The park thing really creeps me out, but maybe I've watched a few too many crime dramas. It's not so much the place as it is the approach, you're right. I've had great conversations with guys in supermarkets, etc. Their approach was, well, normal, in the sense that my personal space wasn't immediately invaded, they didn't use a cheesy line or go straight to comments on my appearance. Of course, if I addressed every single right and wrong, I'd have written an entire treatise on the topic and not a short article, :)