As I continue to navigate the roller coaster that is dating in New York, I find myself more thankful than ever for the constant of wonderful friends. This week, I enjoyed some quality catch up time with two of my greatest galpals.

Monday, I headed down to the East Village to meet up with my friend Lisa for a screening of Miss Dial, a romantic comedy starring and produced by Robinne Lee, a former colleague of hers. The charming, independent movie boasts a fantastic cast with Sara Rue, Dule Hill, Gabrielle Union and Jon Huertas of my favorite TV show, ABC’s Castle all making appearances.

Miss Dial: a romantic comedy worth watching

Miss Dial takes you through a day in the life of Erica, a consumer affairs rep who works from home and fields random questions about everything from microwave popcorn to dog food. Frustrated by her scripted conversations and seeking some real connecting, Erica starts randomly calling strangers – one of whom ends up being a hunky EMT she immediately clicks with. You can guess the ending, of course, but Miss Dialed’s charm lies in how the movie gets there and its believable, funny characters. Definitely worth seeing and available now on video.

Friday, BrainyPintsizer and I experienced our latest five-star foodie adventure – after a slight change of plans. I had bought us a Groupon for what I thought was iconic bistro Chez Josephine in Midtown. Just before we met up, I realized it was actually, ahem, Chez Jacqueline all the way downtown and there weren’t taking reservations before 9pm.

So, with French food on our mind, we opted for Plan B, Saju in Times Square. This charming bistro offers Parisian charm and solicitous service with a smooth soundtrack in the background (Barry White, The Temptations, etc).

Escargot at Saju: Magnifique!

Both of us oohed and ahhed while enjoying the escargot, cooked to perfection in garlic, butter and olive oil. After our entrees (French onion soup for BP, chicken paillard salad for moi), we shared a sublime crème brulee. Along the way, we shared some laughs about travel misadventures, inappropriate confessions on disastrous dates and upcoming vacation plans.

The perfect end to our already delightful evening? Drinks next door at The Lambs Club, which blends modern touches (like Empire State Building light fixtures) with old school ambiance.

Lambs Club Bartender Jacques took good care of us

Handsome bartender Jacques of Cameroon whipped up a pair of heavenly cocktails as BP and I began contemplating our next night on the town. I can’t wait.

(photo courtesy: howstuffworks.com)

As the first quarter of 2013 races to a close, I’m happy to have stuck to one of my New Year’s resolutions – speed dating more often. With other, more time intensive resolutions being a work in a progress, this one is proving to be a lot of fun. And a reminder of how important it is to inject some fun in to the dating process.

Readers of this blog know I’ve been a big fan of speed dating for years now. And I’ve also found time and again that it’s the number one thing singles tell me they want to try but haven’t. Interestingly many of these same people have done online dating. I guess it’s less daunting to flirt via cyberspace than to face the prospect of a dozen or so mini dates with complete strangers. In my experience, though, the payoff is much, much greater when you get back to basics and interact with fellow singles in person.

There are so many advantages to speed dating. First, of course, is the obvious – meeting a lot of people in a short space of time. Second, it gives you the opportunity to practice your flirting skills and elevator pitch about yourself, always a good thing in the competitive dating jungle that is New York. Perhaps the most important thing, though, is it levels the playing field.

As a thirtysomething single woman, it’s very easy to think you’ve got the market covered on feeling frustrated with what it takes to make a meaningful romantic connection. A quick chat with just about any guy you meet speed dating reveals that’s most definitely not the case.

Even though, statistically speaking, the odds are more in their favor, single guys go through their ups and downs just like we do. And I can’t help thinking that discovering such common ground helps break down the walls that often divide us in this great city where playing it cool is practically an Olympic sport.

So if you’ve been on the fence about trying speed dating, now’s the time to jump off and give it a try.

Saturday, I spent the day with my dear London-based friend of nearly twenty years, Steve.

Our fantastic afternoon began at my day job, The Westin New York Grand Central. After giving Steve a brief tour, we settled into the cozy lounge and dining area of THE LCL: Bar & Kitchen.

THE LCL: Bar & Kitchen's cozy dining area

While indulging in mimosas and hot chocolate — an odd combination that managed to go perfectly together — we caught up on all that’s happened since we last saw each other in August.

Steve told me about how and he his partner celebrated ten years together with an English countryside getaway. I shared some recent dating disasters, including a guy who suddenly launched into x-rated talk on date #2 and couldn’t fathom why I wasn’t swooning. Much as I enjoyed the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, a second date is a little too soon to go there, if you know what I mean.

