Los Angeles Dating: Guide for Singles in LA
What exactly do you need to know to be a dating success in La La Land?
Los Angeles Dating Ground Rules
With its idyllic subtropical-Mediterranean climate, hilly terrain, Hollywood glitz, lively nightlife, this city of beautiful people has plenty of options for memorable dates.
Just don’t count on public transit to get you there.
Dating in Los Angeles: Bike or Ride
Who says nobody walks in L.A.? Based on the number of trails in Los Angeles, hiking should be the official city pastime. Taking a long walk with a date is also a great way to get to know a person. Plus, it's inexpensive and low maintenance! How very un-L.A.!
Go for a secluded romantic walk on the Tapia Spur Trail in Malibu Creek State Park.
Explore downtown on foot. Play tourist in your hometown and take a guided tour of City Hall, Little Tokyo or the Biltmore Hotel.
Tired of walking? Bike the Strand, a 22-mile path that runs along Los Angeles County’s shoreline. Break for a picnic for two at Venice Beach.
If you want to make your date see you as her knight, take her for a Friday night dinner ride at Sunset Ranch Hollywood Stables. It’s first come, first served, so show up early.
Dating in Los Angeles: Museums
L.A. boasts two of the best museums in America. The Getty Center, celebrating art and architecture, opened in 1997 to instant fame. The view overlooking the city is breathtaking, and the Central Garden is practically a sculpture in itself.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) holds over 100,000 works of art, and frequently hosts date-worthy evening jazz and other music events.
Dating in Los Angeles: Farmers Market
This “farmers market” isn’t all pickup trucks and fruit stands. It opened in 1924 and has become a gathering place for several L.A. communities. With dozens of restaurants, shops, markets, and bars, the date strolling is superb. Celeb-watchers should keep their eyes peeled for A-listers like market-regulars Jennifer Garner and Reese Witherspoon shopping for fresh veggies.
Dating in Los Angeles: Game Night
Some of the best sports teams call L.A. home: the Lakers, the Dodgers, USC, UCLA, the Galaxy, the Kings and even the L.A. Clippers. Take your date to the game, or cheer from the comfort of a place like Santa Monica’s Yankee Doodles. It has the distinction among L.A.’s sports bars as having females among its regulars, making it a little more date-friendly than other options. Or shoot pool together at Q’s Billiard Club & Restaurant on Wilshire while pretending to watch the game — it’s more about looking great than rooting for the team at this chic locale.
Dating in Los Angeles: A Different Kind of Game Night
Play games! Nosh on comfort food, sip microbrews and play board games at Henry’s Hat, make friends at Vodvil, a newer bar/restaurant devoted to modern-day parlor games, or opt for a quieter date night and play Scrabble on a Thursday evening at Deyermond Books in Santa Monica.
Dating in Los Angeles: Movie Night
Los Angeles has been called “the creative capital of the world,” with a silver-screen history and culture that’s hard to ignore.
Embrace Hollywood and stroll along the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard. Visit the Hollywood History Museum or Paley Center for Media.
If you’ve spent a summer in Los Angeles and haven’t caught a movie on the lawn of Hollywood Forever Cemetery, you’re missing out. This affordable summertime Saturday-night staple runs from May through September. Bring a picnic dinner — with a bottle of wine, as alcohol is permitted — and a low-back chair and sit back for a unique film experience.
Dating in Los Angeles: Night Owls
Los Angeles has a great late-night scene. So if you and your date are night owls, be sure to explore some of the legendary hot spots.
Some of rock’s biggest names have played at famous/infamous The Viper Room. The Troubadour was a major folk draw in the ‘60s, with Carole King, James Taylor and Joni Mitchell all stopping by. It remains a great showcase for emerging artists, making it a draw for new-music fans.
The Atlas Supper Club on Wilshire is an upscale nightclub with a posh Jazz Age vibe. Listen to live music on the weekends. Top DJs spin here during the week.
If you’re trying to skip the club scene, head over to Aloha Sharkeez, a popular Hermosa Beach local bar for a more relaxed atmosphere. The patio and dance floor are sure to be packed with beautiful beach bums.
Mojito-sippers and salsa fans will love El Floridita. Just make sure you make a reservation if you want a table.
