Maybe we just hang out with a bunch of unlovable, miserable bastards, but it seems like precious few of our friends are "booed" up in time for Valetines' Day. So, we're a little bit surprised that Yahoo! Travel has named Miami as one of America's 10 best cities for dating. Really? Maybe one America's ten best cities to hook up with at a club only to never have a text message returned (if you even bothered sending one), sure. But dating? We're pretty sure Rihanna's last hit single was about the dating scene in this town. Good luck finding love in this hopeless place.
The Yahoo! list seems to be based on no criteria other than opinion, and yet it's making its way around the web big time. Miami is cited for its "sun-kissed beaches and sexy locals known to show off teeny bikini- and swim trunks-clad bods," and its numerous dating-type activities like walking on the beach, hitting the clubs, or treating your lover to a nice dinner.
These things are all true! Miami is a really nice to place to date, but we don't seem to be alone in thinking that Miami is a horrible place to actually find anyone to date.
If most of our friends, male or female, gay or straight, seem to agree on one thing when it comes to finding anyone good for more than a three-month mock relationship full of drama in this town, it's that it's next to hopeless. Which isn't all that surprising, given the massive sprawl that spreads people out (say you're in North Miami Beach, are you really gonna date someone who lives down in Coral Gables?) and the transitory nature of our citizens (seems like we're invited to a farewell party at least once a month).
Add into that the fact that Miami may actually be one of the best cities for hooking up (something even people who are supposed to be otherwise committed have a hard time ignoring). Or the fact that the recession and unemployment crises have hit incredibly hard here, especially among the young folks, making it hard for anyone to, you know, actually afford a traditional date. Add in a splash of Miamian's trademark rudeness and distance to that mix of factors as well. It's not surprising that so many of the young couples we know actually met somewhere else before moving here together.
So yes Yahoo! Travel, the city does provide a good number of dating scenarios. Finding someone to do them with, well, that's a different story.
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