It only happens once a month, but the Guggenheim’s First Fridays series is not to be missed. From 9 pm to 1 am on the (duh) first Friday of the month, the museum becomes THE hotspot for the hip. The ground floor, thanks to the live DJ (always different) and reasonably priced alcohol, turns into a dance-floor-cum-meat-market that puts Marquis to shame; finish your drink and head up the spiraling seven levels to view the dual exhibits…the art on the wall and the bizarre antics and outfits of the contemporary art world set. Your date will most definitely appreciate how creative and cultured you are.
No date? No worries! Go stag or with a single friend. Don’t let the excitement on the ground level fool you — the best place to find a mate is in the exhibit proper. Trust me

(The Guggenheim is located on 5th avenue at 89th street. Go to www.guggenheim.org for more info. The next First Friday will be in May…alas, nothing for April because they’ll be installing a new exhibit)

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Sinatra famously crooned, “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere,” and while he was presumably talking about professional success, he just as easily could’ve been bemoaning the difficulties of New York dating. The 24/7 availability and market saturation that characterizes our grocery stores applies to men and women. Do I go to the deli on the corner or the one down the block? Do you smile at the guy on his laptop or the one on his Blackberry? Chat up the woman in front of you or behind you in line? Given the choices, finding a date can seem both arbitrary and overwhelming…and once you find one, then what? Where to go, what to do? Worrying about dating could consume your thoughts, but it shouldn’t. Leave the anxiety, the time-consuming searches, the dating disasters, and the endless quest for the Holy Grail of first date itineraries to the professionals…you’re job is to have fun.

Welcome to New York, New York!