On the Hunt With New York's Subway Matchmaker

It’s a bitterly cold winter evening in Harlem and I also’m touring the streets for asian girls looking for black men. This is no average drunken-sex goal, however. Tonight, I’m co-piloting my basic specialist manhunt with new york matchmaker Erika Christensen.

Understood skillfully as “your Love Conductor,” the 31-year-old provides the perfect character with this line of work. She is lovely, spunky, and good, like an overwhelmingly likable aerobics trainer through the eighties. In addition, it doesn’t harm that she is approachable and very in a Wasp-dream-girl kind of way: ski mountain nose, lightweight hair and eyes. Within 5 minutes of hanging out with this lady, we lose all journalistic decorum and admit, “i truly wish all of us become pals.”

Erika has-been matchmaking (pro bono) since school, but moved expert just last year. “we set my best friend with the man she partnered and I just started thinking, ‘This is something i possibly could do.'” The prophecy had been satisfied whenever she delivered an admirer page to the woman teacher, counsel columnist E. Jean Carroll. Carroll wrote right back straight away and so they ended up speaking regarding the phone for a few many hours about starting a business and matchmaking. Right after, Erika made a small business plan and
Trainspottings
, a boutique matchmaking business, was born.

As her site clarifies: “your fancy Conductor may be the first matchmaker to visit belowground — concentrating on nyc’s 1.6 billion train riders, lots of who include most alluring, innovative and energetically gorgeous on the planet.” You signup on the internet and fill in a questionnaire, subsequently Erika will call to obtain your own feeling and determine what you’re looking for. She hardly ever fulfills clients personally, but as soon as she has a definite idea of the kind of lover you are pursuing and some images people, she will hit the subway (as well as roadways and taverns) nearing complete visitors that fit the balance.

Many matchmakers pay attention to hooking up wealthy people, battery charging 1000s of dollars, but Erika goes only a measly hundred dollars. Using a sliding level, she sets costs depending on exactly how tough it will be to find dates for a particular customer. Lately, some guy from Connecticut was hopeful for her services, but she merely operates in new york, so she energized him $500. “You will find another guy, 29, really attractive, has actually a great job, and lives in Brooklyn. I charged him $100 for two months because i will be capable deliver him on as many times as he desires to go on.” All individuals shell out up-front and thereis no set many times per package: She claims a certain wide variety according to every person’s datability, subsequently helps to keep working until she provides.

About certain evening we were trying to match up a fruitful, attractive, old black lady. “My personal customer wants a 35 to 45 year-old, pro guy who’s tall, because she is got some top, and some one of shade because she is not contemplating getting ‘a tour tips guide’ to her tradition,” she informs me. Fair enough. All of our purpose were to discover a man who had been literally tall, dark colored, good looking, financially profitable, and especially, single. Everything you might contact a unicorn.

Since Erika and that I both live-in Greenpoint, we fulfill during the Bedford L end and head uptown. Regarding system, Erika passes by by a cute man resting on a bench reading a novel and casually drops a card into their lap. It checks out: “You’ve been spotted” and consists of the woman site target. “I’m not sure, i recently enjoyed his face,” she tells me. “But i will be sincere,” she adds, “there are plenty of ‘too cool for class’ going on regarding the L. it isn’t just appeal that I’m looking for, additionally it is a particular method of friendliness.” Bangs and beards, bear in mind.

Our basic genuine end for the evening may be the Columbus Circle ACE system. “that is a great place to spot males simply moving away from of work,” she says. “I’m examining their unique fingers to make certain there isn’t any rings.” She looks for males dressed in t-shirts, links, and wonderful sneakers. We place a hot younger black hipster with tattoos and skinny jeans, but Erika shoots me down. “not really what the clients wants.” Exactly who said anything about a customer?

Even as we stand all over uptown platform, we identify our very own target demo, like a live-action

Where’s Waldo?

, except in this situation, Waldo is Tyrese. We see a tall man in a trench jacket and aim him down. “What about him?” Erika beelines over and movements for him to take-off their headphones. The guy appears suspicious. Whenever Erika is pitching strangers she is like Jim Carrey in

Ace Ventura

when he spews that epic monologue without pausing to take a good deep breath. “will you be single? I am a matchmaker. I have a client who is seeking a man exactly like you. Have you been curious? You are very good looking.” To start with the person looks apprehensive and responds “the reason why?” when expected “have you been solitary?” I’m sure the guy thinks he is getting punked. But once Erika shows him the woman notes, the guy realizes she actually is for real. Regrettably, he’s not offered. “If you have any buddies which can be exactly like you, make them get in touch with me, okay?” The person blushes and politely takes the card.

Easily think a man is actually lovely, We’ll just speak with him, very seeing Erika work had not been just a revelation. However it is nonetheless inspiring to view someone effectively interact with visitors, especially in nyc. People build relationships their because she actually is perhaps not striking in it for herself. Absolutely a buffer because she is taking care of another person’s behalf. Before we met Erika, never in a million years would i’ve considered choosing a matchmaker — it felt very desperate. But versus internet dating, that may sometimes additionally price money and feel much more like Russian Roulette, having an incredible girl look times available isn’t really a terrible choice.

Considering that the client we were employed by today spends all the woman time uptown, we choose to check out 116th Street to see a club labeled as
Harlem Tavern
. Erika really does a lot of her people-spotting randomly through the day, but often she will check-out a certain club or area discover men and women. As soon as we reach the club, we look through screen and place a sea of white faces. Onward.

We encounter a stuffed, raucous Karaoke club labeled as
Cove Lounge
. After walking for hours with no chance, we decide to just get inebriated on gin gimlets and make pals with a striking, smart black colored man just who we rapidly learn is not single. Everyone become friends virtually just after offering him her spiel, and it’s clear that Christensen must generate a ton of friends working. Within the next day or two, she will continue steadily to hunt for the woman client. However for now, she chooses to play an Adele track, with a remarkable

The Usahas got Ability–

style R&B voice. People stand-on dining tables and clap. And through the crucial break, not missing out on a defeat, she pitches the crowd like a car salesperson: “By the way, I’m a matchmaker, if anybody the following is solitary, are available discover myself. Let’s allow you to get a romantic date.”