Canada’s ‘first family of fashion’ celebrates the 25th anniversary of their namesake store—Leone—in Sinclair Centre this month.

Back in 1987, critics scoffed at the Leone’s plan to open a 25,000 square foot emporium in an underdeveloped area of Vancouver.

“People thought we were crazy to come to Hastings and Howe,” recalls co-founder Maria Leone. “But it was a gut feeling—we loved this beautiful building and space. When something feels so right, you have to listen.”

Leone quickly established itself as a premier shopping destination, carrying exclusive men’s and women’s fashions from top designers like Versace, Prada and Dior. A thoughtful selection of just the right product lines to suit the ‘West Coast lifestyle’ has helped the store flourish.

But what really sets Leone apart is its dedication to providing an all-inclusive shopping experience, with complimentary beverages, in-house tailoring and valet parking (staff members even offer personalized service in over 15 languages).

It’s part of being a family operation. “This is what we do,” explains Maria. “Hopefully it comes through as an extension of how we feel.”

And let’s not forget Leone’s L2 Cafe, named among the city’s “best-kept lunchtime secrets.” With chef Giuseppina di Trolio serving delicacies from her family kitchen in Naples, the bistro feels like a slice of Italy in downtown Vancouver.

Several special events will mark Leone’s birthday this year, including customer appreciation days and a contest that will see 12 lucky entrants win $1,000 shopping sprees—one per month (visit leone.autoboxmedia.com to enter).

As for Maria? She looks forward to the next 25. “It’s been a long road,” she says. “There have been a lot of changes in the city and the economy, but thanks to our staff and our customers we’ve gotten through it. We’re here. I feel very grateful.”

Vancouver Craft Beer Week is back with a ‘party like a rock star’ theme and a new neighbourhood focus that features nightly events held in Gastown, Downtown/Yaletown, Kits and Steveston and on Commercial Drive and Main Street.

The nine-day craft beer festival begins with an expanded opening night launch at the Roundhouse Community Centre. Most of last year’s popular signature events will return, including Hoppapalooza—a celebration of hop-forward beers at the Alibi Room— and the BierCraft Belgian Showcase, this year expanded to both the Cambie and Commercial Drive locations of BierCraft.

The popular Women in Beer event returns under a new name, Sisters of the Tap, once again featuring a panel of the many talented women who work in BC’s craft beer industry. This year VCBW introduces a complementary Brothers in Hops event on the same evening, showcasing four prominent male brewers—two from BC and two from south of the border.

New this year is the Hop-Headbangers Ball, a BBQ and craft beer party with an ‘80s metal rock star theme at the Woodland Smokehouse. Also new is a beer cocktail competition at the Clough Club—simulcast on CCTV at the Lamplighter—while the cicerone versus sommelier event has grown into a signature event at the Salt Tasting Room.

The week will close with a two-day beer festival at the Salt Building in the Olympic Village. Each night will feature a diverse showcase of Canadian, American and Belgian brewers.

Some of the more exciting neighbourhood events include the Dix Brewpub Reunion at the Stackhouse Burger Bar and the official opening of the new Portland Craft restaurant on Main Street.

Go to www.vancouvercraftbeerweek.com to buy signature event tickets and to find out where you can try the VCBW collaboration beer, a special Cascadian Dark Ale brewed by 25 different BC brewers, with profits going to charity.

www.thirstywriter.com

Photo: CNW Group/Shaw Media

Last month’s premiere of Shaw Media’s newest reality series marked the first time many of us were formally introduced to Christina Kiesel, Reiko MacKenzie, Jody Claman, Mary Zilba and Ronnie Seterdahl Negus—the Real Housewives of Vancouver.

But, as Vancouverites settled in to watch the first episode April 4, some realized they’d seen these glam gals before, taping at ritzy locales likes the Room at the Bay, the Loden Hotel, Coast Restaurant and Tableau Bar Bistro and the Commune Cafe.

