How to Meet a Guy (or a Girl)

I write in this space asking for help.

People often ask me if I know an eligible guy or girl for a single friend who's "looking." I know that many people successfully find a partner at a local saloon or online at various dating services or on Facebook.

But for every success there are a dozen failures. If you find a guy by hanging out at a bar you shouldn't be surprised to find yourself, years later, annoyed that he drinks too much. Yet once you are out of school it gets increasingly difficult to meet people outside your place of work (especially if you're self- or unemployed).

So here's my question:  Where should a woman go if she's interested in meeting a guy? Barnes & Noble? Starbucks? The mall? Are there any places where a person can go and hope that someone will find them attractive and can approach without fear of seeming inappropriate?

And where should a guy go to meet a single woman? A laundromat?

Where did you meet your own partner? Did you go somewhere intentionally or was it an accident? Are almost all significant meetings accidents?