Need I remind you that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, named – everyone presumes - after the 3rd century A.D. Roman saint whose name apparently was linked to courtly love. That’s what Wikipedia says, and of course, they’re never wrong.
Most men get a little weak-kneed this time of year and bring champagne, chocolates, roses and who knows what else to profess love for their love.
According to the History Channel – and they should know – Brits were celebrating the day way back in the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th century, it was common for friends and lovers to exchange small tokens of affection and handwritten notes. Americans got in on the act in the early 18th century. Things, though, really started happening around 1900 when printed cards took over from handwritten love notes. Progress?
Cheaper postage rates, though, made the Valentine card ubiquitous throughout the countries that celebrate the love fest each year, mainly the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K. France and Australia.
So, in the spirit of Saint Valentine, we bring you our first annual salute to lovers everywhere, courtesy of TimeOut, the self-proclaimed authority on entertainment, events and everything that’s happening in the most exciting cities in the world.
TimeOut asked about 11,000 people in cities around the world about dating in an effort to put together the top 10 best cities in the world for that sport.
And, voilà, Paris scores an 83 out of a possible 100 to claim the dating throne, followed closely by Melbourne with an 81. Is it just me, or does Melbourne win just about everything these days? I guess it wasn’t satisfied with being named the best place to live in the world.
I know you’re waiting breathlessly for the next eight cities, so here they are: Kuala Lumpur, or KL as many call it, is #3 with a 74, Beijing #4 (59), Chicago #5 (58), London #6 (55), New York #7 (52), Sydney (50) and Los Angeles (50) are tied for #8 and Tokyo is #10 (49).
In case the dating scene is of primary importance to your moving abroad planning, we bring you a few other bon-bons from the TimeOut dating survey:
- New Yorker’s are the least happy daters – it’s all that self-loathing and black clothes, I think
- L.A. daters give themselves the highest self-rating (8-out-of-10) – do I really need to explain?
- Worldwide, the average date is rated just 6.5 – sounds about right
- In Shenzhen, China, marriage is talked about on date number three – Uhhh, OK
- Danes in Copenhagen say dating feels like a job interview – hire slow, fire fast
- About 60 percent of daters worldwide say online dating is the way to go, except in Paris, where “going out and parties” are still the way to go – they must know, they’re #1
- Most people (41 percent) know within the first three minutes of their first date whether they want a second date - you knew that…right?
- Nearly three-quarters of both men and women in Paris and half worldwide do online investigation before their first date – have you seen “The Americans” on FX…you never know
Finally, lovers around the world agree that a British accent can really help seal the deal. American accents are #2 and Scandinavian accents are last at #10. But if you’re interviewing your date, who cares?
Happy Valentine’s Day!
