One of our members talks about being single in San Francisco and some of the top places to find a date!
According to some stats done from SF Weekly of the 808,976 people in San Francisco there are 60,045 single heterosexual men, and 68,749 single heterosexual women between the ages of 20-40. Being single myself, I wonder where is the best place for me to meet eligible, single and available men to date? Here is a list of places where I have had some success in keeping my dating calendar full.
Online Dating: What was once considered taboo has now become a socially acceptable way to meet singles. These days who isn’t online dating? With free sites like OKCupid, How About We, and Plenty of Fish, why not give it a try? You might be pleasantly surprised with who you meet. Other favorite pay-sites include Match, eHarmony, or you can get even more specific with Jewish J-Date and Indian Shadi.
Special Interest Groups: Similar to online dating, special interest groups help expand your network. These meet-ups may be a great way to ease your way into online dating because it’s a group setting and you know the people already have similar interests. Meetup was one of the first to start forming groups online. Also check out Outgoing.me and GrubWithUs that organize dinner parties for groups.
Sports Teams: There are so many different sports leagues to join in the Bay Area, anything from traditional basketball to elementary school kickball. Even if you aren’t athletic there are sports teams that always need extra bodies. It’s not necessary to have a full team because many leagues will form teams from individual participants. Of course the best part of a sports team is the after party at a nearby watering hole. Great places to look for teams to join are Golden Gate Social Club or WAKA Kickball.
Nonprofit Work: One common complaint about meeting singles is that every event includes some form of alcohol consumption (we live in San Fransisco don’t we?). Although alcohol often facilitates relationships and hook-ups, it can also hinder any sort of serious relationship. For the most part nonprofit events or groups are sober affairs. It’s a great way to make real connections with people and also do something good for your community. Check out One Brick for volunteer opportunities in the Bay Area.
Coffee shops: Everywhere you turn in San Francisco there is another coffee shop. The number of people that go into a coffee shop by themselves definitely outweighs the number of groups. There are so many ways to start up a conversation, like asking your neighbor ‘Can I borrow a _____?’ or ‘Can you watch my stuff while I use the restroom?’ to name a few. Of course not everyone is single or straight, but they may have a friend that is.
Jury Duty: Yes you may all think I’m crazy, but I did have a friend who met her fiancé sitting on the jury 2 years ago. Like all the other recommendations above, it’s about putting yourself in a situation to meet people outside your social network. When I sat on the jury I found out about jobs and new people from neighborhoods I didn’t know existed. Jury Duty is truly an untapped resource for meeting new people.
Vacation: Everyone loves to take a trip and travelers are often more apt to take risks that they normally wouldn’t do in real life. It’s a great way to meet new people – sometimes by choice, others by necessity! Singles By the Bay Travel Club specializes in trips for singles and solo travelers (local and internationally). People are happy and open while on vacation making it a great way to find a mate. Who doesn’t want to have someone to share the most amazing places in the world with?
Bars – By Yourself: I’m sure you are all going “Duh, that’s where I look for singles ALL the time.” Indeed bars are greats places to meet new people but often lead to hook-ups and one-night-stands. Try going to bars by yourself (gasp!) and on an off-night. Try to follow the Millionaire Matchmaker’s rule of a 2 drink maximum as well.
Parks and Outdoors: San Francisco has a plethora of great parks and outdoors spaces. With the economy in the gutter and unusually nice weather this summer, the parks are packed all the time. Take a picnic or a good book and see who you meet.
Networking Events: Often thought to be just for work connections, networking events offer a room of very interesting people where you are supposed to talk and mingle with everyone in the room. You could very easily be killing two birds with one stone. Attendees don’t need excuses or cheesy pickup lines to start conversations. Check out Eventbrite for networking events as well as other events and festivals in San Francisco.