After a leisurely stroll through Grand Central Terminal and some shopping, we stopped at Panera Bread. I’m a big fan of the chain and it only recently opened this one location in Manhattan, so I was excited to visit. Much to our great surprise and delight, Panera’s cinnamon scone was delicious. I say this because scones on this side of the pond tend to be a poor imitation of their British counterparts.

Steve and me at Barbounia

From there, we headed down to Gramercy for dinner at Barbounia, an upscale Greek restaurant with a trendy yet inviting vibe. We shared a few small plates (falafel, burrata with artichokes, hummus, tzatziki and spicy feta) and continued our effortless conversation — talking about everything from why Adele rocks to misconceptions about singlehood.

Steve agreed that it’s often one extreme or the other when it comes to partnered up people’s assumptions about the unattached: that our lives are either just like Sex And The City, or we’re curled up in a ball on our couches, pining away for a significant other. The reality is that, much like relationships, singlehood has its ups and downs. It’s not all good or all bad.

What is most definitely all good — a friendship that only grows and deepens with time. Steve said that, nearly two decades later, ours is still evergreen. I couldn’t agree with him more.

Monday, my business-pleasure getaway to Florida continued with a drive to Orlando for the Starwood Sales & Operations Kickoff conference. The annual event brings together nearly 3,000 Starwood associates from across North America — and was my first big exposure to what a global, dynamic company Starwood is.

Opening general session at Starwood Kickoff

Kickoff was held at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin, an expansive Westin-Sheraton resort located a short boat or bus ride from the park. The conference began with a general session featuring energizing speeches from
Starwood’s CEO and global sales leader.

Then, it was time for a dazzling Black and White themed welcome reception.

The Black and White Reception

The expansive ballroom featured more than a dozen delicious food and beverage options prepared by finalists in the HOTchef and starMixologist competitions. From grilled cheese lollipops and rattlesnake tostadas to a basil cranberry margarita and dragonberry martini, it was hard to decide a winner but so much fun to sample all the worthy nominees.

Equally delightful — getting to share the experience with my Westin New York Grand Central colleagues. The night ended with a fireworks display and dessert reception at Epcot Center.

My colleague Jhana and I at Epcot Center

Day two was equally action packed, with multiple breakout sessions including one that described the Westin hotel experience. I learned a few new things about the brand I’m so lucky to work for — including a new partnership with Delta bringing Westin’s Heavenly Beds in flight, and allowing for crossover rewards.

Our evening reception was held on the causeway between each hotel.

Conference attendees filled the Swan-Dolphin causeway for an evening reception

More than a dozen different food stations featured such delights as dim sum, fresh tacos, and lobster rolls. It has to be said — Starwood knows how to host a first class event.

The conference reinforced how excited I am to finally be in a job where I feel both happy with where I am and hopeful about what lies ahead. If you’re at a career crossroads, take it from someone who came to Starwood after a job I detested — the right thing is out there.

I look forward to one day soon saying the same about my love life!

When it comes to travel, sometimes mixing business with pleasure produces the best kind of trip. That’s exactly what happened with my five-day jaunt to Florida.

It began with a weekend in Jacksonville to visit my Titi (auntie in Spanish) Eneida. Titi defies her 72 years, with a vibrant, energetic spirit to match her youthful, trim looks.

Titi Eneida and me in St. Augustine

Saturday, we made the short drive to St. Augustine, the nation’s oldest city. A charming beachside hamlet known for its rich history, Spanish-influenced architecture and unique shopping, St. Augustine is a fun excursion. Titi and I spent the afternoon strolling around pedestrian alleys, browsing everything from a New Age boutique and vintage candy shop to a garden flag store.

Along the way, we stopped at French Fry Heaven, a Jacksonville franchise that takes this indulgent side to a whole other level. We shared a cone of parmesan garlic fries. In a word, yumm!

French Fry Heaven's GarlicParm supreme fries are delish

Capping off our action-packed afternoon, a late-afternoon stop at St. Augustine’s Premium Outlets just in time to take advantage of Coach’s 50% off handbag sale. Huzzah.

Sunday was spent mostly in the kitchen, watching Titi cook to perfection some of the Puerto Rican dishes that remind me of growing up and my beloved late grandmother, who was born and raised on the island. Joining the festivities were my cousins Monica and Steven and their families. All of us savored every bite of Titi’s homemade arroz, platanos and meat-filled empanadas.

In between all of the shopping, eating and catching up, Titi and I did a lot of reminiscing about my beloved, late mom. The legacy of family is one of many great gifts she left me. Being with Titi was a wonderful, much-needed reminder of that.

