Lovelorn New Yorkers are ditching popular dating apps for an old-fashioned way of finding a soulmate – at face-to-face meetups in Big Apple hangouts that can use the business.

These “in real life” (IRL) experiences are organized by a new group of matchmakers – such as Closer, Parlor Social Club and The Dinner Table Club – that offer social interaction beyond texting and sending memes.

The apps help New Yorkers expand their social circles over dinners, cocktails and cultural events. 6

Some have even made more personal connections.

E.K.M. Watson, a 27-year-old Parlor member who goes by Emma, broke the ice with the future love of her life during a “cocktail mixer” at 48 Lounge in Midtown.

Parlor pals introduced Watson to fellow member Emil Galiev, a 28-year-old software engineer. Th

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