.
Feedback

Three Unconventional Ways to Find a Date

Your college sweetheart didn't work out and you have yet to bump into 'The One' in the produce section? Here are new methods to make a love connection.

New apps and one clothing company's marketing scheme are giving singles unique ways to connect this Valentine's Day.

These avenues to romance may lack the "ooh" factor that finding a romantic spark with your best friend has, but who cares if it works?

  • Banana Republic and Match.com have hooked up to host in-store meet-and-greets in cities across the United States, including San Francisco, the San Francisco Business Times reported. The events will be exclusively for Match.com subscribers.
  • Tinder, an iPhone app, allows users to flip through photos of singles nearby and anonymously express interest in them. If there is a mutual attraction, the app introduces the couple, according to a Reuters story. The app makers say they've connected more than 10 million couples since Tinder was launched in September.
    Let's Date is much like Tinder, except it allows users to see what people like, via their Facebook profiles. The iPhone app was released earlier this month.
  • WhatsYourPrice.com, a dating auction website, connects "generous" men with "attractive" women, likening the process to celebrity and firefighter charity auctions. The difference here is the woman gets paid to go on a first date. The company reports that 5,318 San Francisco singles are paying for a first date this Valentine's Day.

But if you feel too traditional for dating in cyberspace, here are 25 tips to find a date offline including solid go-tos like taking your dog to Memorial Park and enrolling in an adult education class.

Got any tips for finding love? What's worked—or hasn't? Share them in the comment section below.

Newsletter & Alerts

Get the best stories each day and important breaking news

Subscribe

Not from Cupertino Patch? Find your Local Patch »

Loading comments ...
Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
A Chinese-American couple will dress just like their mainstream American counterparts at the wedding.
Crystal Tai May 1, 2011 at 06:28 pm
Thank you very much for you kind words, Priyanka! The answer to your question is in another articleRead More I wrote for Cupertino Patch, "Five Wedding Reception Venues in Cupertino." Thanks again!
Priyanka Sharma-Sindhar April 27, 2011 at 08:21 pm
This is definitely very useful for the those of us who aren't Chinese, but do have Chinese friends..Read More Thank you, Crystal. What are the popular spots in Cupertino for Chinese weddings?
Anne Ernst (Editor) April 3, 2013 at 12:59 pm
It's difficult to know what's going on in a kid's mind unless they feel confident enough to open upRead More and talk. And this program helps us adults to learn to listen differently.
Debbie Reiley April 3, 2013 at 03:50 am
I too was at this Challenge Day. It was my 6th. I first volunteered because I watched the programRead More on MTV "If You Really Knew Me" when my son was being severely bullied in middle school and saw the program was offered when he was a freshman in high school. My company strongly supports me volunteering for this and allows me to take the day off work to attend. I am continually humbled by what these teens share and saddened at what some of them have experienced in their short lives. This program is so valuable. I think every school should offer it and every parent should attend. It helps us to realize that we need to think twice before we judge or assume things about others when we know nothing about them. It is the volunteering opportunity that I look forward to participating in every year.
Anne Ernst (Editor) March 30, 2013 at 06:30 am
Carrie, Thanks for allowing me to be a part of it again.
Janice Chua March 28, 2013 at 06:45 pm
It was fun hosting you all at Bitter+Sweet, Anne!
Loy Oppus-Moe March 28, 2013 at 02:40 pm
A big "Thank You" to Anne, Pete, and 53 other professionals who opened up their companiesRead More and organizations to give our students hands-on experience of what life might look like for them post-high school. Job Shadowing brings relevance to education!