Dating in New Orleans: Frogs need not apply

I’ve always heard you might have to kiss a few frogs before you meet Prince Charming. I just never thought that I would be almost 30 and still looking for Mr. Right.

Let me back up a bit. I’m a New Orleans girl who went to school in the Northeast and moved around a bit before settling back in the Big Easy two and a half years ago. I spent most of my 20’s as a serial monogamist, dropping the “L-bomb” twice in the course of my lengthy series of relationships. Any hope of rekindling things with my last serious love recently crashed and burned (note: I do not know how anyone survives long-distance relationships).

Consequently, I now find myself truly single, without any type of ambiguous “man friend” in the picture, for the first time as a twentysomething.

I consider myself a smart, attractive and independent woman, who is career-focused and willing to openly speak my mind. However, after a recent false start in my dating life, I felt severe pangs of insecurity after the relationship petered out. I asked myself what did I do wrong? As one friend aptly observed, “There should be an exit interview for relationships.”

Despite my recent failures, I know that there is still plenty of time to find Mr. Right. Sometimes, however, I feel that society disagrees with me. I am bombarded by Facebook statuses of engagement announcements, save-the-dates, and baby shower invitations. That trend seems even more pronounced down here in the South.

Even given my obvious anxiety about finding a compatible mate, I have come to realize that such stress is pointless. Like anything worth achieving, failure and rejection are inevitable for everyone, and just because you don’t click with one person, it doesn’t mean that you won’t find your match. Finding the right person should not be the only key to happiness, but merely the icing on the cake.

In that mindset, I have decided to embrace the local dating scene with a positive attitude, a thick skin and, most importantly, an adventurous mindset. Because I am too old, tired and picky to meet eligible bachelors in bars, I have recently entered the world of online dating.

I’m one of those people who never thought I would ever try this 21^st-century method to meet a guy. While I told my single friends that they should definitely try the online route, I secretly thanked God that I was in a serious relationship and didn’t have to deal with it. I shuddered at the possibility of awkward experiences and terrible conversations as a result of a meeting up with a complete stranger introduced to me via an online platform.

However, I am now committed and there is no looking back. I will still try to meet a guy in an authentic, kismet-like fashion; however, I am beginning to embrace the possibility of an online catalog of men who meet my requirements (note: you should be tall and preferably speak English).

My inspiration for this exploration into the local dating scene was inspired by a former NolaVie columnist who penned Crescent City (Mis)Connection, a similar column about dating in New Orleans. (Rumor has it she is in a serious relationship, so the baton passes to me.)

I will recount my dating experiences as a means to (hopefully) both entertain and connect with NolaVie readers, while checking out some of the great date spots that this city has to offer. This column is by no means all about me, but rather intended to be a reflection of what the dating scene for young professionals is like in New Orleans. So help me out here: Email your concerns, observations and (especially!) funny and relevant relationship anecdotes to noladating@gmail.com.

In order to avoid becoming a pariah of the New Orleans dating community (this is such a big small town), I will write with a pseudonym and may change insignificant details to help conceal my identity to potential suitors. And if I do meet my Prince Charming, hopefully another single New Orleanian will pick up where I left off to continue chronicling this important cause.

And so it begins…wish me luck!

Send thoughts, suggestions, questions and observations on dating in New Orleans to noladating@gmail.com.