Coming up…part two of my Florida getaway and my first-ever super-sized experience as part of the Starwood Hotels & Resorts team.

There are some days that make you fall in love all over again with your hometown. For me, Wednesday was one of them.

It started with a visit to Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, where I joined hundreds of fellow hospitality professionals for NYC & Company’s annual meeting.

NYC & Co. annual meeting generated excitement for the city’s soaring popularity as a travel destination

Speaking of new finds, my next stop was the Museum of Art and Design in Columbus Circle, where I met up with business associate Andrea. We headed up to Robert, the museum’s penthouse restaurant with fantastic views and a sleek, modern décor that still manages to be both warm and inviting.

The Robert is a fabulous nightspot

Andrea shared the news that she recently married, which led to a lively conversation about the unexpected journey to finding Mr. Right.

Andrea met her hubby on JDate a year ago, admitting that on paper, he seemed completely different from her usual type. She decided to give him a chance despite opposite schedules and some challenges from living in different boroughs (he’s a Brooklynite, she lives in Manhattan). She said the right relationship is worth the effort — and it tends to happen pretty quickly when you come upon it.

My friend Rachel would no doubt agree with her. When I caught up with Rachel in London last August, she was single and not dating. Just six months later, she’s engaged and planning a 2014 wedding.

Andrea and Rachel are about ten years apart in age, which I can’t help viewing as an encouraging reminder that — contrary to how single women over 35 are often portrayed in the media –  there’s no expiration date when it comes to finding love. You just have to keep yourself open to it. That and embracing the digital possibilities for romance today.

Congratulations, ladies.

Wednesday night, I headed over to David’s Tea on the Upper East Side for cocktails and conversation in celebration of eFlirtExpert Founder Laurie Davis’ fabulous new book, Love At First Click: The Ultimate Guide To Online Dating.

eFlirtExpert Founder and author Laurie Davis shared some online dating tips with the crowd

Having worked with nearly a thousand clients and connected with her future hubby on Twitter, Laurie knows plenty about dating in the digital world. Love At First Click is a brisk, engaging read packed with great tips for finding love in cyberspace. Laurie covers everything – from choosing the website that’s right for you and creating the perfect profile to netiquette rules.

All smiles with the author

After reading her book, you won’t have to wonder about whether to wink or how to use emoticons when flirting via email. The best compliment I can give is that Love At First Click has made me consider a  return to online dating. Laurie dispenses her practical, proven advice like an old friend whose wisdom you can’t deny. Her book is a must read for singles navigating the digital dating world.

Laurie and I talked about how excited we are for Tuesday’s First Date how-to event at THE LCL: Bar & Kitchen at the Westin New York Grand Central. Laurie will be joined by her fiancé Thomas Edwards (a.k.a The Professional Wingman) and a team of Starwood hotel concierges, sharing their expertise about where to go and what to do on a first date. Click here for more info and to RSVP.

I also had the pleasure of catching up with CeCe of The Big Girl Blog. We talked about work, what’s new in social media — I didn’t know about hot new video app Vine – and adventures in speed dating. I told CeCe about the guy I met at HurryDate last month who called me at work weeks later, soliciting a business lead then clumsily asking me out as an afterthought.

Here’s hoping my next speed dating outing in March will be more successful. In the meantime, I think I might be paying a visit to OkCupid…

There’s hope for the institution of marriage…and bad dental hygiene is a dealbreaker. Those are among the key findings in Match.com’s third annual Singles in America study.

The dating website recently polled nearly 5,500 singles (50-50 men/women) from the ages of 21-71+. Singles were asked about everything from sex and marriage to, of course, technology and how it has affected dating. Match.com’s Chief Scientific Advisor Dr. Helen Fisher presented the study’s findings at a livestream event on Saturday.

When it comes to first impressions, the top two things both men and women judge by are teeth and grammar.

This playful video riffs on the three things men notice first about women, according to Match.com's survey

“Your teeth say a great deal about your health, your youth and your fertility,” Fisher explained. “The brain is programmed to look for signs about [these things] at any age…And we’re in the age where communication is power. It’s how you can present yourself that makes a real difference.”

Teeth and grammar are the first two things both men and women notice about each other. The third thing, though, differs by gender — as depicted in a clever Match.com video illustrating what men look at first. Hair is the third thing men judge women by, while clothes rounds out the top three for women about men.

Bottom line – appearance matters when you’re trying to attract the opposite sex.