“A friend and I went to get our nails done at a salon in West Van, but they told us Housewives was shooting,” says one viewer. “We didn’t get our manicures.”

There will undoubtedly be many more opportunities to spot familiar places around town as the show plays out on Slice this season. Shaw also promises to reveal “intimate and often outrageous details” about the housewives’ careers, families and sex lives. Here’s what we knew about each cast member as of press time:

<Christina, twice divorced, loves to travel (she’s visited over 30 countries in the last four years) and finds women to be “competitive and backstabbing.”

<Jody, single mom of three, calls herself “Martha Stewart on acid.” She owns a high-end clothing boutique and is founder of a charitable organization to help fight hunger on the Downtown Eastside.

<Mary, who put her singing career on hold to have kids, has re-set her sights on the spotlight. She’s also dating again after a bitter divorce, and “isn’t impressed with the crop of single men available in Vancouver.”

<Reiko, a self-described “adrenaline junkie with a need for speed,” studies mixed martial arts and collects exotic sports cars (including two Ferraris valued at $1 million) with her venture capitalist hubby.

<Ronnie owns four homes side-by-side in a gated West Van community, a 200-acre vineyard, a private jet and a yacht; she says she loves a good party almost as much as a good secret.

Authentic Thai food with a modern flair

This month marks the first anniversary of Pink Elephant Thai, the latest addition to the iconic Thai House Restaurant Group. Started by Patrick Chen back in 1986, Thai House celebrated 25 years in Vancouver just last year.

What’s in a name? In Thai culture, the white elephant is revered as a symbol of divinity and royal power and is commonly featured in Buddhist art and Thai architecture. In contrast, the ‘pink’ in the name represents all that is fun, sexy and hot—combine them and you have a great combination of tradition and a hip vibe perfect for trendy Alberni Street. And don’t let appearances fool you; despite the modern atmosphere, the dishes being served are truly authentic Thai. Prices are very reasonable, with a daily lunch special featuring a wide selection of choices available for just $10.

Pink Elephant’s menu is quite diverse, offering dishes from both northern and southern Thailand. “We listened to our customer’s feedback during the first few months and added the dishes that were requested, since our menu features popular and traditional menu items from all the regions of Thailand. We also developed a selection of set menus for various group sizes so that novice ‘Thai-ers’ can get a feeling for the food and experts can be exposed to some new dishes, too,” says Desmond Chen.

Don’t fret, your beloved Pad Thai is still on the menu—but Pink Elephant also offers new world tastes such as ostrich satays with Thai peanut sauce and cucumber chutney or the Alberni Mango Roll with soft shell crab and mango.

The restaurant’s continued success is really a testament to its wonderful and dedicated staff—an all-Thai brigade—and every server and member of the kitchen staff has a deep attachment to Thai food and culture. The kitchen makes amazing broths, which form the basis of many of the noodle soups featured on the menu. Another must-try is the braised pork hock, a signature selection on the menu—it’s a delicious pork hock with flavours enhanced by slow cooking after being covered in Thai herbs. There are loads of curries on the eclectic menu as well, from the red, green and panang curries you’d expect to a Matsaman curry worthy of its rave reviews.

There are cozy booths downstairs, but head upstairs if you want to catch all the action—there you will find the sleek chef’s table, perfect for a large group wanting a bit of exclusivity. Downstairs is great for large parties too, with a big communal table and several HD TVs positioned by the bar.

There are two vibes at play here in the restaurant: ‘sanook’, which means high-energy fun, and ‘sabai sabai’, for those times you just want to catch up with friends. Whatever you’re in the mood for, you’ll find it at Pink Elephant Thai!

