Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with city

London's calling, and it's my turn to pick up the phone

The Shiny Thing — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:10:17 -0800

What can I do with two spare weekends in the Square Mile? I'm about to head over to London for three weeks, yay! But what should I see while I'm there?

Home base will be roughly near Mansion House tube station. This is terribly convenient on weekdays, but apparently that part of town is kinda dead on weekends.

So my question is, what can I do on my weekends off that will fill my brain with culture?

I'm mostly looking for cultural things - museums, bookshops, old buildings, and anything that's a little bit different, or off the normal tourist track. (Interesting photo opportunities would be cool, as well.)

There's the Tower of London nearby, sure; and the West End as well (although I don't know what specifically would be worth seeing). And having rummaged through some old threads, starting the day with a coffee at the London Review Bookstore sounds kinda awesome. But is there anything I'm missing?

(And I'll be at the meetup.)

NYC Limo/Van Referral Needed

Man with Lantern — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:39:33 -0800

I'd like a referral for a service in New York City that can provide transport for six people, and luggage, from Penn Station to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. There are dozens - if not hundreds - limo services to choose from so I just need help separating the wheat from the chaff. Thanks.

where can i study near 25th and 7th ave on sunday mornings?

nanhey — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:34:12 -0800

please get me out of starbucks: i need a place to study sunday mornings within a 5ish block radius of 25th Street and 7th Ave (new york city). HELP! I need a quiet-ish place to study between 10am and 1pm on sunday mornings. i'm pretty sure all the libraries close by are closed on sundays. anyone know a good place near 25th and 7th ave that would fit the bill? please don't make me go to starbucks again - it was beyond noisy

Slightly morbid bird question

Skyanth — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:10:17 -0800

Why do you never see dead birds in the city? I live in the city and close to water. My surroundings are full of ducks, swans, pigeons (yich) and gulls. Yet I never see one dead, except maybe if it was run over by a car. Why is that? Is there some secret bird cemetery they go to to die? Surely the gutters should be full of dead pigeons or something. God knows there's enough of them around. Or are they eaten by insects in record time? Disclaimer: I do not have an actual wish to see dead birds. I've just been wondering about this since forever.

Atlanta suburbs city limits?

Cyclopsis Raptor — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:09:50 -0800

I want a map that shows city limits of Atlanta, GA and it's suburbs. The only thing I can find is Fulton County's. Atlanta and the suburbs spread out over two or three (or ten) counties, and I want a map that would let me see all of the seperate city limits and town boundaries and all that mess. Basically, where does Atlanta end and, say, College Park begin? Only I want it for all the suburbs. I think Google Earth would let me do this, but I'd rather have an image of the boundaries with like the town name and nothing else.

What happened to the Holland Bar?

monospace — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:21:25 -0800

What happened to the Holland Bar in New York? I walked past and the gates were down! The phone is not being answered. Yet another NYC dive gone? What are my alternatives?

Where should I go?

brynna — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:00:36 -0800

Where in the continental US should I go? So I've searched the site and asked around, but I can't find any specific suggestions/advice.

Here it is - I have a free flight, courtesy of Southwest Airlines and I'm itching to use it.

Where can I go on the Southwest route (only flies to a limited number of cities) that follows these requirements:

* has a downtown area that's fairly close to the airport (can't rent a car)
* is considered a "walkable" city, or has an area to explore that is walkable
* is friendly to a young woman (me) traveling alone
* is good for 3-4 days of exploration (at the least)

Suggestions, please! I'm open to anything. Go!

"I've been out before but this time it's much safer in."

mykescipark — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:28:24 -0800

As an inveterate L.A. bike commuter (not to mention recently losing a close family member to cancer), this article made me wonder what sort of tests I should be having to measure the impact of particulate air pollution on my body. Recommendations? And how often? (I'm biking 30 miles a day in rush-hour traffic, year-round.)

Owning a dog in the city? What do I need to know?

doppleradar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:46:31 -0800

Owning a dog in the city? What do I need to know? It's been almost a year since my dog passed away and I've been thinking about getting another. I've had dogs my whole life, and volunteer at shelters when I can so I know about the basics of dog ownership, training, etc...

What's new to me is living in a smaller apt (and not having a yard) since I moved to Boston in January. I wouldn't adopt for another 6 months or so, but in the meantime I need to get educated on what it's like to be a dog-owner in a super-urban environment.

Do you get used to picking up the poop? Are dog parks only for purse-dogs? Is it even fair to get a dog if I'll be working most of the day? What am i not thinking of, and what tips/hints/resources/advice do you have for being a responsible pet owner in the city?

