A little help on the road to finding "the one"

By Diane Mapes
Special to The Seattle Times

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But don't do it. Seattle is full of fabulous singles; throw a rock and you'll likely hit one (please note, we don't actually endorse this as a way to meet people). The trouble is, when you're Out There, there's no way to tell who's available and who's not. Sure, we could all start wearing a sign of some sort — a flower behind our ear, a green ring on our finger. But until Seattle singles decide on what that sign is, it seems a heck of a lot easier to just go where you know other singles are going to be.

Hence, the following list, a sampling of what's available. Yes, attending a singles event or looking for love online may seem a bit contrived (like asking that cute guy for the time isn't?), but, hey, at least it's efficient.

Speed dating

You go to a restaurant, you sit at a table, you talk to a herd of other singles, you meet the love of your life (or maybe just a nice gal who moved here from Boston three weeks ago), you go home. What's not to love?

Pre-Dating (www.pre-dating.com) offers up to a dozen six-minute dates and plenty of age and interest groups to choose from, including gay men, athletic singles, singles ages 40-49, etc.

HurryDate (www.hurrydate.com), true to its name, offers up to 25 three-minute dates a night, plus an online component where you can get to know your fellow speed daters at a more leisurely pace.

Speed Dating & Wine Tasting (www.discoveru.org) is just one of many events sponsored by the Discover U adult education outlet; another singles-focused option is the Friday Night Social. (Other tempting fodder — classes on How to Be Charming and Charismatic, Secrets of Unshakable Self-Confidence and Strippercize.)

Clubs
 

Space City Mixer (www.spacecitymixer.com) bills itself as a social club for Seattle professionals, so along with a huge conglomeration of singles you'll get the odd couple. Events range from outdoorsy options like sailing, hiking, kayaking and volleyball to more citified affairs such as wine tastings, dining and cooking classes. Singles-specific events include their Lock and Key encounter (the Red Table Dinners are recommended as well). Ages range from mid 20s to mid 40s. Membership (which is free) totals 7,000.

Events and Adventures (www.eventsandadventures.com) is a local award-winning activities club for Seattle singles that has been in operation for the past 18 years. Activities range from sky diving to rock climbing to book clubs to spelunking. The Seattle club has 2,500 members (all members are prescreened) with nine other clubs throughout the U.S. (members are welcome to attend events in other cities). Ages range from 20s through mid 50s.

The Mountaineers' Seattle singles division (www.mountaineers.org/ssingles) goes well beyond your basic hiking, biking and whitewater rafting. They're got movie nights, wine tastings, fancy dinners, operas, tennis matches, barbecues, language lessons — you get the picture. Prices vary; fleece a plus.

Matchmaking

One Great Catch! (www.onegreatcatch.com) is a new local service launched by speed dating diva Julie Thompson, who is shutting down her successful NW Date Night at the end of July to try her hand as an official matchmaker. One Great Catch! will serve Seattle singles in their 30s, 40s and 50s; an 18-month membership (which will net you a guaranteed minimum of eight matches) goes for $1,000. All members are prescreened.

It's Just Lunch (www.itsjustlunch.com) is a national matchmaking chain. The folks there bill themselves as "first date" specialists, who help you hook up with like-minded single professionals over a casual no-stress first date such as lunch or a drink after work.

Internet dating

It's easy, it's inexpensive (usually) and you can do it in your pajamas. Just remember, at some point, the object of the game is to actually meet — so no fudging on the profile, folks! www.tryinternetdating.com — A catalogue (with reviews) of some of the top Internet dating sites, including match.com, lavalife.com, eharmony.com, etc. www.tribe.net — An online portal where you can connect with friends, community and 150,000 like-minded people. Join a Seattle singles group or start your own! www.gaycrawler.com — A search engine for gays and lesbians with links to everything gay in the Emerald City. www.agreaterdate.com — A compendium of hundreds of online dating and specialized niche sites, divvied up into handy categories such as "book lovers," "millionaires," "smokers" and "women in jail." www.mycountrymatch.com — For "down to earth" singles. www.greensingles.com — For the environmental, vegetarian and animal-rights community. www.loveinwar.com — For those who like to mix sex and politics. www.lovemelovemypets.com — Singles site for pet lovers. www.equestriansingles.com — For horse lovers and those who love them. www.soberandsingle.com — For those looking for an alcohol-free relationship.

Diane Mapes: dimapes@nwlink.com