According to the study, more than two thirds of men and women in their twenties and thirties say they want to get married, and 90% those open to marriage believe they can stay married to the same person forever. Having similar ethnic or religious backgrounds to a partner isn’t a must — only 30% of men and 40% of women consider that very important.

“We’re shedding 10,000 years of our basic traditions and turning to something which in my opinion is even healthier,” Fisher says. “– A real personal connection to somebody else.”

When it comes to researching a date on Facebook, I’m actually with the 49% of men who consider it unacceptable. While many would argue that it’s a necessity in this age of online dating where you never really know who you’re connecting with, I think common sense is just as powerful as the Internet’s search function. Dating existed long before the days of FB, Google and the like, and singles were required to trust their intuition and actually get to know someone.

My exception to this would be if your instincts are already telling you something is amiss. But if you’re just snooping around online to pry into your date’s life, I say skip it and save your questions for when you’re face to face.

You can find out more about the Singles in America study here.

Readers of this blog know I’ve been writing a lot less lately – largely because I’ve been wrapped up in my fabulous still relatively new job. This week, the other reason I’ve been MIA is a bad cold.

After five days of feeling both under the weather and tired of this winter, I’m thankful for all of the things that have gotten me through my congested, feverish haze. In no particular order:

TLC from my thoughtful colleagues – One co-worker braved the cold to buy me cough drops, while another offered me tea and my boss gave me a cereal bar and some Emergin-C. Their kindness and genuine caring reminded me all over again how lucky I am to call the Westin New York Grand Central my professional home.

Tulips from dear friends

The comforting company of dear friends – My dear college friend Pam, in town from Chicago, stopped by yesterday with her partner and their efferverscent 8-year-old son. In addition to surprising me with beautiful red tulips (my floral favorite), they cheered me with up easy conversation and laughs. No better RX in my opinion.

Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite – Having received a Kindle from my brother and sister-in-law for my birthday a few weeks ago, I’m still very much in the honeymoon period with this delightful gadget. I spent much of my downtime the last couple of days finishing Cissy Houston’s raw, poignant memoir, Remembering Whitney. It is a powerful reflection on the pop superstar from the woman who loved her best and definitely worth a read (and, ahem, download). Also taking up room on my Kindle, Amy Spencer’s delightful How To Meet Your Half-Orange: An Utterly Upbeat Guide to Using Dating Optimism to Find Your Perfect Match.

Speaking of great gadgets…

My DVR – How do I love my DVR? This weekend, to distract myself from cabin fever, I’ve counted the ways by enjoying TV shows recorded (Dallas) and catching snippets of favorite movies like Sex and The City and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Ferris provided the perfect pick me up today, as I smiled through classic lines like this one:

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

So true – sick days, of course, being the exception to that.

One of my many favorite things about my job is it’s given me the opportunity to get to know Grand Central Terminal a little more. Thanks to the Westin’s partnership with GCT, I had the pleasure of taking part in the celebration of this New York icon’s 100^th birthday on Friday.

It was standing room only for GCT's Centennial celebration

The Centennial festivities kicked off with a rededication ceremony on the Main Concourse. Speakers included Mayor Bloomberg (who also paid tribute to the late Ed Koch), Caroline Kennedy, Mets MVP Keith Hernandez and Cynthia Nixon.

Cynthia Nixon spoke fondly about GCT and its storied history

Cynthia shared her fond memories of Grand Central, from her 20th high school reunion there to sending off her kids on a school trip. She also shared some poignant words from her dad. He once told her that it’s easy to forget how beautiful New York is because of its fast pace, but remember once in awhile to take a moment to appreciate it. Well said.

The ceremony ended with a rousing performance from Melissa Manchester and singers from Celia Cruz High School in the Bronx — but festivities continued throughout the day.

Me, Kristin and Jenn at GCT’s Centennial gala

Friday evening, I joined my boss Kristin and colleague Jenn at Vanderbilt Hall for a gala event that included cocktails, hors d’oeuvres (including macaroni and cheese balls….delish!) and a few celebrity sightings. Among them, former Mayor David Dinkins and Martha Stewart. We couldn’t resist saying hello to Martha and, much to our surprise, she was gracious and chatty.

Me and Jenn with Martha Stewart

Dinner was at GCT’s iconic Oyster Bar, where the three of us joined staffers from WABC-TV for a three-course meal featuring (of course) oysters, salmon and a pair of desserts (red velvet cake and key lime pie). We talked about things related to work and not, and it struck me all over again how profoundly fortunate I am to spend my workdays with smart, talented women I am learning so much from.

Happy 100th, Grand Central!