Carrie Bradshaw suggested it, and now a study confirmed it: NYC is the worst city for dating, so don’t be hard on yourself if that Hinge meetup felt disastrous.

While our lovely metropolis is chock-full of fantastic first date ideas — a walk through the park! chic bars! botanical gardens! — research from FetishFinder suggests that those looking for love might want to search elsewhere — particularly in Seattle, a.k.a. the best city for dating.

“New York may have the highest population of single individuals, but it’s also the worst city in the U.S. to start dating,” the study suggests.

Using statistics from United States Census Bureau, Google Keyword Planner, and Numbeo, FetishFinder took several factors into consideration when looking at the country’s top 20 biggest cities and their dating criteria:

• The population of single people
• The likelihood of marriage
• The annual divorce rate
• The rate of individuals actively searching for a relationship
• The quality of life
• The cost of living

While we aren’t one to point fingers, especially since we haven’t done the science, we’re willing to bet the cost of living put us in detrimental standings. Another study says NYC is the third most expensive city in the world — not the country, not the continent, but the world — and that rent in NYC is rising a whopping seven times faster than wages. We rest our case!

What are the best cities for dating?

If you’re curious about the locales that understood the assignment and ranked atop of the list, they are:

• Seattle
• Denver
• Dallas
• Indianapolis
• Austin

What are the worst cities for dating?

So, who joined NYC at the bottom of the barrel? Drumroll, please…

• Los Angeles
• Philadelphia
• Chicago
• San Antonio

But science aside, perhaps it’s how you look at things. Let’s not forget that a mere two years ago NYC was voted the city where you’re most likely to meet your soulmate. Things couldn’t have changed that drastically, right? Right!?

If you need us, we’ll be treating ourselves to NYC’s best solo dates, something we know we’ve aced.

The post Study Says NYC Is The ‘Worst’ City For Dating, And UGH! appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

Finally, vegetarians will get to sort of get a taste of one of the most iconic New York sandwiches ever: for one day only, Katz’s Deli will be serving a vegetarian version of its uber-famous pastrami sandwich. 

This Saturday, September 28, from noon until 4pm, guests will get to order the limited-time-only dish at Katz’s at 205 East Houston Street on the Lower East Side.

The dish is made with Badger Flame beets, which are actually beets bred entirely for flavor and used instead of the brisket that the sandwich usually features. 

In the making of the menu item, the veggie is treated just like the pastrami is in the traditional version of the food: wet-brined, doused in spice rub, smoked, steamed, sliced and stuffed inside deli rye with mustard.

“We’ve been hunting for years for a vegetarian pastrami option, but everything we tried just wasn’t quite right,” Katz’s third-generation owner Jake Dell said to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “Meat substitutes didn’t hold the flavor correctly and were sometimes full of additives anyway. Other vegetable recipes just didn’t hold up in a sandwich form.”

The sandwich is a collaboration between Katz’s’ and chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill. Barber actually also owns “seed to table” company Row 7, the organization behind the development of the Badger Flame beet. Barber will be at the deli to serve the food this weekend. 

We haven’t tasted the culinary concoction just yet, but we can’t imagine veggies have ever tasted as good.

* This article was originally published here