Lucy, 25

What do you do?
I own a sunglass shop online. It's called Paola Loves To Shop.

Do you get a lot of dates from your job?
Yeah, it impresses guys a lot when I say I own my own business. It impresses guys, and so does my butt.

What's the best date you've gotten from your job?
My first boyfriend, it sort of intimidated and impressed him that I had my own small business, so he ended up paying for dinner. We went to Spork and he forked over like $120 for dinner. That was the most anyone has ever paid for me. It was an amazing date, and it wasn't just the price. It was fun.

So obviously he was a keeper.
Well, we broke up because he ended up shaving off his eyebrows... because he was bi-polar.

Let's shift gears then. What's the craziest place you've ever hooked up?
I've hooked up in an old-school elevator. We kept going up and down in the elevator.

How literal.
We just kept pushing the first floor and the seventh floor buttons, and it was a really slow elevator, but it was amazing.

How long were you in there?
Enough to go from the first floor to the seventh, twice. And then we went to the rooftop, and that was the climax of it all. It was in the middle of downtown San Francisco, so we got views of all the buildings.

You mentioned earlier that you lived in L.A. for awhile. How would you compare the dating scenes in L.A. and San Francisco?
I prefer San Francisco — I'm in love with the city. I went to high school in L.A., and all the guys were full of themselves. They think they're the shit, and they're not — no one cares. I think that's pretty much all of L.A. I love San Francisco because I'm not a superficial person, and I like a more real experience.

Would you say guys in San Francisco are into more realistic women?
Definitely. In L.A., I always felt like I wasn't attractive because I wasn't tall and blonde. I was short and stout and voluptuous.

What's the craziest thing you've ever done to have sex?
I bought a cock ring for the guy I wanted to have sex with, and he didn't want to use it. He was like, "I just don't see the point in it." Well, and there was this guy that I dated, and I got really drunk and we ended up having sex. And while we were fucking, he kept calling me "cochinita," which in Spanish means "little pig," and he kept snorting in my neck. He thought it was hot, but I laughed because it was so uncomfortable. I was like, "At least call me a lion or a tiger or a bear. Not a pig. Pigs aren't hot, and Jewish people don't eat them for a reason."

 

Sam, 23

Where do you drive your pedi-cab? In Golden Gate Park?
No, around the Embarcadero and Fisherman's Wharf.

Have you ever gotten any dates from hot tourists?
No, I haven't, but lately I've really been hoping that it would get me a date. 'Cause we're out there, getting a lot of sun and looking really fit, and you'd think I would get approached more, but I really don't. The only thing I get is awkwardly hit on by older women.

They flirt with you?
It's not awkward, I guess. They're just like, "Oh, he's cute!" But I don't get people my age who are attracted to me, or who I'm attracted to. I catch people's eyes, but that's about it. Pretty much just the older, boozed-up women are the only ones who flirt. I wish people my age had the same approach. It just doesn't seem to work that way.

Well, what do you do when you approach women?
I really don't have any game whatsoever. I'm just not so much an extravert — I'm more of an introvert. I've never really pushed myself to hit on people. But you've got to put some effort in at some point if you want something to happen.

How long have you lived in the city?
Five years, on and off. I'm from Rhode Island. I alternate summers here and there, since I go to S.F. State.

How would you compare the dating scenes in Rhode Island and San Francisco?
In Rhode Island it was more about dating people you grew up with. I grew up on an island within Rhode Island, and it was really small and really tightly knit. Here it's more about going out to different neighborhoods and different parties and trying to meet people that way.

When was the last time you had sex?
A month ago. My ex-girlfriend had just gotten back from a five-and-a-half month trip to Europe, so I hadn't seen her in awhile and she was staying at my place. It was tough, because she met a girl in Italy when she was working on a farm and they were kind of dating.

So that's why you guys broke up?
Well, we broke up before she left, because we both wanted to have a good time. We didn't want to try long-distance. And we were on the rocks, anyway.

Was post-breakup sex better than the relationship sex?
Actually, I think the best sex we had was when we had kind of broken up while we were still living together. During that time, we would go through these waves of absolutely hating each other, and then sex would rekindle everything, so that sex was really good. It was right before we left and it was all over the place, which was kind of how we felt about each other.

Would you say that relationship sex is better than one-night-stand sex?
For the most part, but not necessarily. There's definitely a lot of bland sex — just straight up, she was on top until I came, and she didn't always have her orgasm. I think she probably got pissed about that. It got really repetitive. Every once in awhile we'd have really awesome sex, but it wasn't every night. But as far as one-night-stand sex, that's nice too, but I like being in a relationship and getting to a certain comfort level where you can really explore more things.

What would you say is the best way to get your attention?
Approach me, just cause I'm probably not going to do it.

 

Xochitl, 24

Do you get a lot of dates being a preschool teacher? There must be a lot of hot single dads out there.
Well, I currently have a boyfriend.

How long have you been living in the city?
Six years. I came here from L.A.

How does the dating scene in L.A. compare to the one here?
The big difference is really about space. It's easier to come to a place in San Francisco and see the same people over and over again. It's like a small town in a big city, so anything you do kind of comes back to you in the middle of the night when they walk into the bar when you least expect it. L.A. is segregated and everyone has their niche, so you know who to expect more or less, but if you branch out, you're usually fine.

Tell me your craziest hookup story.
I participated in a threesome once with some swingers on Cinco de Mayo. I was single and out at a bar, and this really hot couple just started talking to me. They asked me where I was off to after the bar, and when I told them I was going home, they were like, "You know, you can go back to our home if you wanted to." That opportunity doesn't present itself all the time.

So how did you meet your boyfriend?
At a karaoke night.

What song did he sing?
He didn't! But I sang Eddie Murphy's "Party All The Time." It was a friend of a friend's birthday party, I didn't know anyone, and so I kinda coerced him into coming back to the party with us.

So what's the craziest thing that you've done to have sex with someone?
I probably couldn't remember that I had done it.

Do you think you have to be in love to have truly great sex?
No! I don't. I think that there are different levels of sex, and I don't think that making love is the best sex. I think that that is a certain kind of sex that is invigorating and rewarding, but I think that sex for the sake of sex is also entirely valuable. And on it's own terms. I think that sex is its own need.

Do you believe in love at first sight?
I believe in attraction at first sight. They've done studies where these women were allowed to choose a mate based only on their smell. They were only given an article of clothing and allowed to smell it. And most of the time, they selected the mate that was genetically best for them. I really value what love is, and I think it goes so much more beyond attraction at first sight — it's something that you genuinely decide to invest yourself in, so much so that you decide you're going to invest more than yourself.

So are you in love?
Yes!

Interviews and photography by Monica Miller. Want to talk to strangers in your neighborhood? Email .