When giving someone a gift for Valentine's Day, it should be something personal, something that you enjoyed so much that you want to share it with someone. It's never wise to spend too much money on a Valentine's Day Gift. If you want to be extravagant, save that for a regular day. Extravant gifts on regular days have more of an impact.

In my opinion, a Valentine's Day should be something small that packs a lot of punch. Give someone a copy of your favorite book or a copy of one of your favorite CD's. Now, mind you, you should take into account the person's personality before you decide on the precise gift.

Personally I would give someone a copy of my favorite book, Hopscotch by Julio Cortazar. Undeniable one of the best novels ever written in the 20th Century, with some of the best written language. Gregory Rabassa's English Translation is superb, in fact, I read both the Spanish version (Rayuela) and the English version, and Rabassa's translation is verbatim and specific to the original. How can anyone read Chapter 73 without saying "Wow!"? The novel is about Horacio Oliveira and The Serpent Club, a small yet diverse expat group of pseudo-intellectuals living in Paris, France. They sit around, listen to Jazz (lots of Satchmo), and discuss everything from literature to art - a very Henry-Miller-like bohemian existence, and moves on to tell us about Oliveira's return to Argentina where he works a myriad of odd jobs, all the while wondering whatever happened to La Maga. Just read it!  

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NY Minute Dating, the speed dating leader of New York, is expanding to Philadelphia with PhillyFlashDates.com. Philly Flash Dates will organize and host speed dating events in Philadelphia and the surrounding area.

  Philly Flash Dates will provide single men and women the opportunity to meet, mingle, and help them find true love.

  If you are a venue interested in working with Philly Flash Dates, a promoter looking to help us grow, or a single person who wants to request an event near you, then please email Philly Flash Dates.

  You can visit Philly Flash Dates to find out more.

Thanks!

Jen

Speed Dating Philadelphia

PR: wait...  I: wait...  L: wait...  LD: wait...  I: wait... wait...  Rank: wait...  Traffic: wait...  Price: wait...  C: wait...

Shoshanna Rikon is the founder of Shoshanna's Matches. A native New Yorker with a degree in advertising, Shoshanna is extremely visual, creative and aware of how difficult it can sometimes be to find the right soul mate in New York City. Shoshanna's zest for life and the joy that she derives from making people happy have led her to devote herself completely to building an unparalleled service for Jewish professionals seeking romance and love. Ms. Rikon prides herself on the numerous happy matches and marriages she has made over the years. Her upbeat personality, intuitive nature and industry-leading matchmaking process all contribute to Shoshanna's high rate of success in finding her clients successful matches. Shoshanna offers a very personal and hands-on approach to her matchmaking service. Shoshanna is personally responsible for every single match! After you fill out a preliminary questionnaire, she will consult with you privately in her office. Shoshanna will find out exactly who and what you are looking for in a life partner, romantic counterpart and best friend. Shoshanna will work closely with you to determine what values, attributes and interests are most important to you in a potential match...then she will do everything she can to help you meet that person who will make your heart sing!

We recently interviewed Shoshanna to find out a little bit more about matchmaking and how she can help single people: More...

We've been working for a long time with People Lounge, not only one of our favorite venues, but also one of our preferred hang out spots. Their 2009 New Years party was great - they had open bar all night and lots of happy New Year partygoers.

 Why is People Lounge such a great place? First, the atmosphere is elegant but down to earth and the drinks are fairly priced and the customer service is great. It's a great place to go with your friends.

 People Lounge is not only a lounge/club, but also has great food - they call their restaurant People Kitchen. We like their T-bone steak as the main course and their summer rolls as appetizers are delicious. You can see their menu here: People Kitchen Menu. More...

We recently started having speed dating events at the Kazbar Lounge, a sexy Moroccan-themed bar/lounge inside the Marrakech Hotel in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. We really like the folks there - and the place is perfect for speed dating.

The first time we had an event there the staff had set many things up for us already, such as a door sign for our speed dating event, and a sign at the bar with all the drink specials for our speed daters, and they gave us cards offering a free drink the next time someone came to the Kazbar, which we handed out to all our speed daters. All our participants thought the place was great, and they liked the offer of a free drink the next time they came by. More...

Our popular, sold-out themes are usually ethnic based, like Russian speed dating, Latino speed dating, Asian speed dating, and we sometimes try something different like "Speed Dating for Divorced Singles." Some themes work great, and some don't. Let  me tell you a small anecdote that you may find interesting, and that may be useful to someone starting out in the speed dating business: When we first started NY Minute Dating we tried having a "Men in Uniform" speed dating event. As the theme suggests, the event was for men who are cops, firefighters, marines, or other uniform-wearing single men, and the women who want to meet them. The problem was getting men in uniform. We had lots of women sign up, and only a handful of men sign up. More...