Dating in Los Angeles: Be a Kid
Men, take notes from Ryan Gosling’s dating playbook and take your girl to Disneyland or Magic Mountain. Escape the cynicism of the city and laugh like kids together.
Dating in Los Angeles: Laugh
One advantage to living in a city packed with wannabe actors is that you’ve got the nation’s top amateurs eager to entertain. Comedy clubs are scattered throughout the city, with The Laugh Factory in West Hollywood — popular comedians still frequent the place to try out new material — and Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre as standout date possibilities.
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32 Comments View this thread in our community
Executive Suites in Orange County
February 22,2012 at 01:47 amYou are excellent with words. I know you worked hard on this article and it shows. I agree with a lot of the content you wrote. I enjoyed this and will be back for more.
chipperz22
October 1,2010 at 09:01 amHi people just dropping by whats up ect. Am from Binghamton ny upstate. I have family from LA triny find a friend or a date would it work humm?
evaisanerd
July 18,2010 at 07:01 pmand here i thought that dating in LA was notoriously difficult because of the large number of narcissists and flakes! if only i had known that all i needed was to live in a different part of the city to find the man of my dreams...! haha. what a joke.
NightengaleBird
June 7,2010 at 02:00 amThe south bay is lovely . . . there are many hidden treasures . . how about Sunken city?
StanSGoodyMan
June 3,2010 at 12:10 amIt'd be nice if you actually talked about how to date in L.A. when you don't make $50K+/year. How can you possibly enjoy a relationship? Knowing that at least thousands of people move out to the area each year, wouldn't you consciously think that, "Hmmm...when people move to a new area, they aren't necessarily well-off. So how could we imagine how they would date?"
Instead of making a list of the most popular tourist attractions in L.A., why not give a gift of information to people who don't want to do all of the tourist activities, or at least add in some information for the people that don't want to spend $100 every time they go out. ...or does that nullify the ability to date in L.A.? You seem to list simple places to go, but if you're paying for 2, it adds up and is impossibleto do over a course of a few months of dating, especially when all women want to do is go SOMEWHERE.
How about the L.A. dating guide for people who genuinely want to find someone, and don't want to spend any money whatsoever because they can't? You would amaze me if you could stretch your mind that far.
Ivan the terrible
April 13,2012 at 02:32 pmbravo bravo very well said! coul'nt agree better!!
averagegirl
May 14,2010 at 12:43 pmI agree about Orange County not being mentioned but it should be a separate category. The OC & LA are two entirely DIFFERENT places! The one has little to do with the other & they can not be lumped together. It's a very different scene in the OC & South County is very different from North County too. You think looks are important in LA? Try South Orange County! Looks are EVERYTHING there. Money is also important. As for the OC peeps on Eharmony not answering....I think posting a picture is important but sometimes that will hurt not help. At first I did a lot of corresponding with people from out of state where regular looking people are not considered outcasts. But then I realized this was pointless because I am not going to relocate & meeting up in person proves to be such a problem. So now I am very close to just cancelling this thing. I think I will have to just step up getting involved in living my life in the real, not virtual, world. Good luck!
doredear
April 24,2010 at 09:43 pmWhy isn't Orange County included? Part of OC is riight next to Long Beach!!
Doredear
katdots
July 11,2009 at 06:48 pmJust moved to LA - OC, actually - but I'm guessing that everyone either a)doesn't need eharmony or b)lives further than 30 miles from me because I am getting so few matches...not daily, sometimes barely a few a week. I moved here from D.C. and I can't believe that the dating pool is that much deeper there....quite frustrating. As for the whole looks thing, I can't even comment as I really have not had anyone matched with me. However, the few that I have had, I will say that communication must not fit with the California lifestyle. My confusion is why are you on eharmony if you aren't going to do anything once you are matched up? At least do someone the courtesy of closing them if you aren't interested.
leo891963
June 1,2009 at 09:58 pmMost "L.A." people have never set foot here in the South Bay (El Segundo to San Pedro) - we have beautiful beaches, very nice & diverse neighborhoods, the Strand, amazing restaurants & nightlife, great hiking trails in Palos Verdes....and you don't need a passport!
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