Finding a Nice Jewish Guy in the Suburbs: Impossible or just challenging?

If any of you live in the suburbs you would probably agree, it is very difficult to find a nice guy, whether he is Jewish or not. Where would you go to meet that nice guy? A bar? A club? A restaurant? Probably not! The guys that you usually see in these places are either with their significant others, or so drunk that you wouldn't waste your time getting to know them even if you are looking for a guy who is somewhat mature, yet fun to go out with. Recently, I went to a book signing to see Jill Zarin, one of the Real Housewives of New York City, her mother, Gloria, and her sister, Lisa Wexler. They wrote a book called Secrets of a Jewish Mother (Which by the way, is a must read!). 

They have a chapter in the book on dating, but someone in the audience asked Gloria where she thinks you should go to meet a nice, Jewish guy. Gloria did not hesitate for one second when she answered, "The driving range!" Is it true? Can you meet a nice guy (of any religion) at a driving range or a country club? That is something to try! Gloria also mentioned, as many of you probably already know, online dating has become a worldwide sensation among singles. Match.com, JDate.com, EHarmony.com have all become popular dating sites in the past few years. Is this the new matchmaking tool of the twenty-first century? Since we are talking about Jewish dating, the answer is YES! Jdate is a great place to start!

So yes, It IS challenging to meet a nice, normal Jewish guy in the suburbs (or at least in CT!), although it is NOT impossible. But, if you're not a bar, club, or lounge type of person who walks up to a guy or a girl and asks them for their number than it is probably close to impossible. Unless that is, you are set up on the ultimate, scary, blind date by a friend or relative. Dating in a city can also prove to be challenging for people who are not into the bar and club scene (for the purpose of meeting guys). 

Soooo, the number one hot spot for Jewish singles to meet is JDate! JDate has an exuberant number of members, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. Even though you can select what you're looking for such as a date, a friend, an activity partner, a long term relationship, or marriage and children, what do these things mean? Does a friend mean?  That a relationship in the long run is off limits? What does an activity partner actually mean? Are they looking for someone to go rock climbing with or are they just looking for a random hook up? Are the guys who are looking for marriage and children that serious about it that they are going to line up girls at the local Starbucks for interviews as potential girlfriends or wives, or does that just mean they want to date slowly with the intentions of eventually getting married? 

Everyone is thinking about these things as they are creating their profiles. What do you want from an online dating site? This is seriously something to think about because honesty is the number one component of a relationship. Don't put that you want a long term relationship when you are actually just looking to hook up. Hmmmm! That brings up a good point! Honesty in online dating? We'll have to tackle that one next time! Yes, JDate has led to numerous relationships and marriages (See the success stories on the site), but is that what most guys are on there for? A guy that I met said according to his friends in Long Island, "JDate is hook up central."

Your thoughts? How do you perceive Jdate (Or any other online dating site) and the people on it? Do you agree, disagree, and why? We want to hear your opinions and experiences too!

KISS KISS, HUG HUG

- L.