http://howaboutwe.tumblr.com/

"The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears..."

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 09:23:15 -0400

“The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or humiliated.”

- This letter from poet Ted Hughes to his 24-year-old son, written 23 years after Sylvia Plath took her own life, is the most moving thing you’ll read today, this week, and possibly this year. (via explore-blog)

explore-blog: Susan Sontag on love

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:51:05 -0400

explore-blog:

Susan Sontag on love

Sign of the times

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:38:55 -0400

stateofdate:

aversecontrol:

A friend instagrammed a pic of me. Her boyfriend’s best friend saw it and called to tell her “I have to meet that girl” Is this modern romance? Maybe it would have been more modern if he texted or commented “I have to meet that girl” so I guess it’s still old fashioned.

#romance

stateofdate: #sailing!

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:34:27 -0400

stateofdate:

#sailing!

How We Met on HowAboutWe: Erica & Dan So, tell us how it...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 18:46:00 -0400

Awesome t-shirts, guys!

Their new pup

They really do like one another, promise

First anniversary in Turks & Caicos

How We Met on HowAboutWe: Erica & Dan

So, tell us how it happened:
In the summer of 2010 I [Erica] read about the new site “HowAboutWe” in Time Out New York. I had never tried online dating before, but decided to give it a shot. After a few weeks of perusing dates, one in particular caught my eye: “How about we… walk the High Line.” It was something I’d been meaning to do for months, so I clicked on the profile. He looked cute, smart, and — best of all — he mentioned The West Wing, which is by far my favorite show. “Hell yeah, I’m going on a date with this guy,” I thought. READ MORE

What were you thinking the first time you saw her? Adam: "Oh no, she’s too beautiful for me."

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 17:54:00 -0400

What were you thinking the first time you saw her? Adam: "Oh no, she’s too beautiful for me.":

…from Adam & Carmen’s “How We Met on HowAboutWe” story

What’s the best dating advice you give to your friends?

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:25:00 -0400

Cameron: Don’t date anyone who doesn’t get your sense of humor.
Delaney: Date a lot, and don’t settle until you are 100% sure.

How We Met on HowAboutWe: Delaney and Cameron

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:15:00 -0400

“How about we… go enjoy a glass of wine at Inoteca.”

Tell us what your frist date was like:
We met at Inoteca on the Lower East Side for a glass of wine. Then, we went for a walk and decided to head to The Magician for a nightcap. After a great evening, we walked each other to the train, kissed goodnight and went home to mull over (in our respective apartments) what a fantastic date we’d just had.

What happened after the first date?
We saw each other most weekends after we met and continued dating. Shortly after, Cameron was accepted to graduate school at the University of Texas in Austin. We both knew we had a good thing going and didn’t want to lose it, so, when Delaney came to perform and visit during SXSW, we decided to give it an honest go together in the same city. Delaney went to LA for a month to make an album, and then we moved in together in Austin!

What did you like about one another’s profile?
Cameron: “Her profile photo in front of the the Delancey Street subway sign.”
Delaney: “His answer to the “One thing his mom would want me to know about him” question: He is very supportive.”

What was the first thing you thought about the other?
C: “I thought she was en fuego!
D: I was surprised. He was much cuter in person.

What was your favorite part of your first date?
C: “Making out.”
D: “Making out.”

After that first date, what were you excited to tell your friends?
C: “That I didn’t take [one of my friend’s] advice to be more assertive. I was myself and she seemed to have a great time. “
D: “That I finally met a guy that looks like Elliot from ET! (My childhood crush)”

When did you realize that you wanted to go on a second date?
C: “She laughed at my jokes and didn’t take me too seriously.”
D: “When he put my coat on for me. He was such a gentleman.”

Now that you’re a couple, what’s your go-to date?
Cocktails and stand-up comedy. There is no shortage of live comedy in Austin.

What’s the best dating advice you give to your friends?
C: “Don’t date anyone that is ungrateful or doesn’t get your sense of humor.”
D: “Date a lot, and don’t settle until you are 100% sure.”

ABC News Now anchors Rob Nelson and Diana Perez act out a first...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:01:00 -0400

ABC News Now anchors Rob Nelson and Diana Perez act out a first date gone terribly wrong, based on our 10 Worst First Date No-Nos infographic.

Photo

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:32:00 -0400

"I’d later find out that was just an excuse to see me again. The following morning, we strolled..."

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:21:00 -0400

“I’d later find out that was just an excuse to see me again. The following morning, we strolled around Brooklyn and had brunch. We’ve been eating our way across the city ever since!”

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How We Met on HowAboutWe: Carmen and Adam

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:20:00 -0400

“How about we… go to a Yankees game?

