you’ve had a couple “getting to know” you dinner dates, invite your intro to your house. Raid your linen closet for all the best blankets and make sure your pantry is stocked with s’mores supplies. Part 1: Roast hot dogs (on the barbeque or in the oven, whatever you have) then make your marshmallows golden brown over the burner. Part 2: Use the blankets to build a fort, with a window for stargazing or TV-watching. Then cuddle up close, because we all know camping gets cold.

Hang out like it’s after school Get popsicles from People’s Pops’ East Village location and find an empty bench in Tompkins Square Park. If you have a stoop, that will do just as well for the main event: share your favorite music with your date, teenager-on-a-schoolbus style, one headphone each. You may no longer own a walkman or even an iPod mini, but the intimacy of listening to the latest Shins or Strokes hasn’t changed.

Explore the play space on Governor’s Island Last year, Governor’s Island hosted a colorful, alternative playground structure. When it reopens this month, it will again be home to public art installations and plenty of open space for bike-riding and strolling. The developers want it to be a place of “leisure and delight,” so expect more whimsical additions soon. Pack a picnic and reminisce on back-in-the-day soccer games with juice pouches. The best part? They’re filled with wine.

Eat with your fingers Indulge your age-old love of carbs and sauces (smeared on your face, ideally), and stop by Pommes Frites, by Saint Mark’s. Since the place is tiny, get a cone of their delicious Belgian fries to go and spread out your sauces on any nearby stoop. Then walk to JoeDough for a Stoner’s sandwich–we’re pretty sure it’ll make your grade-school self drool in delight.

By Ella Riley-Adams

The first stanza of an e e cummings poem encapsulates the feeling of the season perfectly: “sweet spring is your/time is my time is our/time for springtime is lovetime/and viva sweet love”. March means we can start crawling out from under the hibernation covers, hoping for warmer weather and carefree days. Though New York will probably still experience a few more winter storms and quite a bit of rain, we say it’s not too early to start celebrating sweet springtime. Invite your next MeetMoi intro to one of the following, and let love bloom:

Learn about the Flowers Every Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 2 p.m., the Brooklyn Botanic Garden gives a Seasonal Highlights Guided Tour. All you need to do is show up–no reservations or payment necessary. It’s too early for their official “Spring in Bloom” tour, but you’ll still see some beautiful plants and feel refreshed by the time outside. If you’re in search of color and willing to spend money on admission, go to the annual Orchid Show. Afterwards, walk over to Grumpy’s in Park Slope for a cup of coffee and inevitably delicious scone.

Walk the Highline Especially if you spent summer reading and people watching at the Highline, New York’s urban-cool park path will evoke memories of warm days. Start making this season just as special with your MeetMoi acquaintance and a Chelsea jaunt. Check out the latest billboard art and see if you can spot any bird nests. Again, if the March chill is too much, get down near Chelsea Market and get a latte at Blue Bottle on W 15th.

Sip on Fresh Cocktails The Mulberry Project’s Raspberry Rose cocktail sounds as luxurious as swimming in a pool full of Perrier. With lemon and homemade raspberry syrup, it’s got to be just as refreshing. Order two, and move into the Project’s intimate garden space to soak up some sun. You’d never guess such an enclave exists in the middle of Little Italy, but now that you know, you’re obliged to take advantage.

Find Foraged Food In his NYMag guide on “Where to Eat 2013,” Adam Platt declares, “Foraging is now an urban obsession.” Top chefs in New York are using local, seasonal plants to concoct extensive tasting menus and genre-defying plates. Platt goes on to mention several restaurants that are on the foraging frontier. Go to any one of them and you’ll likely be transported through taste to a field or forest, where you and your date can frolic in the green.

Get Wet See if last summer’s swim suit still fits and try it out at one of NYC’s indoor pools (check out Shopbop if you need a new cool option quick). Challenge your date to a breath-holding contest, see who can tread water the longest, or go for a good old-fashioned swim race. It’s always fun to get physical (out of bed) with a new date, and swimming is particularly refreshing after you’ve been bundled up all winter.

