I mean sure, we can talk about hobby things, but there does seem to be a proverbial line drawn at the mention of any possible romantic interest at hobby places just like there is at the gym. Sure it's easier to get a convo started, but it's still said to be rude to turn the convo towards the possibility of seeing each other for just a date as they're "just trying to enjoy their hobby and you shouldn't be here to meet women anyway you creep we have to deal with this everywhere..." and fair enough but that's because:

the most successful guy i knew in college was sleezy as shit and just asked every women he met and just didn’t care what they thought about it

So now respectful people have literally no recourse because women are complaining about your "successful friend" there, we either have to become the exact thing that helps create the problem and feels skeevy to those not already inclined, or go to the bar (in this economy?!), or pay for spyware apps to sell my data in the hopes I'll be one of the 5% of men who have success with those apps and then double hope I'm in the infinitely smaller percentage of people that can find actual love instead of hook ups on the hook up app. We're all aware of the Boomhauer technique man, we just don't want to use it because despite being "lonely" which seems to be a pejorative for "loser who would like love in his life" these days it's hard to change who you fundamentally are as a person just hoping one day you harass just the right lady at the damn Publix.