I hosted a bit of a girls' night out Saturday, a going-away party for one of my friends, who is moving out of the country. The original plan was to get all purty, go out somewhere with fancy drinks and have a good time. Little did I know that there was an added plan: Find men for my eligible lady friends to meet and make out with.

(They're all recently single and/or moving to places where the chances of romantic dalliances are slim. And, oh yeah -- none of them live in Baltimore. What better reasons to find a cutie to canoodle with?)

We went to Ixia, which was a bust -- I suspect partly because the nitro bar was closed, partly because people are out of town for the summer and partly because all the men that hang out there were partying at Grand Central for Pride -- and then we went to Brewer's Art, which has panned out in the past for a few friends, but also yielded no results. I felt disappointed for my city.

So, in an effort to avoid this situation next time, this week's Friday Five is the best places in the city to hook up with someone. I'm not talking about meeting someone to spend the next six months to a lifetime with, I'm talking about places to meet a hottie for a casual kiss or fifty. Bars, lounges, movie theaters, restaurants, bowling alleys, there are no limits. I'll post my favorite suggestions on Friday.

(Photo by caz777 at stock.xchng)