The best part about dating in the L.A. area is the infinite amount of options a guy and gal have on how to spend their evening. Last week, in pursuit of a little something different, my date and I went from drinks at one of the many So Cal secret locales, to an underrated but ever trendy dive in 4.2 seconds flat. The mix and match of the two trendy staycation destinations of the night was a combo that went together almost as well as his hipster taste in music and my onyx-inspired nails.

The thing that threw me into a state of unwarranted shock was his apprehension about mixing it up. When he asked if I was up for a dive (which let’s face it, is just as trendy these days as the newest WeHo happy place) I was totally up for a little lowdown dirty adventure. A good girl never refuses a challenge, and in order to prove that a gal can hack it, even in heels, we embarked on a night that was more than fairly fun as far as first dates are concerned.

So, driving through the city around the midnight witching hour listening to The Kills and looking for our next target was no less an obstacle than navigating the 405 mid-rush hour. These little drinking diamonds-in-the-rough are a fabulous way to let your hair down and see what a girl’s made of. I can’t deny that as much as I love the high-class feel of watching the city from above in some elevated lounge, my rock and roll soul feels just at home in a spot where chucks and a black cami count as couture.

There are those dates where you undoubtedly want to leave as soon as your eyes meet from across Ventura Boulevard, and then there are those really great rendezvous where it’s you, the boy, and the city reeks with renewed fascination. You remember why you keep engaging in the masochistic mingling of these intimidating little one-on-one interviews, and it’s because sometimes when the stars align, and the background music sounds like a Coachella playlist, you actually have fun. Even if it’s in a bar stocked with Costco-style alcoholic accoutrements. “It starts sometime around midnight, or at least that’s when you lose yourself for a minute or two,” blinded by the kitschy neon lights, and the surprising fact that you can have fun engaging in a little one-on-one, in the company of The Kills, and the hills.