Bright Lights Big City

Jason and Laszlo — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:40:46 -0800

Book recommendation: Looking for a modern novel that revels in the modern metropolis: its mass of strangers, dark pockets, finds beauty in filth and filth in beauty. Examples: Witchgrass by Raymond Queneau, Bright Lights Big City by Jay McInerny, Paul Auster

It's urban scavenger hunt time!!

wile e — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:41:26 -0800

Bored on a lazy Sunday afternoon? How about helping me come up with ideas/suggestions on how I should plan an urban scavenger hunt? We're planning an urban scavenger hunt for a major city and was looking for some ideas/tips on what we should do. I've searched a bit online looking for help with planning, but have been coming up a bit short. It'll be for teams of 2-4ppl, and 10-20 teams.

The group will be mostly in the 20s and 30s age groups so it doesn't need to be aimed at younger crowds. I have found a lot of family/children ones though.

There will be the standard clues of finding historical places and taking photos of this or that, but I want this to be fun, crazy and maybe a little over the top! Ideas can include things that need to be accomplished. Or done with proof. We're open to all ideas, as this is not for an organized group. We're just looking for a fun adventure.

So has anybody done a really fun one? Have any crazy ideas? Are there any guidelines? Some book of rules that is published somewhere?

Not looking for city specific ideas, we have that covered. But for those curious, it will be held in Helsinki, Finland. A smaller city, that has great public transportation.

Any and all ideas/thoughts welcome!

Thanks!

Where bureaucracy and internet collide

jmnugent — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 04:59:23 -0800

Does the city you live in have a great website? What (specifically) makes it great? I'd like to revisit (and hopefully expand on) a similar question from 2006. While the preceding answers were acceptable, I'm hoping people will go into more specific details about what content or features makes their local city website joyfully useful.

As a citizen, I dont find myself going to the city website for much of anything. Its not a "bad" website per se, it has baseline functionality (pay bills, search library, find parks,etc) but its also disappointingly "utilitarian". There isnt anything "drawing me in". I'm hoping Ask.Mefi responses will include examples like:

"My local city website is drop-dead gorgeous!" (link)

"Almost all city websites have basic info w/x/y,etc , but my city has THIS" (link)

Active citizen forums?
real-time/live chat ?
unique (unexpected) e-services?
single sign-on to access all e-services?
easy navigation?
incentives for citizen involvement?
incentives for youth involvement?
A vibe that they actually "get" the web (concept)?

I realize its government and my expectations may be WAY to high, but (without saying to much) I'm hoping to become involved in making my local city website better - so seeing examples of how its "done right" might help me generate (or steal) ideas. :)

Fun things to do in Kansas City?

damn dirty ape — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:35:57 -0800

Fun things to do in Kansas City? I'm spending the weekend in KC and have a couple of things planned, but wouldnt mind hearing some other recommendations. What shoudlnt we miss? Where should we eat? What are some off-the-beaten path activities? Thanks.

Good used bikes in NYC?

jeffsimmermonTWC — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:50:07 -0800

Where can I find good used bikes in NYC? My girlfriend lives in DC, comes to visit me in NYC a fair bit. We'd like to start biking together in the city ... she's looking for a used/good enough bike to keep up here for her use on the weekends. Price range tops out around 400 bucks or so. She doesn't need the fastest thing on 2 wheels, just something to use to get around and have some fun with this summer.

Barring the "dude on the corner" approach which is just karmically a bad idea, do you guys have any suggestions?

The Projects

LoopyG — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 23:31:27 -0800

What are the New York City "projects"? I often hear the phrase "The Projects" in TV and movies. I understand they are an area of somewhat low-cost housing, and that it tends to be an "unsavory" neighborhood, but not terribly so. My question is, what exactly does it mean for something to be a project. Why are they there, how did they get there, and what does it mean today? Google and Wikipedia have been of little help.
Thanks MeFits!

I bought mine tuned.

tmcw — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:29:29 -0800

Would it be way too expensive to get some minor work (installing railroad spikes) done on my banjo... in Washington, DC? (vs. 'the suburbs' ?) If not, any recommendations of general instrument guru shop guys? (also, if you want to convince me to go for a sliding capo or just the Key of G all the time, go ahead)

How do I keep my rooftop apartment un-broken-in-on?

Anonymous — Fri, 23 May 2008 18:29:57 -0800

Parapet defense 101, or, how to discourage home invasion of an overly-fab rooftop apartment without turning it into a prison. My neighborhood is in the grip of a lasting wave of property crime -- not violent crime -- and is clearly a very low priority for the overtaxed police force. Our old-ass car was stolen last month, and last night at 2am there were people apparently going from rooftop to rooftop and our peaked (!) rooftop was repeatedly run (!) over. The ground floor apartments in my building have been broken into and looted while the owners were gone.

I moved here a decade ago when the neighborhood was safe, and my apartment has all kinds of nice features which are now liabilities: big skylights, big terrace with big terrace doors, roof access.

I don't think the crime wave is permanent. It has been closely tracking the diminishing economic health of the neighborhood, which is gradually showing signs of improvement. So, here are some givens:

1. Robbers here are not likely to carry firearms or come in prepared to do violence. The usual profile is a junkie or teen boy who wants to steal your stuff to resell if it doesn't look too difficult to get away with, i.e. no one seems to be home.

