Sure, New York is the home of Tiffany and Cartier, Bonwit and Saks, Milgrim and Bergdorf-Goodman. But Gotham gals don't flop for saps, simps or retail buyers. They'll take everything you've got to give 'em--and take you for what you haven't got. But the more you shower on them, the more they'll laugh at you--while cheating with another. Of course, if you're only in town for a few days or a few weeks, and you have a penchant for orchidaceous glamor dolls, you've got to kick in and hand out--handsomely. But don't overdo it. Be careful how you do it. None but hustlers are for sale. So, whatever you give, make it look like a gift of appreciation for the pleasure, instead of a bribe or fee. * * * * * O.K. You are a lonesome gent in New York, looking for company, and where are you going to find _her_? Of course, we don't know what your taste is--whether you like them little or tall, blonde or brunette, breezily hep or delightfully dumb. But, let us warn you, Manhattan is mined for a lonely guy. Best policed city in the world, despite an occasional scandal, there's little opportunity for street pick-ups here, and the quality of what you could pick up is so inferior, you'd be cheated. New York's cafés and clubs are forbidden by law to employ hostesses or "B" girls, and a police regulation bans mixing between female entertainers and guests. This rule is so strictly enforced in the big, first-class night clubs, that the members of the casts are required to enter and leave the premises by the stage door. A friend of ours, a newspaperman, was married to a redheaded hoofer in a Broadway night club. Because of the variance in their hours, the only opportunity they had to visit socially with one another was between shows at her club. One night, while she was sitting with her husband, the cops raided the place and took up its license. The offense: A female entertainer "mixing" with a guest. When it was explained to the police that the couple--if not respectable--were at least respectably married, the flat-feet scratched their heads. After prolonged and profound thought, they refused to drop the charges. "The law says no gals can sit with guys," they stated. "It don't say nothing here about no husbands." The club was suspended for 10 days. Some of the taxi dance halls on Broadway employ broads who will dance with you for a dime a dance (and up) plus tip. They are not supposed to make dates with you, and you won't want to anyway, unless you are desperate or dizzy. If they do date you, you've got to wait until the place closes, at one, or later, then meet them elsewhere than at the dance hall. (But where are you going with them, during the hotel shortage?) Turn to Chapter 33 for how to meet friends.