Ever since we flocked to Manhattan fresh-faced and bright eyed with our college degrees and promising resumes, we've been ready to meet sophisticated, successful guys who would make Carrie Bradshaw drool. Whoever told us that hot, single men were just hanging out on skyscrapers waiting to jump into our arms failed to point one key fact: they are hiding.
After interviewing men in all fields of work all over the city, consider this your new dating Bible. This is an evasive list of single guy hang-out spots; feast your eyes below.
1. Dorrian's Redhand (84th Street and 2nd Avenue): this all-prep, all-time favorite Upper East Side dive bar is usually filled with pastel popped collars, messy Rob Pattinson-style hairdos, and an overwhelming single, 20-something male patronage. Go on the late side for the highest hit ratio.
2. Village Tavern (Bedford and Leroy): For a less preppy crowd of young men, hit up this West Village sports bar during football/basketball season to rub shoulders with boys in dressed-down clothes and relaxed temperments. Make sure to wear something extra cute to drag all those eyes away from the large TV screens!
3. Brother Jimmy's (31st Street and Lexington Avenue): What does a dive bar with tons of greasy bbq, cheap beer, and several simultaneous football games have in common? Straight, single dudes! High heels can be a problem with the porous floorboards, but the odds are good that Prince Charming will catch you if you fall.
4. Spotted Pig (W 11th Street and Greenwich Street): We personally know at least two couples that have met and found bliss at this intimate gastropub. Go after 10pm for the right mood lighting, good wine and a much more favorable ratio of men getting their late-night groove on post client dinners, benefits, and weddings.
5. PennTop Bar at the Peninsula Hotel (5th Avenue and 55th Street): If summer Hampton houses and a penchant for Van Cleef is your top priority, you'll find your man loosening his Hermes tie and drinking away his recession troubles at this 360-degree rooftop bar brimming with bankers, hedge funders, and private equity gurus. The right look across the bar is sure to send flutes of champagne your way.
6. Session 73 (1st Avenue and 73rd Street): Live bands, tons of space, guest bartenders, and lots of dark nooks to make out in is just a few reasons young men flock to this speakeasy bar in the Upper East Side. Check out when the local business schools are hosting parties or local bands are covering to meet Mr. Right or Mr. Right Now.
7. White Horse Tavern (Hudson Street and W 11th Street): This dimly lit Greenwich Village tavern may have its roots in broody writers and sulky poets, but the crowd these days is definitely more upbeat. Young men looking for some cheap drinks and a good time gather here for happy hour and you can bet someone will ask you to stay for dinner!
8. BLT Steak (57th Street and Park Avenue): This small steakhouse gets crammed around dinner time with bespoke suits, Black Amex cards, and men who already have professionally decorated apartments somewhere on 57th Street. You cant go two seconds without bumping shoulders with JFK Jr. look-alikes; as if you need more reasons to swing by.
9. PJ Clarke's (3rd Avenue and 55th Street): This classic all-American burger joint boasts a long bar that is usually packed with men of all ages. Chances are that a group of cuties, in desire of one of the city's most coveted hamburgers, will have their mouths watering for you instead.
10. Charity Benefits and Galas (charitybenefits.com): If dive bars and competing for face time with Tony Romo and Tim Tebow isn't your thing; keep cash aside for the following charity galas and benefits during society circuit: Operation Smile Gala, The Doe Fund Party, Whitney Art Party, MoMa Garden Party and the Central Park Zoo Party. Picking up a man at a benefit means he cares about less fortunate souls, he can afford the tickets, and he owns a tuxedo. That's already three things you don't have to worry about!
