"I've slowed down since 9/11. I used to go out more often and meet guys in clubs. Now I stay home more at night; I just feel like I haven't done that in a while." — 21-year-old woman, Brooklyn

"I am pickier -- I don't want to waste my time on someone who's not going to work out. I feel like I have my guard up all the time and I've cut back on dating." — Female financial services trader, 23

"It's easier to meet people lately — everyone seems to be a little more open and sensitive since 9/11." — 29-year-old female musicology student from Germany

"Since 9/11 I've started looking more toward religion, and I would like to meet someone who really believes in Judaism." — Male 27-year-old advertising creative

"The women I'm meeting since September 11 are more likely to be concerned with 'long term' right up front. I am, too, but not as concerned as these women." — 36-year-old male attorney, Upper East Side

"I'm less serious. I want to have more fun. I'm not really looking for a boyfriend. Life is short, and waiting around for a boyfriend seems like an unproductive thing to do." — Female student in Brooklyn, age 22

"I feel like there could be a third world war or something; I feel like I should get married before it gets any worse." — 31-year-old female temp, Bronx

"My outlook is that I want to find someone and I want sex to mean more than just sex. After the 11th, people realized that life was too short to expect certain things." — 35-year-old unemployed marketing director, Upper West Side

"I entertain more opportunities now. Now I'm living more in the moment." — 25-year-old male working in finance

"I just broke up with someone and it was really serious. 9/11 had some effect, but mostly it was money. Financially, we were under a lot of stress lately and we were having a lot of fights. It's funny, because right after 9/11 we were really close. Then the stress of getting back on our feet financially was too much." — 20-year-old female student, Chelsea

"I broke up with my boyfriend. He lives in Australia and didn't fully understand what I was going through here. How could I make a relationship work when these horrible things were happening?" — 26-year-old female marketing coordinator, Upper East Side

"I've been with my girlfriend for three years. She worked in the World Trade Center, but she's okay. It makes you think, 'There's more to life than fighting about who's paying the tab at dinner.'" — Male 26-year-old Web designer living in Staten Island

"Before September 11, going out was easier . . . the bars on Houston Street used to be packed until two or three in the morning, and now they are empty. People don't go out to have fun like before," — 32-year-old male furniture consultant, Brooklyn

"I lost my job because of the tragedy — the restaurant had to get rid of people, so I had no money to take people out." — 32-year-old male bartender, Queens

"My boyfriend lost his job, so we don't go out as much. We try to get free samples of things, go to cheap movies, and take a lot of walks all around the city." — 31-year-old female temp, Bronx

"There's been a sort of golden age in the city, which drew a lot of young people. The singles scene blossomed because of all of the people. Everything's more complicated now — the city, the world." — 31-year-old male consultant, Queens