New City: New Man Part 2

It's been months since my original "New City: New Man" post was published, and I am sure each of you has been biting your fingernails in recent months wondering, "Did Emily ever find someone?" "Has she abandoned hope completely and adopted a litter of kittens?" "What is happening!?!?" Don't fret, my readers, I'm here with an update.

I joined the dating app "Hinge" last fall at the encouragement of friends and a desire to meet someone before prime snuggling season (AKA winter) set in. The app promises "a modern twist on the classic way to meet," which basically boils down to an app that introduces you to friends of friends via Facebook. It seemed safer and more likely to work than meeting complete strangers, and it provided more information about potential matches than some of the other dating apps. It also claimed to be intended to match people for dating rather than for hookups. That was a plus for me.

So I set up the app and started combing through my daily batch of 15 guys each day. If I click the little heart and so does he, then we match and can start a conversation. The start of a modern day romance. As the days marched on, my small pile of matches grew. I was surprised how many matches never started a conversation. I may be a modern enough woman to be on a dating app in New York City, but I'm not modern enough to initiate the conversation. That's hipster nonsense ;) Of the conversations that did start, the first guy quickly and unabashedly let his aim for sex and only that be known. Delete and move on. Other conversations fizzled quickly.

Celebrating the amazing Farley!

Then I went to Atlanta, Georgia to celebrate my sister Farley's 25th birthday. What fun we had!! She had friends flock to the ATL from all over the country! Francesca from Memphis, Kaitlyn from Maryland, and me from New York, to name a few. During the pregame, my phone was charging in the guest room as I was preparing for a late night on the town. I slipped into the room to check for texts at one point and then let out a squeal that was possibly more porcine than human. Francesca came running. I had a message from a cute guy on Hinge! A group of at least three girls helped me craft a response to his first message. He started with "Hey! Whats up?" and I'm sure I responded with something equally creative. Throughout the evening our conversation turned to SEC football and other topics. All along, I'm proofing everything I say through my team of dating experts. At some point, the birthday girl was fired from this team. I believe the conversation went something like this, "Was there even texting when you and Ed were dating? I think you've been married too long to help craft responses!" Luckily she took my playful ribbing in good spirit!

After a wonderful weekend together, I was back on a plane and back to real life in New York City. You might be thinking that I met up with my match immediately upon returning to the City, but you would be wrong. As soon as I hit the ground in New York, I was inundated with heaps of work in advance of Carnegie Hall's Opening Night Gala. The week of my return I was working at least twelve hours a day, which made for difficult conversation flow. He'd text me at 6am when he woke up. I'd respond at 9am when I woke up. Four hours later he'd reply during his lunch. I would reply five and half hours later while eating dinner at my desk. He'd send me a text a bit later when he was off from work and I'd send my final text around 12am when I got home, but after he was asleep. Moral of the story - it was hard to get a real conversation going. As luck would have it, he didn't give up on me. I assured him that I was just working all the time and was not playing games.

"Does this top say relationship material?"

The following Monday we had plans to get after work drinks. My roommates weren't home so I had to get dressed by myself. The horror!! Thank goodness for iPhones and cross-country outfit advice. I walked into the incredibly crowded bar on 18th and Irving and looked around for my date. Our eyes met across the room and after a quick hello and greeting hug, we quickly agreed to blow that popsicle stand. We headed down the block to the Ainsworth Park. The bar there was also packed, but we snagged a table for two among the outdoor tables, and our first date began.

Perhaps I should back up a bit. Who is this mystery man? you ask. His name is Greg Gianis. We were connected on Hinge via Margot Gianis. She was a senior at Trinity when I was a freshman, and she was good people. I figured anyone who shared a last name (and presumably DNA) with her had to be good people too. Not to toot my own horn, but I was right. It's hard to sum someone up in a sentence or two, but here's the quick introduction: He's a 6'4" New Jersey native currently living in Manhattan and working in finance. He's an avid sports enthusiast ("Roll Tide", as he would say); he loves golf; and enjoys a good steak.

Greg and me before the Taylor Swift concert

Our first date lasted three drinks and more than that many hours. We never ran out of things to say, and he held my hand and walked me home that first night. We said goodnight on the front steps of my apartment, and he didn't try any funny business! On our second date I found out he is Presbyterian, and the rest is history.