They share the latest news, post the coolest photos and run drool-worthy contest giveaways—there’s no denying the local blogger has come to play a significant role within the community.  To celebrate the digital correspondents who keep the public in the know every day, Vancouver View recently spent some time with the cream of the town’s blogging crop to find out what makes them tick. What we encountered were enthusiastic entrepreneurs with genuine affection for their city, their readers and even their rival bloggers. Touching upon everything from umbrella etiquette to long work weeks, our interviews with these innovative individuals prove that with a little grit and determination any project with passion can succeed.

Photo by Nordica Photography

Website: www.miss604.com

AKA: Rebecca Bollwitt, Owner and Operator

Credited with paving the way for today’s numerous Vancouver bloggers, Miss 604 is a revolutionary site that first recognized the potential of posting content beyond the diary genre.

“I realized it’s about more than crazy cat photos and sharing what I had for breakfast,” Bollwitt explains.

Up next for this savvy businesswoman? A potential Miss 250 spinoff—Bolwitt has already purchased the domain name in hopes of one day invading Vancouver Island’s blogosphere.

VV: What would be your biggest piece of advice to all those up-and-coming bloggers out there?

RB: Persistence. Keep at it, even if your mother is the only person who reads your site. You won’t shoot to the top right away…there is no formula for a blog and I think that’s what makes many blogs so unique.

VV: Besides your own, what other local blog do like and why?

RB: I love Vancouver is Awesome. They are a non-profit group blog that has original content.

VV: What’s the biggest misconception about bloggers?

RB: Bloggers have come a long way from being seen as ‘single, alone, on the computer in their parents’ basement’. Also, most reputable bloggers do not break embargoes and tweet off-the-record conversations—they can be trusted and responsible without losing their personal voice.

VV: Which local Vancouver personality inspires you?

RB: I have two icons that I look up to in Vancouver who are unfortunately no longer with us. The first is E. Pauline Johnson, who brought the stories and legends of local first nations to the masses. The second is Chuck Davis. He worked for years to document Vancouver history and provided an amazing online resource (VancouverHistory.ca) and his last book, The History of Metropolitan Vancouver.

VV: What’s been the weirdest comment ever left on your website?

RB: People sometimes Google something and think that when my blog post about that event or business comes up, it means that I, myself, am that event or business. I get asked about stalls at the Cloverdale Flea Market all the time.

VV: What are the three things you think every tourist should experience in Vancouver?

RB: Stanley Park (not just the seawall but also the trails), Granville Island Market (there are many markets around the world but this is our own West Coast smorgasbord of seafood, local produce, and so on), and one of the local mountains—Grouse being the most accessible. Take the gondola up and see the region from the sky.

Photo by Joel Levy

VV: Most hated thing about Vancouverites?

RB:  People who walk under awnings with their umbrellas. A good Vancouverite wouldn’t even use an umbrella—our skin is made of Gore-Tex, isn’t it?

Vancouver is Awesome:  The Brand Builder

Website: www.vancouverisawesome.com

AKA: Bob Kronbauer, President and Editor-In-Chief

When Bob Kronbauer tired of all the negativity surrounding Vancouver, he decided to take matters into his own hands by creating a website that would only reference the city’s positive attributes.

“It was right around the time that the ‘No Fun City’ moniker was given to our city,” he recalls.

Having just marked the website’s fourth year online, Kronbauer is now eager to expand upbeat news across the country—Whistler is Awesome (whistlerisawesome.com) launched earlier this year while Galiano Island and Toronto versions are set to go live over coming months.

“It’s sort of like a franchise,” Kronbauer says. “That’s the future of it, to set up in all the major centres across Canada.”

VV: On average, how many hours a week would you say you spend maintaining your website?

BK: Roughly 60 hours go into everything I do for Vancouver Is Awesome. I run the business side as well as serve as editor-in-chief and creative director, so I have a lot of responsibilities. We also have an army of about 30 volunteer editors and contributors; it’s not a single person writing all of our posts. It really is a team effort.

VV: Besides your own, what other local blog do like and why?

