You hear it all the time: “Washington is a hard place to date. Everyone’s married. Or a lawyer.”

We found it easy to buck that stereotype. We heard about hundreds of fascinating (at least on paper) bachelors and bachelorettes. The hard part was winnowing down the list, but we chose 20 who turned our heads.

Smart? Check. Witty? Yes. Cute? Definitely. Lawyer? Okay, we have a couple, but one spends his free time practicing Japanese swordsmanship and throwing swank dinner parties while the other is a laid-back gal who favors Mexican yoga retreats and strolling the city with her golden retriever.

The others on the list include a chef with matinee-idol looks and a taste for Steinbeck, a bubbly rabbi who’s as comfortable in the Costa Rican jungle as she is in front of Congress, and a theater director who’d rather whisk you off on safari than spend a first date at the movies.

You never know whom you might meet in the pages of a magazine. If one of them catches your eye, e-mail him or her at eligibles@washingtonian.com.

Eric Schaeffer, 43

Job: Founder and artistic director of the Signature Theatre in Arlington. Education: BFA from Kutztown University. Hometown: Fleetwood, Pennsylvania. Now lives in the Lacey Forrest section of Arlington and Hell’s Kitchen in New York City. Coolest thing you’ve ever done: I took a bush pilot and landed on top of Mount McKinley in Alaska. Or the time I had brunch with Fred and Liza. Favorite date spot: I’m still waiting to discover it, though nothing beats a Cher concert. Pets: Just the birds in my garden. How would you spend a lazy Sunday? At work. Monday is my day off. Where do you like to meet people? I have to depend on friends. There aren’t enough gay men in this line of work. Deal breakers: Dishonesty. Dream date: On safari in Africa, drinking a gin and tonic.