DATE #6: Gallery Hopping

I don't usually plug dating websites but there's this new one...yeah, they're not paying me so I won't plug them on principle - but it's based on matching people with common activity interests rather than a personality test. Basically you propose a date activity and people with a similar interest in that activity respond.

The first activity that struck me was rock climbing at a local Brooklyn gym.

My activity proposal was to go gallery hopping in Chelsea and hit up the free drinks at the openings.

Ironically, the Climber and I responded to each other's activities and thus decided to risk a meeting. Rather than the usual coffee or drinks or dinner we actually went on the proposed activity - without consulting in depth personality comparisons, responding to a million questionnaires or weeks of messaging.

We met at an art gallery opening on 25th street, said a standard "hello, nice to meet you" and then entered the gallery which housed an exhibition that animated LED lights behind photographs to make moving images - we bonded over the free wine and the thought maybe the artist would have be been better served to make a film rather than animate lights over lousy still frames...

After criticizing art in the first gallery, we decided to hit up a few more - 6 actually. So six glasses of free wine and 6 fairly terrible art exhibits. We spent most of the time wondering why a canvas with the word "Yes" marked in gold glitter was considered the centerpiece of the most crowded exhibition we saw - which was in fact all canvases covered in colored glitter. Seriously?

I have to say, we enjoyed our gallery tour immensely and continued on to dinner - where we actually talked. We went to Co. pizza joint where they have shared tables and we spent most of dinner yelling across the table about work and politics and movies and pizza... The restaurant became exceedingly crowded and thus we decided not to stay there for dessert but rather to grab an ice cream elsewhere.

We walked down to the Highline where I took off my high heels and he carried them as we talked about on-line dating and architecture. Then security came by and said the park was closed and we were trespassing. Surprisingly enough, neither of us felt like going home - our date had started early, it was barely 10:30.

It turned out my date was a member of the Soho House, a private/membership only hotel/bar/club... We had drinks on the rooftop, poolside. The waiter not only brought lousy overpriced drinks but brought cashmere blankets. We counted 1 star and the rest of the sky was clouds.

To show off, he took me down to show me the private screening room - where I've actually been before as I had a friend who worked for the club. But to boost his ego I let him show me around. We snuck into the projection booth where I explained how the film reels were loaded (to the best of my knowledge) into the projectors and he stole a kiss.

Yes, he stole a kiss and I didn't slap him.

Afterwards, I let him walk me across town to the subway, disappointing him as he pointed out his apartment building and I kept walking past. I did however let him kiss me goodnight and ask me out again but as by the time I was on the train, I was regretting it. Thinking as great a date as this all was, do I really have to see him again?