Today's singles prefer attending anything except ''singles'' parties.

Meeting that special someone at a tax-deductible event is a different story.

Are you a culturally minded, unmarried professional who prefers watching a ballerina at the barre instead of hanging out at your local bar? If so, Aaron Resnick is your go-to guy. As an active board member at nearly a dozen South Florida organizations -- both cultural and charitable -- Resnick, a 34-year-old attorney and owner of Ajax Entertainment, an events promotion business, shares his overstuffed in box of weekly invitations with friends, friends of friends and anyone who asks.

''I wanted to show people that you don't have to live in a city like New York to be part of a big cultural scene,'' said Resnick, a self-described ''sometimes single'' guy. ``People have less time now to go do things, and just going to a singles event isn't really fulfilling.''

In fact, while reporting this story, we noticed that Resnick, along with many single people we interviewed, preferred not to attend parties that were labeled ``singles events.''

''I stay far, far away from anything labeled a singles event,'' said Amy Rosenberg, a 30-year-old attorney and chairwoman of the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts' new young patron's group, the Green Room Society.

''There's a whiff of desperation at singles events,'' she said. ``I'd rather be at something with an underlying meaning -- whether it be cultural or political.''

On our quest to find culturally enriching events attended by diverse groups of unmarried people in South Florida, Resnick, a general factotum of all gatherings fun and interesting, served as our tour guide.

We couldn't possibly attend every fundraiser, happy hour and art opening, but we were able to stop by some of the more promising nonprofit shindigs. Not surprisingly, these events were attended by mostly unattached people who were there for one underlying reason: to meet that special someone anywhere but at a singles party.

JUST LOOKING?

• Jam at MAM. This monthly (second Thursday) event at the Miami Art Museum draws one of the most eclectic crowds in South Florida, attracting 300 to 600 art lovers, people watchers and downtown professionals.

On the night we attended, the art was delivered in the form of bare-chested male models (and a few leggy women) strutting their stuff at a Fall Runway Show.

''I've been coming here since I moved to Miami. It's one of the first things I joined because I love the arts and it's one of the best places in this city to meet people,'' said Sylvia Lu, 36.

Aldo Pedron, a 27-year-old auditor living in downtown Miami said, ``When I go to clubs I meet other gays that are just not that career-oriented or into the same things I'm into, but here it's different.''

Info: www.miamiartmuseum.org, 305-375-3000 or special events coordinator Anne Marie Shaffer at Shaffer@miamidade.gov.

ENJOY THE CARNIVAL

• The Green Room Society. This young patrons group of the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts bills itself as ''the hippest, baddest patrons group to hit town in years.'' We attended their launch party at the Setai hotel last month and we can't wait for an encore. With nearly 1,000 attendees from all over South Florida -- we schmoozed with people from Fort Lauderdale, South Beach, South Miami and the Grove -- this was a bravura debut.

''If you want to meet quality people, this is the way,'' said 41-year-old North Beach resident Ross Kelson.

Info: E-mail chairwoman Amy Rosenberg at amyrosenberg@yahoo.com or greenroom@carnivalcenter.org.

RESCUE ME

• The YPRC (Young Professionals of the Red Cross). This newly formed subgroup of The American Red Cross of Greater Miami & The Keys could be the perfect place to resuscitate your love life.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@