Summer 2021. Daniel was excited to move from Alexandria, Virginia to Harlem, New York to begin his new adventure at Columbia University. Sensing a new world of dating was about to open up, Daniel was excited to set his Coffee Meets Bagel account to say "New York, NY" about a month before he planned to move in. Emily had recently moved back to the city and into her shoebox in the Lower East Side (LES). She was excited to be reunited with friends and her lively city life. After a FaceTime call with her friends Ashley and Theresa (from DC), they convinced her to retry Coffee Meets Bagel. On Saturday, July 3, 2021, Daniel sent Emily a bountiful bouquet of (digital) flowers. Daniel must have been a mind-reader because Emily loves flowers. They connected over their love of learning, travel, and Broadway. Little did he know that he would meet the love of his life online before he had even moved in! Their first date was on Monday, August 9th at The Smith near Lincoln Center. When Emily first saw Daniel, she immediately fell for his genuine smile and his kind eyes. Daniel thought she was even cuter than she was in her profile. He fell right away for her charm, beauty, and wit. They each found their missing puzzle piece. After a couple of months, Emily wondered if Daniel was just dating her because it was so convenient. Other astute observers noted that because 1 or 2 subway transfers were required during the 45-minute journey between LES and Harlem; this qualified as a long-distance relationship. Travel times truly are in the eye of the beholder. Daniel carefully explained to Emily that no, he was not dating her for convenience. It was actually incredibly troublesome to use 2 or 3 trains which meant that it was almost an hour to get to her. He was only dating her because he knew meeting her was the best thing that ever happened to him. Her love of travel, her love of skiing, and her love of spontaneous adventures, are what made the train trips worth every minute. Our relationship is not one of convenience, but rather one based on love, laughter, and a passion for experiencing all of life’s joys and adventures together. We are so excited to make it official this September!

On a HOT but beautiful sunny day in July Daniel surprised Emily with an early morning date in Central Park. As they walked through the park to "meet a date coordinator", Daniel encouraged them to stop and take a look at the waterfall "along the way". As Emily was admiring the waterfall, Daniel spun her around and said the day was going to be filled with surprises. Emily looked over and he was down on one knee saying the sweetest things. She screamed, shouted "YES," and then like magic --- they were engaged. We're so excited to celebrate this next chapter in our lives with you. See you in NJ!