Valentine’s Day is here once again, and this writer, unfortunately, will most likely spend the night at the gym trying to prepare for the rapidly approaching summer. For those of you in a similar boat, you should know that there are plenty of iPhone apps to help you seek out singles in your area and fill that emptiness in your life: OkCupid, eHarmony, Match, PlentyOfFish, etc. However, you must keep in mind that these apps, and the others described below, do not guarantee a soulmate, a friend, or a lover. You have to get out there. Talk to people. Step away from your computer, and DO SOMETHING. These apps are a good start.
That said, it’s okay if you need some guidance. Here are a couple apps to get you started if you live in New York, San Francisco, or other major cities.
Urbansignals
You’re out and about in New York City, and you want to connect with someone nearby right now. Urbansignals can show you who’s nearby, and the app allows you to send and receive messages for free. You never know when someone right around the corner is willing to meet up and chat. Urbansignals helps you find that special someone, even if it’s for a quick coffee or midnight rendevous. Hey, you never know where you’ll find love.
On a personal note, this app worked for me last time I visited Manhattan for vacation. I installed the app, contacted some nearby girls, exchanged a few messages, and the rest is my business. The company also put together an entertaining video to further explain.
Where the Ladies At
You’re out and about in San Francisco, and there’s no “ladies” in sight. Fire up Where the Ladies At, wait a few seconds, and it’ll show you which bars and clubs are confirmed to have had girls, ahem, ladies, recently checked in to on Foursquare. Follow the compass for a specified number of blocks and you’ll arrive. It’s much easier than looking up one location at a time in the Foursquare app and counting how many girls are there.
Unfortunately, there’s currently no way to send messages to the supposed ladies. Perhaps in the future the app will provide Foursquare profiles so you can at least see a picture. It’s up to you if you want to ditch your current location since there’s no guarantee the 4 or 5 girls listed on Where the Ladies At are better than what you’re currently looking at.
Meetup
Meetup is a fantastic website for finding groups of people with similar interests and attending “meetups.” Since it’s Valentine’s Day there are plenty of singles events, speed dating, group dinners, etc. happening around the country. Open the app, create a profile / sign in with your Facebook credentials, and scroll to events happening tonight. Also, I highly recommend coming back and using this service to make new friends.
There you go. Now go out and make something happen. Or don’t. Just don’t come crying to us when you’re alone on Valentine’s Day next year. Just kidding, we love complaints.