Singles should see Sorrento

This will not work for everyone: I met my husband at the gym. He waited about six months for just the right moment, then sauntered over to deliver the worst pick-up line in the history of dating.

I won’t tell you what it was. You’ll have to trust me.

As I say, I don’t recommend this method for everyone. I suspect you might have more reliable results at the Sorrento Hotel’s “Flirt in the Fireside Room” on the second Friday of every month.

If you’ve never been to Seattle’s Sorrento, let me tell you it’s a prime spot to find … well, let’s just say the sort of people you might want to meet. Not like the gym, which is a crapshoot at best.

Steel yourself with a liquid courage: a vodka-Midori- Cointreau-pineapple juice concoction created just for the occasion. A disc jockey sets the mood from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m.; jazz and contemporary musicians take over at 8:30 until 11:30.

The hotel asks that you help provide the quarry, in the form of a single friend you’re not romantically inclined toward. In essence, you’re looking at a tony, sexual swap meet.

At least there’s no heavy lifting involved. Or perky spinning instructors playing Van Halen’s loathsome “Jump.”

Good luck.

To find out more about the Sorrento, visit www.hotelsorrento.com or call (800) 426-1265.

Happy campers

On the other end of the spectrum, KOA Campgrounds celebrates its second annual Come Camp With Us Day on May 13.

More than 350 participating KOAs will welcome you to occupy one of 30,000 free campsites in the United States and Canada.

Nearby, your options are Leavenworth/Wenatchee; Bay Center/Willapa Bay; Port Angeles/Sequim; Winthrop/North Cascades National Park; Concrete/Grandy Creek; Burlington/Anacortes; Seattle/Tacoma; and Chehalis.

KOA Kamping Kabins at participating campgrounds are free, too, and some sites will even include an ice cream social so you can get to know your fellow campers.

To make reservations, go to www.koa.com. You can also call (406) 248-7444.

Pearly gates

There’s a lot of talk lately about the wonders of downtown living. If you’re curious to see how it’s done, check out the Pearl District Business Association’s first public home tour, Friday through May 22.

Portland’s fashionable Pearl District, once home to industrial warehouses and rail yards, now boasts coffeehouses, bakeries, brewpubs, more than 25 art galleries and a number of home furnishing stores.

“There is so much curiosity about the Pearl District. This is a very special and unusual kind of urban neighborhood,” says Edy Dorsen, marketing and business development consultant to the Pearl District Business Association.

The Pearl CitySpaces 2005 tour will let you poke around in some of the district’s residential spaces. Seven different spots in three building are included. Each has been decorated by local furniture retailers, specialty shops and art galleries.

“These are the newest living spaces in the Pearl,” Dorsen says. “They showcase a wide range of lifestyles, everything from a family-friendly space to a bachelor pad to a live/work space.

“We purposely selected units which are accessible and affordable to the public and outfitted them in a way that reflects how people live.”

Even if you’re not looking to buy, Dorsen thinks you’ll find the tour worthwhile.

“It’s going to be a wonderful showcase of home furnishings, art galleries and one-of-a-kind retailers,” she says. “We’re mixing old and new, and I think people are going to find lots of ideas they can bring back to their own living space.”

Tickets run $10 per day on weekdays (Monday-Thursday), $15 on weekends (Friday-Sunday), which includes transportation on the Portland Streetcar. They’re available online at www.pearlcityspaces.com or you can get them at two of the featured buildings, The Pinnacle at Hoyt Street Yards and The Louisa.

For more information, call the Pearl CitySpaces Hotline at (503) 288-5614.

Spelling birds and bees

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the Leavenworth (Wash.) Spring Bird Fest this weekend and my inability to find the word “flammulated,” as in “flammulated owl,” in any dictionary.

Two very nice people wrote to help me out. According to Mary Cutler, it comes from a Latin word meaning “little flame.” And Dan Davis, a forest wildlife biologist with the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, says the owl is indeed as hard to find as the word.

I’d say he’s qualified to judge.

Regional events

•Whoop-Up Days, May 21-22, Conrad, Mont. The fun gets underway with a free breakfast thanks to the Conrad Lions Club, followed by two parades, an antique car show, a rodeo, fun walk, softball tournament and more. (www.visitmt.com/406-278-3612)

•Cruzin’ to Colby, May 28-30, Everett. Hundreds of cars, a ‘50s and ‘60s concert featuring Johnny Limbo & the Lugnuts, a cruise along Colby Avenue, a sock hop and other car-related fun courtesy of Seattle Rod-Tiques. (www.cruzintocolby.com/ 425-337-9335)