BK: I like Miss604.com because while Rebecca Bollwitt covers some of the same things that we do, she’s friendly competition. She’s just a really good person and I feel good about the way we share the space. There’s no need to be cutthroat when what you’re really trying to do is build community and show people great stuff in their city, even if it is a business.

VV: At what point did you realize your website was a success?

BK: When it became popular enough that I had to figure out a way for it to start generating revenue so that I could justify all of the time spent maintaining it.

VV: What would be your best piece of advice to emerging bloggers?

BK: Don’t start a blog because you think it could make you money. If it happens to eventually turn into a job, that is a really, really rare thing.

VV: What do you most love about Vancouverites?

BK: That at times we band together to come up with creative solutions to big problems.

VanCityBuzz: The New Kid on the Block

Website: www.vancitybuzz.com

AKA: Karm Sumal, Editor and Co-Founder

Though the website has technically been in existence for over three years now, it wasn’t until the 2010 Winter Olympics that VanCityBuzz emerged as a major player within the city’s blogging scene.

“During the Olympics, people would thank us for posting stuff and for keeping them up to date,” Sumal says. “We used to struggle to get 2,000 to 3,000 hits a day. Now we get 12,000!”

But even with all the success he’s achieved, Sumal hasn’t quit his day job and still works full time as a financial controller for the Blenz coffee shop chain. In addition to his nine-to-five gig and maintaining a thriving website, Sumal also has a wife and young son at home he tries to make time for. But you won’t hear him complain of exhaustion.

“If it’s one thing that you love to do, you’ll find the energy to do it,” he states. “I see the success that we’ve gotten and it’s given me the energy to push through.”

VV: Finish this sentence: I’ll stop blogging when…

KS: When I’m dead!

VV: How did you get started blogging?

KS: My buddy Manny and I started it three and a half years ago in my parents’ basement—we thought it would be a good way to make some loose change. Turns out we were wrong but I developed a passion for it.

VV: What would be your biggest piece of advice to wannabe bloggers?

KS: Keep it at and don’t be discouraged by haters because if you love doing it, nothing should stop you. And don’t get caught up with statistics.

VV: Which local Vancouver personality inspires you?

KS: I’ve always admired Bob Rennie and Jimmy Pattison. Like myself, they’re from East Van and proud of it. They’ve ‘made it’, so to speak—and yet remain humble.

VV: If for some reason you were forced to leave Vancouver, where else would you live?

KS: Wherever my wife wants to go. That’s the only reason I’d leave the city of Vancouver.

VV: If you had to give Vancouver a tagline, what would it be?

KS: Vancouver: It’s expensive but worth it.

A man with many years in the beverage industry behind him, Ryan Storey created the cocktail list for O Lounge and Coast Restaurant, where he has been the bar manager for the past two and a half years.

Ryan’s father owned restaurants for decades. At 12 years of age, Ryan started washing dishes in one of his father’s restaurants, later moving on to cooking and then running the front of the house. By the time he was 23, he started bartending.

Known as the ‘Martini Slinger’—it’s his twitter handle—Ryan told me where his nickname originated. He said he used to own a martini lounge in Nanaimo, where he had 27 martinis on the bar list. He worked the bar on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and all he did was shake drinks—and that is where the nickname came from.

I asked Ryan if he considered himself a bartender or a mixologist: he answered that he is a bartender—there to create an experience and put on a show. Since Ryan is in charge of creating all the cocktails in the bars where he works, I also asked him what goes into creating a great new cocktail—he said he always uses fresh ingredients and tries to keep it simple. If Ryan wasn’t a bartender he said he would be doing something in marketing, as he previously studied business and has a strong interest in the subject.

I asked Ryan what the most unique ingredients he had ever used to create a cocktail were, and he said he infused cardamom pumpkin spices into simple syrup for a Thanksgiving cocktail, making a pumpkin martini.

