Not only is Hinge in the romantic setup and date-arranging business. The technology company, which got its start locally in the 1776 startup incubator and is now in D.C., is also offering tips and insights for when its users actually take their burgeoning relationships onto dry land.
In weekly newsletters, via Twitter and on its other digital platforms, the company is trying to drop some knowledge about “the art of meeting new people and some other stuff too.”
They call the hints #Hingesights, and the other day there was a simple yet valuable one I wish more men would take care to try:
Get your date a ride.
The end of the evening is when great times can often fall apart.
There’s scenario one, the hurried Metro goodbye. You’re both using public transportation to get to your respective residences. One of your trains arrives, and it’s a mad dash to get to the platform. All of a sudden, you part in a rapid-fire rush. Maybe you manage a half-hug in the super public setting of the subway station in question. But it’s probably not finishing up strong.
Scenario two involves the guy trying to take the driving reins. This works if, first and foremost, he is in a state where getting behind the wheel is possible — not too many whiskeys in the system. Personally, though, I’m not often comfortable with him dropping me off, finding out the exact locale of my apartment building in case it all goes awry.
That’s when the Hingesight makes sense. The people behind the app suggest there are a few ways to go about getting the woman a ride.
There’s the old fashioned tactic of at least flagging her down a taxi and making sure she gets inside and is taken care of. I’ve had the experience of a guy then, slyly handing the driver enough cash to get me there. The move was a small gesture but suggested that he maybe sort of cared about my well-being and was a gentleman.
There’s a the newer school way of using a smartphone to digitally hunt down an Uber, Lyft or other rideshare vehicle. Uber, in particular, comes in levels. So if the man really wanted to step up his game for a classy woman he could order an Uber black car or SUV. If he’s less sure of the romantic prospects a more bare bones UberX will do.
No matter the car that comes or the transportation application used, stepping into a vehicle that a date has ordered to arranged leaves a much better taste in a woman’s mouth than the alternative.
Men and women are more frequently meeting on apps. I guess the mentality, then, is why not use another one to end the night in a better, nicer, more thoughtful manner. It might go a long way toward making that next date happen.
-Dena