Los Angeles

The LEK

Approaching girls cold is a tough gig, with tentative icebreakers like "Come here often?" typically eliciting cliched responses, like the hissing of pepper spray hurtling towards your beady eyes. Let the internet defuse the situation, with LEK.

Organizing potential matches by hangout, The LEK's a Venice-based dating site whose name means "a place where animals gather for courtship behavior" -- not a high opinion of humanity, then again, you're the one dating online. Just input a few descriptors (hair color/eye color/build, etc) and up to five of your favorite "LEKs" (favorite spots -- more can be added later); then simply click "find matches based on my favorite LEKs" to get a list of profiles also containing your choices, or widen your net by searching for your soulmate under broader locale categories, from "bars and clubs" to "museums and art galleries" to "non-profit organizations" (for that wilding out at UNICEF crowd). There's no monthly fee, and LEK charges just 99¢ for your first email to a potential match, though for now they're waiving even that charge, so you can put it towards a diminutive chicken sandwich from your all-time favorite LEK's dollar menu.

The site also throws members events, including one tonight with an art show and free booze at their office on Abbot Kinney -- if you go there often, your LEK is LEK.

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