Love on the Streets of New York: Meet Cutes and the Stories That Connect Us

In the bustling streets of New York City, where millions of people pass each other daily with barely a glance, three friends decided to pause and ask a simple question: “Excuse me, are you two a couple?” This humble inquiry, posed by Aaron Feinberg, Jeremy Bernstein, and Victor Lee in 2023, blossomed into a cultural phenomenon called Meet Cutes that has captured the hearts of millions online. What began as spontaneous street interviews with couples about their origin stories and relationship wisdom has transformed into a viral sensation with over 3 million Instagram followers and 1.9 million TikTok fans. Now, these collected stories have found a permanent home in their book “Meet Cutes NYC: True Stories of Love and Connection.” The project stands as a testament to the enduring power of human connection in an increasingly disconnected world, offering a kaleidoscope of love stories that reflect the diversity and vibrancy of New York City itself.

The Meet Cutes approach is refreshingly simple yet profoundly effective. Bernstein handles the interviewing, while Feinberg and Lee capture the moments on film. Despite facing rejection about half the time, their persistence has paid off with thousands of heartwarming encounters. “It’s a piece of hope that love is possible and shows you that it can mean so many different things to different people,” explains Feinberg, who remains single and “looking” himself. From their vast archive of over 5,000 videos, the trio carefully selected 85 couples representing a rich tapestry of ages, backgrounds, and love stories for their book. What makes their work so compelling isn’t just the romance, but the authenticity—these aren’t scripted Hollywood endings but real stories with all the messiness, coincidence, and serendipity that genuine relationships entail.

Among the most captivating stories is that of Alice and Geoffrey, whose relationship began decades ago at Channel 13, where she worked as an assistant on “American Family” and he as a mail clerk. Their meet-cute was anything but conventional—Geoffrey regularly delivered fashion magazines to Alice’s office until one day, he mockingly imitated her dramatic phone conversation about Morocco. Rather than being charmed, Alice confronted him with a sharp “Who the hell do you think you are?” Yet somehow, when she had an extra ticket to a popular late-night show, she invited Geoffrey. Their post-show walk home stretched 46 blocks filled with conversation, marking the beginning of a connection that has endured for decades. As Feinberg notes, “It’s proof that love doesn’t always start with sparks. Sometimes it starts with sarcasm and a mail cart.” Their story defies romantic conventions while embodying the unpredictable chemistry that can transform antagonism into lasting affection.

The tale of Mike and Karen illustrates that timing and persistence often play crucial roles in love stories. Their journey began in a college lecture hall with Mike’s secret wish for Karen to sit beside him—which she did, only to reveal she had a boyfriend when he finally worked up the courage to ask her out. Years later, when Karen was single, they dated briefly before breaking up because Mike wasn’t ready for commitment. The universe seemed determined to bring them together, however, as they randomly encountered each other crossing a street two years after their breakup. This chance meeting reignited their relationship, and they’ve been together ever since. Their story, one of Meet Cutes’ most popular videos, resonates deeply because it reflects how love rarely follows a linear path. As Feinberg observes, “Their story resonated so deeply because it’s about second chances, the kind of imperfect, full-circle love that feels both cinematic and real.”

Some couples in the collection demonstrate how shared passions can forge unexpected connections across geographic boundaries. Thuy and San, spotted in Clinton Hill wearing matching hoodies during a grocery run, first encountered each other at a New York climbing gym while Thuy was visiting from San Francisco. Though their initial meeting seemed inconsequential, fate had other plans. When Thuy later moved to New York and ran into San at another climbing gym, it felt like more than coincidence. Their story highlights how shared interests can create the foundation for relationships and how sometimes the universe provides second chances for connections that might otherwise have been lost to distance and circumstance. Their matching outfits when the Meet Cutes team found them seemed a perfect visual representation of how their separate paths had aligned into a shared journey.

Perhaps most inspiring is the story of Joe and Liza, whose 15-year relationship defied Feinberg’s initial impression that they were newly coupled based on their evident affection. Their origin story contains elements of both patience and boldness—when Liza first walked into Joe’s hardware store accompanied by her boyfriend, Joe had the immediate thought, “I hope I meet someone like her someday.” As it turned out, it wasn’t “someone like her” but Liza herself who would become his partner. Recognizing her unhappiness in her existing relationship, Liza eventually made the brave choice to pursue the undeniable connection she felt with Joe. Their enduring relationship, still visibly affectionate after 15 years, offers a powerful reminder that love sometimes requires both recognizing what isn’t working and having the courage to embrace what could be. Their story embodies the project’s underlying message that meaningful connection is not only possible but worth pursuing, even when the path isn’t straightforward.

The Meet Cutes project has become more than a collection of romantic anecdotes—it’s a living archive of human connection in all its complexity. By stopping strangers on New York streets and inviting them to share their stories, Feinberg, Bernstein, and Lee have created something that feels both intimate and universal. Each couple’s narrative, whether it began with antagonism like Alice and Geoffrey, repeated chance encounters like Mike and Karen, shared passions like Thuy and San, or patient waiting like Joe and Liza, reveals different facets of how meaningful relationships form. In a cultural moment often characterized by disconnection and digital distancing, Meet Cutes offers a refreshingly hopeful perspective on human connection. These stories remind us that love continues to flourish in unexpected places and unpredictable ways, requiring no scientific formula—just openness to the possibility that the next person we meet might change our lives forever. As millions of followers have discovered, these real-life romance stories provide something increasingly precious: authentic hope that meaningful connection remains not only possible but happening all around us, if only we take the time to notice.