39 Places to Meet Women
Here’s a list for you guys. Try these great locations for meeting women and skip the "meat markets." There are a few themes here, such as transportation and recreation, but the key concepts are 1) Get out and do things you are genuinely interested in, or it won’t be fun; 2) Choose settings in which starting up a casual conversation is natural and not rushed, like at an event or after a class; and 3) Relax and say what comes to your mind in those natural settings. At the dog park, ask what breed her unusually handsome doggie is, and at the museum in front of a painting you like, ask if she’s seen this or that, or if she could suggest other similar artists. Don’t loiter like a vulture, and don’t ask questions that you don’t actually want answered. Just keep your editor on (on the "gentle" setting), smile, and speak up.
The list below contains many places at which natural conversations may be started. If you disagree, please comment and I’ll give you some examples or otherwise elaborate. If you have other ideas, please offer them up!
Disclaimer and caution: Note, guys, you may see some places on this list that are businesses, events, or transportation. I am not suggesting that you attempt to meet the women who work in these places. Yeah, they may be wonderful and sometimes that works out, but please, just let the waitress, the flight attendant, and the coat check girl do their jobs. They have enough hassles with the jerks out there, so even if you’re a gem, give them a break unless they make it really, really clear that they’re interested. If they do, then good on you!
The focus here is on places where you have more than a passing moment to have a conversation. Another thing to remember is that you’ll do best when you’re relaxed, so just do the things you like to do and the occasions will present themselves.
39 Good Places to meet women:
- At a neighborhood meeting. It’s always nice to be within walking distance.
- A reading by a favorite author.
- The dog park—animals often make the intro for you.
- The kid park. Your kids are also good at giving you openings.
- The health club. No poseurs, please.
- The Single Parents meeting.
- The coffee shop (If you’re having your coffee “for here.”)
- The hair salon.
- At work. Preferably, you work in very different departments. Use caution.
- On a flight.
- On a train.
- On a ferry. (Are you sensing a little theme here? Longer than a subway ride.)
- Community sports leagues.
- Outdoor recreation clubs.
- Art class.
- Cooking class.
- Jewelry-making class. Women dig jewelry, and if you do, too, you’re in luck.
- Foreign language class.
- Any class.
- Church, for those who are so inclined. Faking it is inadvisable.
- The parents meeting at your kids’ school.
- A community garden.
- Fundraisers.
- Organized sporting events such as 5k runs.
- A peaceful demonstration.
- Concerts (The best candidates are casual outdoor affairs, at which there is the potential to roam around. Just go see music that you like.)
- Tours: garden tours, factory tours, historic district tours. All tours.
- Volunteer activities. This is a huge category and it’s a good one.
- Festivals: Harvest Festivals, Renaissance Faires, Art Shows.
- The Farmer’s Market.
- A museum or gallery. Musical groups (join your community choir, orchestra, or a capella group).
- Game clubs. (Pick a game that women like. Think: do most women like chess?)
- Nature outings, such as Audubon Club birdwatching trips.
- A country club. You have to be careful here; these vary widely in the snootiness levels of their members. Choose a fun, welcoming one.
- Wine tasting rooms.
- Giving blood. This is a good thing to do anyway.
- Your own event: have a party, organize a camping trip, or pull together a softball team and require every enlistee to bring a new friend.
- An activity suggested by your local “MeetUp.”
- Online.
Number 39 is a huge category, and I left it until last because meeting people in one or more of the other places above can be better, because means that you got out and did something, which you’ll need to be in practice for when you start dating your new lady. Good Luck!