# Places To Meet People **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 10, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278 "2015-04-10T00:04:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Umbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Umbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Umbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/1 "2015-04-10T00:04:02Z")
Which, in your opinion, is the best place to meet new people for courtship? Bar? Pub? Nightclub? Church? Community Center? Park? Bible Study Group? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/2 "2015-04-10T00:12:22Z")
This is a poor set of choices–so many answers are going to be Other: for example: educational classes, workplace, friends/relatives, organizations, online dating services… Half your choices are drinking places (pubs, bars, nightclubs). These are more for sexual pickups–not courtship. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/3 "2015-04-10T00:18:38Z")
I’ve met women in bars, pubs, music venues (what you are calling nightclubs); but the majority have been other- just living life. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/4 "2015-04-10T00:25:34Z")
I vote for events. I go to several anime conventions every year, and have met a lot of friends that way. ---
**Author:** ![Umbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Umbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Umbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/5 "2015-04-10T00:27:58Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > This is a poor set of choices–so many answers are going to be Other: for example: educational classes, workplace, friends/relatives, organizations, online dating services… > > Half your choices are drinking places (pubs, bars, nightclubs). These are more for sexual pickups–not courtship. I thought bars/pubs/nightclubs were places where men and women could meet each other for dating and courtship, because that’s what I read on the Internet. Honestly, I do not drink alcohol, so I probably would never enter a bar/pub/nightclub/drinking establishment. I added “church”, because I thought church was a very local establishment to meet new people, and I perceived it as safe and family-oriented. Plus, people usually attend church on Sundays in broad daylight, but I’ve heard about nighttime church services too. The only problem would be that church seems to be very family-oriented, not a very good place for a single person to find a date, even though a single church-goer would only dream of marrying another single churchgoer. I am not sure how many millennials and young adults even go to church. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/6 "2015-04-10T00:36:16Z")
“Courtship?” are you from the year 1739? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/7 "2015-04-10T00:52:26Z")
Online dating. IMHO, it’s the most powerful tool in a dater’s toolbox. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/8 "2015-04-10T01:00:39Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Online dating. IMHO, it’s the most powerful tool in a dater’s toolbox. Never used a sawzall, I assume. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/9 "2015-04-10T01:16:42Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Online dating. IMHO, it’s the most powerful tool in a dater’s toolbox. > [@kayaker](#): > > Never used a sawzall, I assume. For the ones that go particularly poorly this is FAR more useful _after_ the date, assuming you have a large secluded piece of property or deep lake nearby. And just out of curiosity - what’s the difference between a pub and a bar? ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/10 "2015-04-10T01:20:06Z")
Strange poll, since it says “meet new people” which I took to mean broaden my circle of friends, not find a mate or humpy partner. I meet people through work, professional organizations, and clubs and gatherings centered around hobbies and activities I enjoy. If I were looking for a romantic partner I would probably get on the internet. I enjoy drinking and socializing but I’ve never had any luck finding romance in a bar. Never even had a one-nighter. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/11 "2015-04-10T01:39:35Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Online dating. IMHO, it’s the most powerful tool in a dater’s toolbox. For women, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/12 "2015-04-10T01:43:23Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > I vote for events. I go to several anime conventions every year, and have met a lot of friends that way. This! Special interest groups are the way to go. Find a writers’ group, or an artists’ group, or a fan group of your favorite kind of music. Look for “meet ups.” The important bit here is that you automatically go in with someone in common with everyone else there. You don’t have to go fishing for a topic of conversation. Instead of “So, um, how about this weather?” you get to launch right in with “Golly, I loved the latest book in the series! It’s really taking off!” Joining a local Star Trek club, back in 1979, was the best thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/13 "2015-04-10T02:00:50Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > For the ones that go particularly poorly this is FAR more useful _after_ the date, assuming you have a large secluded piece of property or deep lake nearby. > > And just out of curiosity - what’s the difference between a pub and a bar? I was wondering the same thing. I decided a pub was more of a trendy version of a bar. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/14 "2015-04-10T02:26:07Z")
I always considered pubs to be British and bars to be American. But here is a Google explanation: > **[Bar vs Pub - Difference and Comparison | Diffen](https://www.diffen.com/difference/Bar_vs_Pub)** > > People often don't know the difference between bars and pubs; both are establishments licensed to serve alcoholic beverages, and often serve food. History Pub is short for Public House. The British have been drinking ale in pubs (public houses or... ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/15 "2015-04-10T02:33:20Z")
It completely depends on what kind of person is looking for “courtship” **snerk** , what sort of “courtship” they are looking for and what sort of people they are seeking to “court”. All of the places listed could be the best place, for some, and all of the places could be the worst, for some. I’d say the only universal “best” place to meet people is outside of your home. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/16 "2015-04-10T09:20:46Z")
I don’t drink, and I’m an atheist. So that rules out bars and churches. Thankfully, I already have a partner. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/17 "2015-04-10T10:49:34Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > For women, yes. Uh. For every women who gets a date via online dating, there is a man who gets a date as well. Think about the math there. It takes work and commitment, and it works better in larger cities. Same is true of any dating. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/18 "2015-04-10T11:23:16Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > And just out of curiosity - what’s the difference between a pub and a bar? There’s little reason to be in a bar if you don’t drink. This is not true of pubs. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/19 "2015-04-10T12:02:45Z")
When I was younger, I joined a flying club and met lots of folks there. Some years later, I decided to take sailing lessons and ended up marrying my instructor. I’ve taken ceramics classes and met a bunch of people there also. Seems to me, unless your sole hobby is drinking, you’ll have more luck in a venue revolving around one of your interests. On the other hand, I have an uncle who met all 5 of his wives in bars… ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278/20 "2015-04-10T12:09:01Z")
Lindy Hop. Lessons and social dancing. Generally deal with the opposite sex (although there are people that can both lead and follow). Physical in nature that stops a lot of the awkwardness. You get to know these people really quickly. Seriously, it is a goldmine. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-to-meet-people/717278.md?page=2)