The inaugural season of the Golden Bachelorette is underway, featuring Rockville’s Joan Vassos in the titular role. We caught up with the 61-year-old Landon School administrator to chat about dating in Maryland, getting spotted in the grocery store, and the special role Seacrets (yes, that Seacrets) has played in her family’s life. You’re from Rockville, you went to UMD, you talked about Ocean City early in the show—you’re a true Marylander. What does it mean to you to represent the state? I loved growing up here. I think Maryland is the best state ever. We have it all: We have beach, we have mountains, we have the Chesapeake Bay, we have great dining, we have culture, we have great schools. I don’t see why you’d live anyplace else. I don’t want more traffic, so don’t everybody come…it’s a great place to live, traffic is not great. I have to ask—you mentioned in Episode 1 that you and [Vassos’s late husband] John met at an Ocean City bar. Which bar is it? I know you’re thinking Seacrets, but that did not exist. But my kids almost all met their significant others in Ocean City, two of them at Seacrets, actually. Years ago, the Carousel hotel had a bar on the first floor that was really popular, and I met him at that bar. We did spend a lot of time at Fager’s [Island]. My kids and I still go there all the time. How has life in Rockville been different since the show started airing? Oh, just grocery shopping mostly. Apparently that’s my demographic, everyone in the grocery store knows me. At local restaurants and stuff, a little bit. Other than that, it hasn’t changed that much, honestly. I’m so flattered people want to say hi to me. When at the age of 61 do you get to do something like this? Usually they have a story to relate, it’s lovely. Do you have a local first-date spot you recommend? I did usually go in Bethesda because it’s central to a lot of people if they’re from DC or Virginia or whatever. I’d go to Woodmont Grill, I’d go to Black’s [Bar & Kitchen], I love Mon Ami Gabi. They all have nice bars, great atmosphere. Those three places were always good. How is dating on the Golden Bachelorette different from dating in Maryland? Totally different. Dating, not just in Maryland but in general, at this age is hard. I put it out there to my friends that I was interested in maybe meeting somebody and thought that somebody would set me up. Everybody was like, I don’t have anybody you would like or everybody I know is a couple. I thought, well, I’ll just meet someone out and about organically. That didn’t really happen either. Then I did a dating website. I didn’t love that—it felt like a job, you had to spend a lot of time texting strangers and trying to figure out if their profile is truthful, which I found out a lot of times it wasn’t. Dating on national TV, though, that in itself is weird. The guys are vetted for you. The producers know me pretty well. When they are vetting the men to come on the show, they are really looking for someone they think is great for you. Do you have any dating advice for DC-area singles? I had a tendency for going for the bad boys or people that are just epically fun, but when you’re thinking about what you want your life to look like, find the person who fits those categories. There were people on the show I pictured merging into my life, and I could go into theirs. And there are people on the show I really liked being with, but I thought, I can’t pick them because they’re not what I am ultimately looking for. Concentrate and aim for what you want your long-term person to be. Related5 Things to Know About Joan Vassos, Rockville’s Golden BacheloretteThe post Rockville’s Golden Bachelorette Joan Vassos Shares Her Favorite First-Date Spots first appeared on Washingtonian.