It's A Concrete Jungle Out There - A Dating Adventure In The New York Metro Area

So last night I went out on a date with a girl who works with a friend of mine. It was all very last minute and per usual my bright ideas always bite off more than I expect.

It's A Jungle Out There

It really is a jungle out there in the dating world. In this instance it was a concrete jungle!

Let me elaborate....

I'm visiting NY (where I grew up) and a good friend of mine works with a girl who I have seen occasionally comment on his facebook posts. Some of what she said was on the same wavelength with my comments so it caught my attention. I also happened to think she was rather pretty, so I told my buddy I wanted to meet her and he put the wheels in motion.

Communication Breakdown

I reached out to her last Sunday, we texted a handful of times and the plan was to jump on the phone to chat for a few, but this ended up taking all week. A plan to talk on Wednesday turned into Thursday then turned into Friday.

I won't get into all the details, but we finally got on the phone last night. After chatting for a few I decided I wanted to see if she'd go on a date with me. With the next week being pretty slammed for us both we decided to go out that night.

The Long Journey to the Jungle

Since she was just getting home from work I decided I would be a gentlemen and told her I'd come to her in Queens, NY. (I'm staying out on Long Island during my visit). She's in Astoria, which I totally forgot is in like the furthest point in Queens from me. It's a stones throw from Manhattan.

So, quickly I realized I just committed to a one hour haul, which is cool. I'll get it done. However, what is not cool is the part I really forgot about and DO NOT MISS about the New York Metro area.

Parking!

I arrived in Astoria at 9:30pm. After circling the streets I finally found a parking spot at 10:15pm! Forty-five minutes of driving in circles to find a parking spot. No idea how people live like that. Best part is the spot I found was a good 15 minute walk from the location we were meeting. Again, now that I don't live in NY, I can't go back to that.

Let the Date Commence!

So now I'm in her neck of the woods, we meet at a Peruvian restaurant because apparently it was National Peruvian independence day (no, she is not peruvian).

It was a cool little spot, we grabbed a high top table against the wall near the bar.

New York Sticker Shock!

After opening the menu I quickly remembered that I was about to spend New York city prices. I'm aware of them, it has just been so long that I forgot. Just like the drive and parking, I had bit of more than I anticipated with dinner as well!

We had a couple of classic Peruvian dishes and a couple drinks. Conversation was good, but also a bit odd at times.

The most interesting part is that even though I have a NY accent, I can also hear the accent now too. It has been a while since I talked to a girl with a legit NY accent, it was interesting and cute at the same time. The accent really does make us sound like angry people...lol.

Dinner Ends

We continued to chat over dinner, we had a lot of random crap in common, from our childhood experiences to the college we went too.

There were moments when I felt like she was engaged in what I was saying and others where the look on her face read "shut the hell up so I can talk." Some stories she told me definitely showed she can hold a grudge, which I teasingly called her out on. (Yes, we NYers keep it real and she admitted she likes keeping it real)

Anyway, the check came and we continued to BS for a bit. Now I fully intend to pay, but I always appreciate when I girl at least offers to pitch in or at least gives the fake reach for her purse like she will chip in. Call me crazy, but that is just me.

Off To The Bar for a Drink

As we leave the restaurant I hold the door open for her. I did not get a thank you for that or for dinner. Ok, not a big deal many people say thank you at the end of the night.

We hit a bar called the shady lady, found that name to be amusing. It was a chill contemporary spot. We sat at the bar for a drink, started chatting about music a bit and realized we are both hip-hop heads and don't care much for EDM music.

Shortly after we got engaged in conversation with our bartender and neighboring bar squatters. Somehow it turned into a FL hate-fest. Which I had to have fun with, because none of this people have ever lived in FL, just visited.

I responded to everyone by showing them this meme:

To which me and the bartender started chatting "hate, hate, hate" - it was good for a laugh..lol.

Night Winding Down

The conversation was the same throughout the night, engaging at moments and other times seemed like she didn't even want to be there.

Now, my buddy did tell me she was a cool chick, but had a "Quirky Personality" and was hard to read, so I was like OK not gonna sweat it.

We get the check from the bartender and he drops it right in between us. Again, I fully plan on paying but I see her reach for her purse. Ok, maybe she's gonna try and pick up the couple drinks we have. Nope - going for her phone.

So I pay the tab, we head out and once again I hold the door for her. No thank you for that or for picking up the check. (yes, clearly it''s a pet peeve of mine).

The Long Walk Home

So I walked her back to her place, which was three blocks the opposite direction of my car. But hey, I was trying to be old school gentlemen me, especially since she works with my friend.

We chat along the way. She kind of bitches about the random chick at the bar that was talking to us that wanted to be friends with her..lol. She had no interest in that and I don't blame her, that lady was nuts!

It was 3am at that point. The night clearly couldn't have been a disaster because the time flew by and we were out for nearly 5 hours at that point!

When we arrived at her building, we spoke for a few more minutes. I was getting zero vibe that I should try and kiss her. Like I said the night swung back and forth from it seeming like she didn't want to be there to it looking like she was in too me.

We were on a down swing on that moment so I said "glad we were able to do this" as I moved in to give her a hung kiss on the cheek and planned to follow with asking for another date. But, she said "it was nice to meet you" as we quickly hugged and then turned and was in the door.

So yeah, still did not get a thank you for the night after a night full of missed thank yous. And based on the exit, I would guess that she isn't in too me, but with this girl who knows....lol.

Then I realized.....

Crap, I still have a one hour drive home!

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Regards,
Mitchell J
Thanks for the pic pixabay