Here Ryan has provided us with a recipe for one of his most popular cocktails, the Coastini:

The Coastini

One to one and a half ounces vodka

Half ounce blue alize

Half ounce lemon juice

Dash of simple syrup

One ounce prosecco

Add all ingredients in a Boston shaker over ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass, top with prosseco and garnish with a lemon twist.

Ryan Storey is the bar manager at Coast Restaurant and O Lounge, located at 1054 Alberni Street.

Photos by Joshua McVeity

(L) Wine Committee Chair Lawrence Burr and (R) Artistic Director Max Reimer

The centrepiece of the Playhouse Wine Festival—and one of the most anticipated galas in the city—the Bacchanalia Gala attracted nearly 400 wine enthusiasts to the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver recently. A must–attend affair for serious wine collectors, the 34^th running provided an opportunity for oenophiles to enhance their wine cellar. Curated by wine committee chair Lawrence Burr and sponsored by Goldcorp, the auction and five-course dinner paired with ten wines was fronted by four-time event chair Vicki Prince-Wright and incoming chair Brenda McAllister.

CBC anchor Gloria Macarenko and food and wine scribe Sid Cross hosted the black-tie extravaganza, the crown jewel of the week-long wine festival. At $500 per head, the evening began with a sparkling wine reception before guests were seated for a repast prepared by the hotel’s chef de cuisine Joseph Schaeffer. Wines from theme-country Chile were among the bottles uncorked.

Among the notables in attendance were Wine Festival Director Harry Hertscheg, Tinhorn Creek’s Sandra Oldfield, Sandhill’s iconic winemaker Howard Soon, Rodney Strong, Sonoma winemaker Rick Sayre, Caymus Vineyards owner Chuck Wagner and—from Chile—Montes Winery chairman Aurelio Montes and Emiliana winemaker Alvaro Espinoza.

The spirited live auction, together with a silent auction, accounted for over half of the evening’s proceeds. The auction offered rare, valuable and unusual wines donated by some of the world’s top winemakers and private collectors. The auctions also included unique culinary packages featuring chefs and sommeliers from the West Coast’s top restaurants. Sponsorships, cash donations and a raffle also helped organizers raise over $250,000 for the regional theatre company.

Despite the haul from the wine festival soiree, it was not enough to save the venerable theatre company. Several weeks later, Playhouse board chair Jeff Schultz announced they would wind down operations after 49 seasons due to an insurmountable debt. A crushing million dollars in the red meant that it was curtain time for the Playhouse, 15 full-time employees and a reported 200 contractors.

Hours after the announcement, the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival issued a release assuring the public and grape enthusiasts the festival would still carry on.

“The Wine Festival is a separate society and will continue to stage one of the city’s premier festivals with our industry partners,” said Wine Festival board chair Randy Kaardal. “We look forward to hosting a successful and vibrant Festival for our patrons in 2013.”

The Playhouse Wine Festival is produced by the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival Society and operates the Festival independently, with its own staff, operations and offices. Since its inception in 1979, the Festival has raised over $7.2 million.

For 2013, it was announced the Festival’s Theme Region will be California and its Global Focus will be Chardonnay.

PHOTOS:

Image 1- (L) Wine Committee Chair Lawrence Burr, (R) Artistic Director Max Reimer

Image 2- (L) CBC’s- Gloria Macarencko, (R) Festival Director Harry Hertscheg

Image 3- (L) Incoming Gala Chair Brenda Mcallister, (R) Chair Vicki Prince-Wright

Image 4- Atmosphere shot

Photo: Jordan Bent

You know where you live is unforgettable; Barbara Adler wants you to prove it by playing the BC Memory Game.

Performing throughout British Columbia for the past decade, Barbara Adler visits a lot of cool places, promptly forgetting them as soon as she returns to Vancouver.

“Being on the road so much has resulted in a muddle of memories,” jokes Adler, a slam-poetry champ and former member of East Van folk band The Fugitives. “The BC Memory Game is my way of tackling this confusion head-on.”

