</p><p>Faith in love; Treat your sweetie to these sensual sweets; Singles out singles out; Can't we just get along? Date expectations; Cupid and the cubicle; Popping the question; Where to go for foods of love ... Will you marry me? Are you jealous? What do other cities have that we don't? We're No. 9! KC climbs out of pits If life were a movie she wouldn't be jaded I'll have the ice breaker... Hunter gatherings; A passing shot at KC's passive guys Adjusted to life in KC Online stories Before you post take note of these tips Aiming for Mr. Right; After four cyber-misses, I'm still holding out hope for a hit Life by the numbers Readers throw us their pick-up lines Mini makeovers; Readers rant Meet our makeovers; Meet today's mini-makeover Letter on the Kiss & Tell series Change is good Ronnetta Parks; `I had to come out of my shell' Ryan Livengood; 'Surround yourself with better people' Carolyn Bordner; `I would go out with him again' Mini makeover - conclusion `Outthere' after 35</p><p>Note: The story originally appeared Sunday,October 16, 2005</p><p>It's planned. The approach is always planned. Little bar interaction happens by accident.</p><p>Leah Schnare leaves the restroom, makes eye contact and shows a grin. The guy at the bar looks back, but doesn't seem to pick up on the signal.</p><p>He's watching television, oblivious, drinking a beer alone. She walks across the room. A tall blonde in a white button-down shirt. People notice. How could you not? Tonight, in Tomfooleries in Zona Rosa, she's looking hotter than pawn shop rims.</p><p>Then she sits down at a table with some friends, and the thing begins unraveling. It's ugly. As she tries to glance back at the guy, someone at the table knocks over a beer. The commotion kills the moment, and everyone around the table is in hysterics.</p><p>"Oh, (forget) it," Schnare says.</p><p>"She got all flustered," friend Stacia Timmons says, laughing.</p><p>The pick-up undone, the women sit around, share dating stories and spill the worst-kept secret in Kansas City. It's hard to date here.</p><p>In national surveys, Kansas City repeatedly is ranked among the worst dating cities in America. We were dead last in Sperling's 2004 "Best Dating Cities" poll. Even Wichita came in ahead of us.</p><p>How can that be? A place terrorized by a serial killer for nearly three decades is a better dating city? That hurts.</p><p>So The Star commissioned a poll of Kansas City singles ages 20-34. While nearly 60 percent say they are satisfied with their dating life, the other 40 percent are clearly unhappy. More women are unhappy than men. The thirtysomething singles are more unhappy than the twentysomething singles.</p><p>Just like this group of single women knocking back beers in the Northland. They don't need to see any more surveys. They see it most every time they're out. They are living proof. Young, attractive, successful - and alone. Even their families don't get it.</p><p>Schnare sighs and says, "My parents think I'm gay."</p><p>If you're single in town, you don't have a lot of options. Usually, you can hang out with:</p><p>A. Friends from high school</p><p>B. Friends from Mizzou, KU or some local college</p><p>C. A girlfriend/boyfriend that you've been seeing since the eighth freaking grade. (Often, one member of the couple is ridiculously hot and the other is a schlub. Must be a small-town thing.)</p><p>D. Co-workers.</p><p>At Tomfooleries, we had "B." A group of single women, having drinks after work on a Tuesday night.</p><p>Schnare's story is like that of a lot of area singles. She was raised in the small town of Carrollton, Mo., and thought Kansas City would hold all the answers. She imagined all the interesting people she'd meet.