A sexy single's guide to NYC
The good news is New Yorkers love Aussies. And we do mean love (apparently it's all about our charming accents and laidback style). If you're equally enamoured with the New Yorkers, follow this can't-fail guide to meeting the hotties and avoiding the notties, for a holiday fling worth writing home about.
Fresh meat
Where:
Upper West Side frat-party bars are known for awesome happy hours, 25 cent barbecue wings and sexy co-eds on the make. What's not to love? The most consistent three venues for pick-up potential are
Brother Jimmy's,
Jake's Dilemma and
The Gin Mill. The best time to swoop is just after midnight when beer goggles have been activated.
Coordinates:
Amsterdam Avenue at 81st Street.
Who you'll meet:
Frat boys and girls, distinguished by their Columbia University sweatshirts, miniskirts (for the girls) and NY Yankees baseball caps worn backwards.
What to wear:
Dress down in jeans and preppy-cool separates. Take inspiration from Ralph Lauren and American Apparel catalogues.
Perfect pick-up line:
"I made a bet with my Aussie mates over there in the corner that I could kiss a beautiful girl/hot guy tonight. If you help me win the bet there's a tequila shot in it for you."
Getting fresh
Where:
Wholefoods supermarket is the grocery hub of choice for conscious-living New Yorkers who eschew $1 pizza slices in favour of quinoa salad, elderberry cordial and gluten-free wholewheat pasta. Open late, the ready-to-eat meals section is also popular with office workers on crazy schedules who don't have time to cook for themselves or go on dates.
Coordinates:
Locations in Tribeca, Union Square and the Bowery.
Who you'll meet:
Hippy-dippy yoga devotees and anyone else willing to pay $7 for a small bar of organic chocolate.
What to wear:
Hemp sandals and Thai fishermen's pants; carry a rolled-up yoga mat under your arm.
Perfect pick-up line:
"I hear the sheep's milk unfermented yoghurt is amazing. We have lots of sheep in Australia, ya know."
Sausage fest
Where:
Sports bars on game night are the perfect mix of testosterone, team spirit and pitchers of Bud. Whether it's basketball, football or baseball you're watching on the big screens, chances are the bar will be buzzing with cheering fans. If the game is between two New York teams — say the Jets and the Giants, two NFL superstars — expect off-the-hook atmosphere.
Coordinates:
Reliable choices are
Sidebar (Irving Place),
the Village Pourhouse (3rd Avenue) and
Firefly (Spring Street).
Who you'll meet:
Everyone! New Yorkers are sports-mad, and every bar in town gets packed out to beyond capacity on finals nights. Arrive early or risk watching the game on your iPhone at McDonald's.
What to wear:
Best to dress in non-committal colours, lest the object of your affection is rooting for the other team.
Perfect pick-up line:
"Hey, could you explain the rules of the game to me please? Aussie football looks so different to NFL. Our players don't wear girlie helmets."
Three strikes, you're in
Where:
To say
Brooklyn Bowl is "just" a bowling alley is like saying the Pyramids are "just" a landmark. Magicked up in an enormous former industrial warehouse, it attracts big-name artists to perform (hello
Jay-Z) to huge crowds. Book launches, DJ sets, quirky one-offs like the Lebowski Fest keep the kids coming back night after night. There's a bar, restaurant, big screens, leather couches ... and, oh yes, there's also a 16-lane state-of-the-art bowling alley.
Coordinates:
61 Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Who you'll meet:
Hipsters galore. Williamsburg, once a neighbourhood of mostly Hasidic Jews, has in recent years become the hipster enclave of choice. By day they frequent fair-trade coffee shops (
Variety on Graham Avenue is a fave), by night they attend live music gigs and poetry slams in abandoned warehouses.
What to wear:
Skinny black jeans, flannelette shirts (guys and girls), heavy-rimmed nerd glasses. Tattoos a must; the more the better.
Perfect pick-up line:
"I'm starting a blog about hipster culture in America as seen through the eyes of a wannabe-scenester Aussie. Can I interview you?"
Tall, dark and handsome
Where:
No need to travel to Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic to meet Latin lovers. A stretch of Lexington Avenue has become known as the Latin Quarter for its cluster of bars and dance spots; the fashionable
LQ Nightclub is at its hub.
Coordinates:
511 Lexington Avenue, between 48th and 49th streets.
Who you'll meet:
New York has a huge Hispanic community and a large percentage of them love to shake their groove thang on Saturday nights. Mingle with single and sexy Latino mamis and papis as they dance to raunchy beats in this 1400-square-metre superclub.
What to wear:
Slick threads and lots of hair gel for the guys; something tight and saucy for the ladies. Dangerous curves are a distinct advantage for women; men who can dance are ahead of the pack.
Perfect pick-up line:
"Has anyone ever told you you look a lot like JLo/Javier Bardem?"
You dig gold (cards)?
Where:
If your romantic taste runs to Wall Street whiz-kids with million-dollar bonuses, you have a challenge on your hands to meet any of them. The problem? Since most of them work 18-hour days, they rarely venture out. Except, that is, to work out. The harbourside Battery Park, at the very southern tip of Manhattan, is a stone's throw from Wall Street and a popular spot for joggers.
Coordinates:
The Battery, southern tip of Manhattan. The park affords a great view of that respectable old dame, the Statue of Liberty.
Who you'll meet:
Driven A-type Wall Street brokers and analysts pounding out their work stress on the running tracks at dawn and after work as they train for the New York Marathon.
What to wear:
Stella McCartney work-out pants and expensive blonde highlights (for the girls). The trendy new D&G sports shoes and a heart-rate monitor armband (for the guys).
Perfect pick-up line:
"Australia's economy grew by nearly 3 percent despite the GFC, thanks to a strong government stimulus package. Care to discuss inflation rates and subprime mortgages over a martini?"