Her concept is based on a kids’ card game called Memory. Whenever Adler visits a new town, she asks people there to join her for a story-sharing session, where they get a chance to teach her something memorable about where they live. She then shares her story with artist Jordan Bent, who creates a card to represent her memory.

She’s already got two towns, two stories and two memory cards in her virtual deck: Invermere and Hudson’s Hope. See the cards, listen to the stories and play along by submitting your own memories at thebcmemorygame.ca and badler.ca.

Adler’s next stop is Haidi Gwaii; she’s visiting as part of the BC Schizophrenia Society’s Reach Out program, which tours the province teaching youth about psychosis through music and poetry. While there, she plans to add a story about the Queen Charlottes to her BC Memory Game roster.

“I think it’ll be something about weather; I hear they get some pretty wild weather,” she says, adding that the stories she collects are “anything but tame.” (With talk of wolf pelts, mud pies and enemy cabbage on her blog, we believe her.)

Adler plans to spread the love for her home province further at the Winnipeg Theatre Fringe Festival this summer, where she’ll perform as part of glam-folk duo the International Tomorrow Society (internationaltomorrowsociety.com). From there, who knows? “The Memory Game may have to go national,” she says. “I’ve done enough travelling to forget a whole bunch of places across Canada, too!”

Photos by Sooke Harbour House

Exterior: Sooke Harbour House

World-class waves and wilderness meet award-winning accommodations on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island.

Blessed with spectacular beaches, Vancouver Island is a summer playground for lovers of sand and surf. While the Tofino and Ucluelet region is known internationally for its waves, oceanfront lodges, fine dining and art galleries, its neighbour to the southwest—the region stretching from Port Renfrew to Sooke—is a stunning destination perfect for those hoping to feel as though they’ve happened upon an unbeaten path.

STAY Situated on Whiffen Spit Beach, Sooke Harbour House is a destination inn renowned worldwide for its charming, West Coast-style accommodations and award-winning dining room. Dedicated to supporting local food producers and artisans, owners Frederique and Sinclair Philip have made their property a true showcase of the region’s natural bounty. Stunning original artworks by area artists line the walls throughout the inn, while guest rooms showcase locally crafted millwork and ceramics. Uniquely appointed with great attention to detail, each of the grand guest rooms features a wood-burning fireplace, an oversized soaker tub and/or misting shower, a bar stocked with port, coffee, tea and cookies and a private terrace—where guests take in views of the Olympic Mountains, the ocean and frolicking whales, seals and otters. Sooke Harbour House offers in-room spa treatments—including massages, wraps, scrubs, facials and aesthetics—that utilise herbal oils made with ingredients from the surrounding land and sea.

HISTORY Built in 1929, the idyllic clapboard farmhouse was purchased in 1979 by Frederique and Sinclair Philip. The couple had met in Nice in 1967 and soon discovered they shared a passion for cooking for friends, using local ingredients. With their children in tow, the Philips moved to Toronto in 1978. Having long dreamed of running a bed and breakfast in a way that echoed their lifestyle in France, the Philips were thrilled to come across Sooke Harbour House the following year. Since then, the couple has taken the property from five guest rooms to 28.

DINE Recipient of several culinary and wine awards over the years, the restaurant at Sooke Harbour House has long drawn food connoisseurs with its commitment to serving seasonal, organic cuisine sourced from the southwest coast of Vancouver Island. Seafood is served the day it is caught, while salad greens and herbs are pulled straight from the inn’s extensive on-site garden, where head gardener Byron Cook carefully tends to an oasis of over 200 edible plants. The restaurant’s daily-changing four-course menu might include dishes such as Vancouver Island freshwater crayfish tomato bisque, pan-fried Qualicum Beach scallops, roasted organic duck breast and artisan cheese from Hilary’s Cheese Company in Cowichan Bay and the Moonstruck Cheese Company on Salt Spring Island.

