Where to Meet Men (in NYC)

Okay, ladies:

These places are man-co-signed and approved. OR places I have gone and heard men complain there were no women, or at least no cute women. OR places I have seen myself that there were man-folk in abundance. OR places men told me that there were either too many men or lots of men when they heard I was writing this blog.

Being the opinionated men that they are, they also told me this:

* Men rarely have an off-time. You can smile and say hi at them 99.6% of the time and they are fine with it.

* Stop travelling in packs! Or if you do, break up into singles and pairs when you reach your destination. I(n my own travels, I have discovered that when I go out alone to parties and clubs, I meet more guys. Oh, and if you decide to club alone, don’t drink.)

*Stop going to woman-friendly places and complaining there are no men there. Men do not go to the salon and they are not shopping in SoHo or Montgomery Mall and Georgetown on Saturdays (if they are straight. You know, I have no idea when men shop, cause I rarely see them shopping, but they must, because I see them with clothes on.) But anyway, go to man-places to find men. And try not to look like you’re looking when you get there. That last line is very important. They can smell desperation.

Now on to the good part…

By and large when men are in groups, they go to 2 places. a) places with simple décor, strong drinks, and good food. Or b) where there are likely ladies. In New York you will find a plethora of men at:

1) the gym (hard-bodied men at that.) the crappier the gym the better (it’s like men hate decor), but you’ll find some at New York Sports Club (especially Brooklyn Heights) and definitely at Bally’s (50th Street is a meat market). There are some local, really bad cheap gyms, but the men tend to harass and disrespect there, I’m told. Stick to the chains. Oh, and skip the NYSC at 125th—it’s a known DL pick-up spot. (A gay guy told me that.)

2) BK Museum- First Saturdays, there are loads. These men are at the museum so it’s reasonable to assume they have some culture and that they read. Oh, and when I went there were virtually no women there. Weird.

3) Fashion 40- Friday, afterwork. So it’s not my favorite place, but I met up with my SO for a bday party there one night. I got there early and was SHOCKED at the number of fine, tall men in suits. It was a meat market. And again, hardly any women. Put on a pretty dress and heels and go!!!

4) Level V, Tues. Night — Men in suits!!! Lots! Most are in finance or play with numbers for a living, but they’re the cool ones, not the jerky ones. Oh, and a lot of tallies here too. Good music and men who dance. Oh, and Grae (look for the really, really tall dude in the good suit) gives massages. I’m hearing rumors of foot rubs tonight. (Yes, as in today, the 27th.) He’s a professional, so this ain’t no kinky ish.

5) Any King magazine sponsored event. The last one at the Metro Pavillion, the men outnumbered the women 2 to 1. Attractive men were standing around bored complaining that there were no women and no cute women. Cute yourself up and go! You can pick and choose.

6) Barnes & Noble, 14th st or Downtown BK. Sit in the magazine section and read. Or go over to the coffee section and sit. Men (who read) will come by. Practice your ‘smile and say hi’ and go.

7) 40/40 after work when there is a big sporting event. I personally hate this place and if you’re looking for edgy men, don’t look here. The simple décor seems to appeal to men. And there are lots of TVs, which means lots of games. The 30-35 man who doesn’t keep up with the trendiest places comes here to watch. He brings his friends- usually work buddies. See where I’m going with this? (It helps to have a relative interest in sports and understand that the most interested man is going to be distracted from you if the score is close.)

8) Clubs- but only during the week and preferably afterwork events. Now I know you are you thinking, ‘the club, D?” yes. If you are upstanding and you go there, then there must be other upstanding people—some of whom are men—who also go there. Go.

9) The Barbershop—if you have short hair, stop getting it cut at the salon. The barber is not only cheaper ($13 for a salon cut vs. $45) but there are always men- of all types- in barber shops. Always. If you have hair, stop in and ask if they razor shape eyebrows.

10) The train—especially during rush hour. If you catch him at rush hour, chances are he is headed to work. Smile. Say hi. He’ll find his way over to you if he’s interested. And if he turns out to be crazy, you can always pretend the next stop is where you get off.

Note: These places are fall friendly. The list doubles in the summer, especially August. (And why wouldn’t it. Everyone’s looking for the winter line-up.)