The Blogger Beat: City Girls World

“Think of us as your online girlfriend.” That’s how bloggers Christie and Jess—who prefer to keep their last names out of the blogosphere—describe themselves on their site, City Girls World. Their blog is dedicated to all things women, from dating and advice to beauty and fashion. Oh, and there’s a good amount of shoe obsession, too.

Christie, who grew up in Vienna and now lives in Arlington, was the blog’s creator. When she launched the site in September, she convinced her best friend, Jess, a Philadelphia resident, to sign on as co-blogger. Though they blog from different cities, the pair has found a groove, posting regular features such as SingleGirl Chronicles, where they talk about their dating lives, and Ask Jess, an advice column.

We caught up with the perpetual 29-year-olds—“We’ve always felt 29 was a beautiful number,” they write—to get their picks for best date spots, biggest dating disasters, and the best pickup lines they’ve ever heard. Read on for their answers.

Relationship status:
Christie: “In a relationship with a very handsome man. While some call him a gentleman, I call him Bill.”
Jess: “Wait, what day is it? Seriously, that’ll entirely depend on when this goes to print.”

Five words to describe your dating history:
Christie: “Checkered and mostly requiring a passport. Okay, that was six.”
Jess: “Multilingual, romantic, tragic, and, lately, stale.”

Number of men you’ve dated in the past year:
Christie: “Three thousand. Seriously, I was dating like it was a job. And I’m exhausted. Thank goodness I met a keeper!”
Jess: “I always stop counting at 29.”

Best date you’ve ever been on:
Christie: “I’ve had some great dates in my time. Recently, my man took me out to a couples massage, high tea, and then dinner at CityZen. That was an amazing date. But ultimately, it’s less about the date activity and more about the person in question. I’ve had great dates involving nothing more than a plate of nachos and some fun conversation.”
Jess: “My best first date was in Philly. It started out with cocktails, then a quick round of pool and a gourmet dinner at Buddakan. It ended with a game of Trivial Pursuit on the floor of his high-rise condo with a view of the nighttime skyline.”

And the worst:
Christie: “So hard to choose! One night over appetizers, a date told me that he got a girl drunk and shaved her head in retaliation for when she keyed his car. I was like, ‘Cancel my entrée.’ Or, a while back, I set up a midnight winter picnic with a treasure hunt to reach the picnic grounds—except he started it late by accident, some of the clues got stolen, I spilled hot chocolate all over myself while waiting (hot! then cold!), and ended up getting stranded out in the freezing cold while he tried to find me. When we finally got back to my place, my roommate showed up drunk and sick and we stayed up all night taking care of her. It was a mess!”
Jess: “Once, I had a date with a French guy I’d met online. I knew he wasn’t for me the moment I laid eyes on him, but I decided to stick it out for a drink and be a good sport. Unfortunately, we ran into my ex-boyfriend who interrupted our date by trying to win me back. I had to do some delicate footwork to extricate myself from both men. The next day, I got a six-paragraph e-mail in French about how I was the worst date ever. The moral: Stick to dating foreigners whose languages you don’t speak.”

Three tips for a successful first date:
Christie: “(1) Be open-minded; (2) Google him; (3) have fun.”
Jess: “(1) Wear something to emphasize your boobs or ass—but never both; (2) choose a place you know so that you don’t have added anxiety about finding the place or parking; (3) ask good questions. Most people are far more interesting they than first appear.”

To kiss or not to kiss on the first date?
Christie: “Kiss, but only if it was a great date. Otherwise, get the heck out of there.”
Jess: “Eeeeek! For me, almost never. Not unless there’s palpable chemistry and build-up. If there are lots of little touches throughout the date, then he might get the green light. Otherwise, not until date number two.”

Best free-date idea:
Christie: “In the summer, tango in Freedom Plaza on Sunday nights. In the winter, Library of Congress or a Smithsonian museum.”
Jess: “My couch or yours?”

Coziest bar or restaurant for a date:
Christie: “I love the Mayflower Hotel bar. The bartenders are friendly, the drinks are awesome, and the vibe is low-key.”
Jess: “The Tabard Inn! In the summer, you have the garden, and in the winter, you have the fireplace. Win-win.”

Favorite spot for a lunch date:
Christie: “I’d say Proof. The food is good, and I think it’s important to have access to a full wine bar in case things go south.”
Jess: “Lunch dates are genius! You get in and out in an hour, and no one gets hurt. An hour is long enough to get the sense of someone and short enough to be pain free. ‘Oops, gotta get back to the office. So nice to meet you, though.’ ”

Online dating: yay or nay?
Christie: “Yes. You can’t beat the convenience, and it’s how many of my friends and family members have met their spouses. Also, I support any type of dating that can be done directly from my couch.”
Jess: “I’m pretty sure I’ll never utter the word ‘yay’ about online dating. However, it’s the way of the world and a lot better than picking up a man at a bar only to discover he’s married but wasn’t wearing his wedding ring because he’d removed it to tile his bathroom earlier that day. Sad but true.”

Best way to forget about a bad date:
Christie: “Watch the original Melrose Place. Hilariously bad, wipes your entire memory, and reduces your IQ in seconds. Awesome.&rdquo
;
Jess: “Oh, that’s easy. I just remind myself how I’ll laugh about it all when I finally settle down with my true love, Scott Speedman. Honestly, that’s the main reason I’m doing this interview. (Scott, if you’re reading this, have your publicist get in touch with mine. Our future is now.)”

Best pickup line you’ve ever heard:
Christie: “One that I’m still waiting to hear: ‘Hello and welcome to my yacht.’ ”
Jess: “Outside the European Parliament building in Brussels: ‘Would you like to see my Parliament Pass?’ ”

Best bar for Washington singles:
Christie: “Tough question! The roof deck at Marvin is a safe bet to meet people in the summer, as is POV at the W Hotel. In the winter, late at night you’ll have no problems at Lucky Bar or the Big Hunt, but quality could be . . . er, questionable. And there’s always Kramerbooks or Eighteenth Street Lounge for something a little bit different.”
Jess: “Christie and I have been known to rank Washington bars by their bartenders instead of its patrons. Case in point: A night out at Skye Lounge when there were no single men in the bar but two very fine men behind the bar. If memory serves, we made do quite nicely.”

Finish this sentence: “Whenever I go on a date, I always bring . . . ”
Christie: “ . . . a compact, my cellphone, and an exit strategy.”
Jess: “ . . . a nervous stomach and a sense of dread. That’s why alcohol is so important in dating.”

Best excuse to end a bad date early:
Christie: “ ‘My friend is in the hospital and I need to see her before visiting hours are over. What, it’s 11 PM, you say? I’d better get going then!’ ”
Jess: “I like to inquire about their ancestry and then make a shocking discovery that our family trees are connected. Note: I’ve found this to be much less effective in interracial dating.”

Favorite local blog besides your own:
Christie: “I’m a fan of DCBlogs. Plus, it prevents me from choosing.”
Jess: “Foilwoman’s Diary has been known to crack me up at times.”

Next week, we take to the kitchen with ModernDomestic’s Jenna Huntsberger. The baking queen gives up her favorite recipes for everything from pies to cookies and talks about her greatest kitchen victories—and her biggest disasters. Stay tuned!

Earlier:
The Straight Torquer
New Columbia Heights
All Blogger Beat interviews

Have a favorite blogger you’d like to hear from? Send an e-mail to eleaman@washingtonian.com.

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