Tell us about your first date:
Well, initially I [Carmen] posted “How about we… run  through  sprinklers.” Adam responded, “I’m not  sure  about  sprinklers,  but  I  do  have  Yankee  tickets on April 13th.”

That’s  all  I needed  to  hear.  After  three  years  in  New  York,  trying  to  make  a  name  for  myself,  joining  every  dating  site  and  convincing  myself  on  a  daily  basis  that  “this  will  work,”  I  had  yet  to  make  it  to  a game  in  the  home  of  baseball. Here  was  my  chance.

But we couldn’t wait for the game. We actually had our first real date four days earlier, on April 9th. It was a week before the game, we had been talking so much on the phone that I thought, “I have to meet this guy ASAP, he can’t be this great in person.”

So I asked him out on a pre-date date, and he said yes.

We met and walked together to a bar in lower Manhattan. We sat down for dinner at 8 p.m. and stayed there until 3 a.m. After talking for seven hours without a single awkward silence I thought: “Wow. Just, wow.”

What grabbed your attention about one another’s profile?
Carmen: “The Yankee season tickets.”
Adam: “Her quirky date ideas and profile photos.”

And when you saw one another in person for the first time, what was your initial reaction?
Carmen: “He’s so tall!”
Adam: “Oh no, she’s too beautiful for me.”

How about your favorite part of the date?
Both: “How seven hours just flew by.”

Now that you’re a couple, what’s your go-to date (besides Yankees games, of course)?

Eataly — we are obsessed!

What’s been your most memorable couple experience thus far?
On July 4th, 2011, on Eataly’s rooftop, I told him I loved him, and he told me he loved me too. I moved into his place the same day.

When your friends ask for your best dating advice, what do you tell them?
Carmen: Give most guys a chance, at least a small one.

"Dan actually went on the same date with three different girls (myself included)! With the other two,..."

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:12:00 -0400

“Dan actually went on the same date with three different girls (myself included)! With the other two, by the time he walked to the end of the park and back, it was clear there wasn’t a spark. Luckily, I made it to round two: dinner!”

- How We Met on HowAboutWe: Erica & Dan

How We Met on HowAboutWe: Tom & Alyssa

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 16:36:00 -0400

“How about we… check out the Socrates Sculpture Garden?”

What was your first date?
Alyssa: We went to the Socrates Sculpture Garden in Astoria on a Monday. Both off for Columbus Day, we met near a subway stop headed to Parisi Brothers Bakery for scones. It was a beautiful October morning. We spent the walk to the park talking about balkan music, kidney harvesting, and ducks. Tom proved reigning champ of our long jump contest, but we drew a tie during a game of The Floor is Lava. Tom was okay with the fact that I talked to ducks, and we had our next date set up by Tuesday. Seven months later, and we’re still having so much fun.

What were your first impressions?
Tom: “Oh, she’s goofy.”
Alyssa: “He’s a-dork-able.”

What happened after the first date?
Date number two probably sealed the deal. We went to a film festival in Long Island City where we saw the most awful movie ever made. It could have been the most awkward date of all time, but we were having too much fun stifling guffaws and whispered mockery. The movie was so bad, of course, that alcohol was next on the agenda. We stumbled into a wine bar where a boisterous Planned Parenthood rally was taking place. We polished off a bottle of wine, stole hors d’ouvres, and tried to ignore the hundreds of free condoms scattered all over the bar for the event. Neither of us ran away that day, and we continued talking until the bar closed.

What’s your favorite “couple-thing” to do together?
We have a blast cooking together, especially making fancy-ass brunches. Rarely do two cooking styles come together this well. Our favorite cooking challenges involve a hotel kitchen, a nearly empty fridge, blunt knives, non-non-stick pans, and questionably calibrated electric stoves. Carrot-celery-kale-onion-dip omelette, anyone?

How We Met on HowAboutWe: Amanda & Mike

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 12:56:00 -0400

“How about we… go to Smorgasburg and eat everything!”

Why’d you post this date?
I’m a major foodie and have always loved the atmosphere at Smorgasburg, which is an open-air market in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with more than 50 food vendors. Besides being a great place to try tons of amazing food, I thought the uniqueness of the venue would also give us something to talk about. Besides, I would never want to date someone who didn’t love food as much as I do, so it was the perfect litmus test. As luck would have it, Mike responded, because he too is a fan of delectable fare (oh, and he thought I was cute, too).