Wander the Greenmarket Meet at lunch or spend a Saturday morning in Union Square, checking out the goat cheese, fresh pasta, and berries on display at the Greenmarket. Ask your date about their connection with Mother Nature; did they ever garden as a kid? Do they know how to drive a tractor? The huge variety of produce at the Greenmarket could inspire all kinds of conversation. And who knows–you might get inspired to make a fresh dinner together later.

Viva sweet love.

by Sabrina Cohen

Dating not only requires an investment of time, but dollars as well. Even casual dating can quickly become financially hazardous. With a little creativity, however, you can learn to date cost-consciously without looking like a cheapskate. Check out this first installment of fun and subtly frugal dating ideas to try the next time you get that MeetMoi alert.

HOTEL HAPPY HOUR – Most bars offer some kind of happy hour special during the week, and meeting right after work is the perfect time to take advantage under the cover of convenience. Try upscale spots serving HH specials, like the John Dory Oyster Bar in the Ace Hotel.

CONNOISSEUR COFFEE – OK, so coffee can look like a cheap date idea, but it doesn’t have to if you avoid generic spots like Starbucks. Find an interesting cafe featuring specialty caffeinated concoctions, or other distinctive highlights worthy of conversation—cool music, artwork, an outdoor garden, or view for people watching. Milk and Roses in NYC is a perfect example.

LOADED LUNCH – Meeting someone on your lunch hour is a great way to gauge chemistry with limited time and money. Find out what kind of food your date is into and choose a spot with high ratings and low-priced lunch specials. Get a delicious bang for your buck at Tue Thai.

TAPAS TEASE – This Spanish tradition of small plates was designed to encourage conversation. Sharing also inadvertently encourages intimacy. Sampling several dishes is always more fun than one, and it’s likely to satisfy while leaving you and your date wanting just a little more. An authentic tapas bar will likely have killer drinks as well! Try sexy (and scrumptious) Sala One Nine.

What do you think about these undercover low-budget date ideas? Share some of your own below!

Sabrina Cohen is a blogger, copywriter, and creative consultant for MarketSmiths.com.

by Sabrina Cohen

The winter chill can deter even the most eager daters from venturing outside. In lieu of lonely hibernation, check out these fireplace-sporting spots to fire up the temperature AND the romance on your next MeetMoi date.

HUDSON HOTEL

This swanky midtown bar is a great place to get cozy. The LIBRARY is a grand room with a sky-high ceilings, a vintage billiards table, antique furniture, and an enormous fireplace. After a few artfully prepared cocktails, head up to the Lodge at Private Park for a hot toddy or a custom creation from the hot chocolate bar!

ART BAR

This West Village bar boasts a decidedly understated vibe. Enjoy a gingerbread martini while surveying the works of local artists on the walls. A crackling fireplace in the dimly lit living room area is the perfect place to turn on the flirt with your date.

CIBAR

This historic townhouse turned upscale martini lounge is located in the heart of Grammercy Park. The sensual lighting and expansive martini menu encourages slow and steady fireside sipping. Whether you’re in for a pre-dinner pit stop or an end of the evening nightcap, Cibar will hit the spot.

TILLMAN’s

Tillman’s has it all—soulful music, sexy ambiance, and upscale comfort food to inspire indulgence on all levels. Behind the unassuming doors awaits a modern, romantic restaurant peppered with old Harlem swagger. If you can’t catch a seat near the fireplace, the combination of live and DJ-spun jazz, underground hip hop, and R&B will surely heat things up.

Is your dating locale as frigid as the big apple? Share your thoughts below on how you warm up from the winter freeze!

Sabrina Cohen is a blogger, copywriter, and creative consultant for MarketSmiths.com.