Are you fresh out of ideas for where to go on a date? You’re in luck. We spoke to one of New York’s hottest dating Web sites which revealed where its daters go for a fun night out.
Daters on Brooklyn-based site howaboutwe.com aren’t just looking for matches, they make suggestions on where to go—and The Post tapped into its data to reveal the seven most sizzling date spots for fall.
A sample night out posted on the site? “How about we go to a book reading, then discuss our mixed feelings over mixed drinks at Soho Park?”
Some of the specific results may surprise you. Whiskey? Nope. It’s all about rum, baby. Guggenheim? Guggen-don’t. Try the Museum of the Moving Image instead.
“The dates people post really reflect the time and place in popular culture in New York,” says co-CEO Brian Schechter, 32. “There are specific patterns that begin to materialize as people gear up for the changing seasons.”Here’s what NYC daters will be doing this fall.
Fall’s hottest pairings
Pizza & pedals
New Yorkers are mixing exercise such as a biking date with the delicious carb fest that comes in a decadent New York slice.
“Roberta’s Pizza in Bushwick is the most popular in this category,”says Erin Scottberg, 27, strategist for howaboutwe.com and a user herself. “The second trending ‘pizza and a bike date’ is Artichoke Basille’s in Chelsea after a ride along the West Side path.”
One dater, Julie Gerstein, 32, tried the bike date in Brooklyn and ended up at Roberta’s Pizza in Bushwick, where the pizza prices range from $8 to $17 for a 12-inch. Gerstein, a writer and editor at the Web site Frisky, explains, “I like pizza. A lot. So I figured even if the guy sucked, the pizza would be totally worth it.”
Erin Hawkins, 23, a bookseller from Bushwick, and Mike Ponsiano, 27, a loss-prevention associate from Bed-Stuy, skipped the biking and went straight for the pizza—free at the superdive-y, super-fun East Village favorite Crocodile Lounge, where pizza is free with any drink order! “In this economy,” Ponsiano says, “it’s definitely worth it.”
BOOK A DATE
Roberta’s pizza in Bushwick (261 Moore St., Bushwick; 718-417-1118; robertaspizza.com); Artichoke Basille’s in Chelsea (114 10th Ave.; 212-792-9200; artichokepizza.com) Grimaldi’s (multiple locations; grimaldisnyc.com); Crocodile Lounge (325 E 14th St.; 212-477-7747). All open daily.
Harvest date
Pump-kin it up!
From dates involving pumpkin ale to pumpkin muffins, this is the new seduction gourd, for sure. “In September so far, one out of every eight dates in the ‘Drink’ and ‘Eat’ categories involved pumpkins,” notes howaboutwe.com’s Scottberg.
BOOK A DATE
Pumpkin pie ice cream — Chinatown Ice Cream Factory (65 Bayard St.; 212-608-4107; 757 752 8696;open daily);
pumpkin beers — DBA (41 First ave.; 212-475-5097; 113 N. Seventh St. Brooklyn; 718-218-6006; both locations open daily); pumpkin muffins and pies — Smorgasburg (Williamsburg waterfront between North Sixth and North Seventh streets at the East River; brooklynflea.com/smorgasburg; Saturdays 10am to 5pm)
Puppet play date
It’ll be ribbit-ing
Who needs snooty art? Now, it’s all about visiting Astoria to see the exhibits at the cinema-loving Museum of the Moving Image. This date accounts for 34 percent of all recent museum dates posted, and even married couples dig it.
Paul and Anna Nugent, 35-year-old actors from Jersey City, came to see “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World,” about the Muppets’ creator. It includes Henson’s early sketches and 15 finished puppets — Kermit, Miss Piggy and more!
But if all that’s not mushy enough for a date, Anna notes the classic “Muppet Movie” line: “ ‘The lovers, the dreamers and me,’ ” says Anna. “Yeah, that’s romantic.”
BOOK A DATE
Museum of the Moving Image (36-01 35th Ave., Astoria; 718-777-6888; movingimage.us; $12, free Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m.)
Sexiest drink date
Rum cocktails
Last fall, the cocktail date was all about whiskey. Gin took over in the spring, but now, rum is gunning for the lead. “ ‘How about we try one of the rum concoctions at Cienfuegos’ is becoming the hot cocktail date,” How About We’s Erin Scottberg says, referring to the East Village Cuban rum bar.
Rum led to sparks for daters Will Levatino, 33, a Village restaurant owner, and Heather Merendino, 27, a server from Bushwick.
“The fact that the bar is on the second story makes it a little removed from New York City, and you can be in the middle of Havana,” Levatino says. “The rum doesn’t hurt either.”
His smiling date agreed: “It’s classier.”
BOOK A DATE
Cienfuegos (95 Avenue A; 212-614-6818; open daily)
Last chance open-air date
Sky’s the limit
With temperatures dropping, New Yorkers are getting their last gasp of fresh air from places such as Soho Park, the Frying Pan and the rooftop exhibit at the Met. “There’s been a surge of ‘How about we go have a drink outdoors while we still can?’ ” Scottberg says. “The No. 1 date in that category is: ‘How about we have some cocktails and enjoy the “Anthony Caro on the Roof” exhibit at the Met?’ ” she says, referring to the Met’s rooftop show on display through Oct. 30.
If you’re lucky, you’ll end up like Daniel Kelly, 30, and Erica Westcott, 27. For their first How About We date last fall, they chose a walk on the High Line, because, says Kelly, “it was outdoors, casual and could easily lead to a slower stroll through the neighborhood.” And it did! “It ended up being a six-hour date, and we’ve been together ever since,” says Westcott.
BOOK A DATE
Anthony Caro at the Met (1000 Fifth Ave.; metmuseum.org); The Frying Pan (Pier 66 at West 26th Street; 212-362-4453; till mid-October); The Lot at the High Line (30th Street and 10th Avenue); Soho Park (62 Prince St.; 212-219-2129; jameshotels.com)
Date ‘nuts
You’ll get a round
“Doughnuts are becoming a ‘thing,’ ” Scottberg says. “The most popular spot by far is Doughnut Plant in Chelsea.” And you can see why, what with its trendy location at the Chelsea Hotel. The only décor accents are doughnut-related — tiles, chairs and pillows. Of course, the real draw is the tantalizing flavors such as the Valrhona chocolate ($2.75) or crème brulée ($3.25). Besides a good old glazed, Scottberg adds, “we’re also seeing specific daters suggesting more exotic flavors, such as ‘How about we try the fois gras doughnut from Do or Dine?’ or ‘How about we sample the hibiscus flower doughnut flavor at Dough?’ ”
BOOK A DATE
Doughnut Plant (220 W. 23rd St.; 212-675-9100; open daily); Do or Dine (1108 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg; 718-684-2290; closed Sundays); Dough (305 Franklin Ave., Bed-Stuy;347-533-7544; open daily)
Sports date
Time to make a pass
“Football dates are trending now — obviously,” Scottberg says. “Of all football-watching dates, 9 percent suggest watching the Giants. The Jets are more popular, with 29 percent.”
More good-to-know info: 65 percent of daters want their football served with chicken wings. One dater’s favorite, Johnny Utah’s, offers wings for $9 and draft beer for $6.
“We’ve also seen an increase in dates posted for the Saturday daytime as people are looking for a college football-watching partner,” says Scottberg. Sexy, right?
BOOK A DATE
Johnny Utah’s (25 W. 51st St.; 212-265-8824); Mulholland’s (312 Grand St., Williamsburg; 718-486-3473); T.B.D. (244 Franklin St., Greenpoint; 718-349-6727)