After stuffing our faces, we headed to a local tea house to continue our date. Over piping hot mugs, Mike mentioned that he was thinking about rock climbing the next day, but was having second thoughts because of the terrible weather forecast. I’d later find out that was just an excuse to see me again. The following morning, we strolled around Brooklyn and had brunch. We’ve been eating our way across the city ever since!

Had either of you tried online dating before HowAboutWe?
I tried OKCupid, but quit after a couple of weeks without going on a single decent date. I was attracted not only to the no BS nature of HowAboutWe, but also to its simple, easy design. Working at a digital agency has made me quite picky about how a website should look, and I must admit, HowAboutWe has it! Mike also briefly tried OKCupid, but heard about HowAboutWe from a friend and found that it worked better for him.

Have any favorite couple stories you want to share?
About a month after we met, I had an early flight to my hometown for the weekend, and it was going to be the longest time we’d spend apart. When I got to the airport, I discovered — to my dismay and delight — that my flight was cancelled because of mechanical problems. Although disappointed I wasn’t going to make it home, I was so excited to spend the weekend with Mike that I cabbed it back to his place as quickly as possible. We slept until the afternoon, only to wake up to snow in October. Snowed in, we spent the rest of the day watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, cooking breakfast, ordering pizza and making dumplings. It was one of the most unexpectedly lovely weekends we’ve ever had.

Photo

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 17:50:00 -0400

This map shows the cities with the highest and lowest...

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:18:00 -0400

This map shows the cities with the highest and lowest percentages of self-identified drinking levels, based on how people answer the “How much do you drink?” profile question.

We’ve analyzed how HowAboutWe members answer the question, “For...

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 18:24:00 -0400

We’ve analyzed how HowAboutWe members answer the question, “For me, a first date no-no is…” to understand the most common dating deal-breakers.

The top 10 most popular neighborhoods for first dates as...

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 18:06:00 -0400

The top 10 most popular neighborhoods for first dates as determined by the number of dates posted in each.

How We Met on HowAboutWe: Erica & Dan

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:56:00 -0400

“How about we… walk the High Line”

Dan and I exchanged messages, but we were both in the thick of summer traveling, so we had to wait three weeks until we could go on our date. When we finally walked the High Line, we really hit it off, to the point that we just had to continue the date. Dan said, “I’d love to grab dinner and continue talking. So, we have two options: A) I made a list of restaurants in the area that I thought would be good or B) we could just wander around until we find a place. And I’m really hoping you pick B because I didn’t do A.”After finding a small Mexican restaurant, we had a great dinner (in which we discussed The West Wing at length). Afterward, we walked over to one of my favorite neighborhood bars. He walked me home at the end of the evening. When I got home, my roommate promptly smiled slyly at me, saying: “Heeeeey six-hour date…”

What happened after the first date?
We actually had a fairly traumatic second date. We decided to see Saturday Night Fever during the Central Park Conservancy Film Festival. We both thought it would be a fun, light-hearted film — you know, like Grease but set in the 70′s. Anybody who has seen this movie knows that this couldn’t have been further from the truth. After an awkward two hours filled with scenes of rape, poverty and suicide, we went in search of cold beers to help raise our spirits. Hey, if we could survive that, we could survive anything!

Months later, Dan and I had been dating exclusively for months, but neither of us officially started calling the other one our boyfriend or girlfriend. After returning from a trip where I talked about him non-stop, I finally just turned to him and said “Sooooo….I feel like you’re my boyfriend. Your thoughts?” Luckily, he agreed.

That’s certainly held true — we just moved in and are excited for many more years together. (PS: That image on the right is the happy couple celebrating their one-year anniversary in Turks and Caicos.)

What’s been your most memorable couple experience thus far?
Dan had been thinking of getting a puppy for a long time, so the day before our six-month anniversary we took the plunge. We saw a puppy on the PawSafe website and we both fell in love with her. Running late that morning, we were both so worried that somebody had already picked her up, but when we walked in and both saw her, we knew it was all over. There was no turning back. She is curled up on the couch next to us as we write this.

Anything else you want to share? Spill it! We love hearing your stories:
Here’s something hilarious, which Dan failed to mention for months!

Because “How about we…walk the High Line” is such a popular date idea, Dan actually went on the same date with three different girls (myself included)! With the other two, by the time he walked to the end of the park and back, it was clear there wasn’t a spark. Luckily, I made it to round two: dinner!

Upon telling this to two of my girlfriends (both researchers), they replied, ”That’s an amazing experiment! You control all the factors and the only thing that’s different is the girl you’re on the date with!” So in the end, our relationship is little more than a dependent variable.

Well that’s the cutest science experiment ever. Have you meet someone special on HowAboutWe? Tell us your story at wefoundlove@howaboutwe.com.