EXPLORE Under 40 kilometres from downtown Victoria, the hamlet of Sooke (population 10,000) is the gateway to Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, an area rich in old-growth forests, quiet beaches, marine life and wildlife (including bears and cougars). Within the 1,528 hectare park lies the Juan the Fuca Marine Trail, which stretches 47 kilometres along the rugged shoreline and is ideal for challenging multi-day hiking and camping expeditions. The village of Port Renfrew (population 200) is located 71 kilometres northwest of Sooke at the northwest tip of Juan de Fuca Provincial Park. The community serves as the southern entry point to the West Coast Trail, a strenuous, 75 kilometre hiking trail that runs north through Pacific Rim National Park Reserve to Bamfield. The region attracts all manner of nature lover, from seasoned surfers at Sombrio Beach and Jordan River to wildlife enthusiasts hoping to spot migrating gray whales and resident orca whales at French Beach Provincial Park. The crystal-clear waters at Sooke Potholes Provincial Park draw visitors wishing to swim and enjoy a picnic, while Avatar Grove—which garnered its nickname for its resemblance to the exotic forests in the movie Avatar—is home to stunning old-growth Douglas fir and red cedar trees. Intrepid travellers wishing to get a true feel for southern Vancouver Island can embark on the Pacific Marine Circle Route, which stretches from Sooke to Port Renfrew, turns inland to Lake Cowichan and Duncan and ends up back in Sooke.

With life unfolding frantically, many of us feel that there aren’t enough minutes in the day—yet we all share the same basic desire to be in a loving relationship. So what to do if you simply don’t have time to seek a partner? Being ready to date doesn’t require boatloads of free hours and energy. Following a few fundamental principles can put you in a constant state of preparedness to attract that special someone, no matter how busy you are.

Set realistic expectations

So many of us have monumental expectations of what our partner should be like. We’ve been brainwashed by Hollywood films and fairy tales—real life is different. Let go of your demands for superficial traits like height, hair, cars and jobs. We spend too much time imagining what our perfect mate will look like, sound like and be like. But the fact that you like dark hair doesn’t mean a brunette is going to share your thoughts on parenting. Yes, men often want looks and women often want security—but those alone are seldom enough. For the package to work long-term, make your list more comprehensive on many other levels.

Attitude is everything

If you want to be date-ready, the most important thing is to have a good attitude about it. You must possess a deep-rooted belief that there are good members of the opposite sex out there and that you will meet someone. Bitterness and hopelessness are things that others will easily detect in you. The energy you exude is powerful and the only way to give off the impression that you’re open to meeting someone is to believe so yourself. The simplest changes in attitude can reap dividends. Smiling is huge—you have no idea how differently people will react to you when you flash them a smile.

Terms of engagement

One of the biggest crimes in dating is a lack of engagement. Dating is not a job interview or a chore and it should be fun. Every new contact you make matters—it may not turn out to be a love match, but that person may still have something to offer you. Every extra window you open can lead to more and more opportunities in love. Always be mindful of how you treat others!

Do something proactive and break out of your comfort zone

Get off your backside and change the dynamic of what you’re doing to meet people. Do things you like to do so you can meet like-minded people—volunteer at an animal shelter or hospital, help out at a soup kitchen, coach a sports team. Go to art galleries, seminars, wine tastings, museums or sign up for a class. We are a super-active outdoorsy city, so take advantage and get outside.

Dating 101 Summary:

Dating is difficult. To avoid complete disaster, follow these simple guidelines:

Appearance: First impressions count—choose carefully how to present yourself.

Location: Make it classy. You should also be able to see and hear each other clearly on a first date.

Alcohol: Sure, have a couple of cocktails—but don’t make a fool of yourself.

Punctuality: Always be on time.

Courtesy: Always be polite—of course!

Technology: Turn off and hide your phone.

Duration: For a first date, an hour to an hour and a half is fine.

Focus: Stay present. Concentrate on getting to know your date.

Honesty: Relax and be yourself.