Our writer, Marisa, has already explored the world of naked yoga and local sex-ed workshops, among other things. In her latest, she's looking for love before Valentine's Day.

Truth be told, I don’t want a boyfriend.

I want something bigger, a pairing that rivals milk and cookies and evokes eye rolls, transcending the sappiest of love clichés. Not that I don’t relish all the freedom to make out with cute boys at rock shows. It’s just that I’m in that critical 27- to 34-year-old age range and— like my Sex in the City sisters—starting to feel a wee bit itchy living in a city heaping with workaholics and beautiful, fresh-faced dames.

 In my search for true love, I’ve been offered advice of the practical (“Don’t go to bars if you want to meet your future mate”) and the absurd (“If you want to meet a man, move back to D.C.”) nature. So with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I figured I’d try a few new avenues of love, suggested by those who love me.

Matchmaker Tip #1: “Put on your running shoes” → (CLICK TO CONTINUE)