2. A thief who woke us up would probably tend to feel that they had chosen the wrong house. Our electronics are old and ugly (big 12-year-old CRT TV, too heavy to walk away with, and it's defective!), and we are unusually wealthy in aggro. Any attempt at entry would be loud and slow going unless executed by a Mission Impossible - style catburglar, which isn't what we're talking about here. But I have a good laptop, which is expensive and has expensive data on it, and of course the safety of the other resident and myself is priceless.

3. We don't just want to wrap everything up in security gating. Moving would be prefereable to waking up every morning in darkness and cranking up the cage doors before we can see the sun.

I would love to hear any advice on how to make our place more unattractive to the shitheels who may be casing it. I am considering moving, so it isn't necessary to point out to me that there is a lot at stake, OMG, get out of there right now! I'm not blasé. I'm also trying to see if there is any neighborhood watch possibility. But while I'm thinking about moving and neighborhood watching, I would also like to consider methods of jackass deterrence. My question is about practical ways of dissuading the kinds of not-super-violent, effort-averse thieves that we're plagued with around here at the moment. For instance, I was thinking motion detector that shined a very bright light when someone is on the terrace after 1am, to start with. I would be grateful for your ideas along these lines, particularly regarding the terrace, which is the weakest spot. Feel free to contact at bringing.arbalest.back@gmail.com. Thank you!

New York City, please

hangingbyathread — Thu, 22 May 2008 11:51:31 -0800

NewYorkCityFilter: I'm headed to New York City this weekend, staying midtown. It's somewhat spur of the minute but I was wondering if any MeFites have suggestions of current things to do, places to eat and drink, etc. I love trying new places, eats, visual, audible, sensual stimulations. Anything discussed on Mefi recently? Thanks.

People who need people are the luckiest people in the world. Even online.

miss lynnster — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:19:07 -0800

I'm looking for great examples of local/city networking and information sites that really offer something useful/fun to both visitors AND residents of a community. Sites that people enjoy using as a regular resource to enjoy and really embrace a specific place and what makes it tick. Do you know of any really kickass city websites that have rocked your world? Or what about sites that try really hard but don't quite work... what do you like/not like about them? What are they hitting or missing for you?

I'm imagining stuff that's maybe a cross between creative loafing (with events, etc.), gridskipper (cool map tours), with a kinda snarky vibe and active community forums & stuff a la television without pity.

If any of that makes sense.

And if you DON'T have a cool community site to suggest, what would you really love to see in one that would MAKE it totally rock your world? What would hook you into checking a city's site regularly? What would turn you off and lose your interest?

Lets list some useful economics textbooks for beginners

dragontail — Sun, 18 May 2008 09:53:49 -0800

Can you recommend any books that cover fundamental economics at a beginner level? I'm reading Natural Sciences at uni here in the UK, but my aim has always been to work in The City/Finance Industry. Note that this is not because of the high pay blah blah - I've been on a small internship and I'm genuinely interested.

Being a scientist, I have little true knowledge of Economics, although I do have a basic knowledge of Business Studies at GCSE. (I also did Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics at A-Level). Thus, I probably need to read up for any chance of employment down the line.

I'm looking for books to aid me in this cause. Any good, introductory "first year univeristy/A-Level standard" Economics textbooks for newbies that you can recommend? Like basic macro level stuff, supply and demand, etc, although you'll probably know better than me, so I'm open to all suggestions.

Blog Cleveland?

cachondeo45 — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:34:04 -0800

Cleveland filter: New job, new city! Fun, hip, alternative, informative blogs? So I just got a cool job in Cleveland, and I'll be migrating from Austin, Texas. I am SO sad to leave Austin, although I am excited about the new opportunities in Cleveland. I was wondering if you know of any alternative blogs that talk about organic living, indie music (kind of like this one in Columbus), liberal political themes, etc. in and around Cleveland. I found a good food blog, and a neat all-purpose commentary on Cleveland blog, but I'm looking for more.

Help me, Clevelanders!

Tips for a 'City Chase' first timer?

imaswinger — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:29:51 -0800

Anyone have any tips for a City Chase first timer? I just found out about it this morning, so I'm pretty clueless (and it's in two days).

Which books are most representative of each city?

reenum — Tue, 06 May 2008 22:21:37 -0800

What one book will allow others to gain the truest insight into the soul of each city or region Inspired by this recent Metafilter post and blatantly stealing the idea (and some text) from this AskMe post, I have decided to try and read a book about all of the major cities in the United States and the world. I've seen AskMe's in the past about various cities, such as London and New York.

So: which single book from each city is most revealing of the lifestyle, customs, struggles, and spirit of that nation? I lived in San Francisco a while back, and I would recommend any of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City' books to get a true idea of life in the City.

I'm sick of the city.

grrlaction — Sun, 04 May 2008 18:11:47 -0800

How far would I need to travel from a tower 100 feet high before the sight of it would become obscured by the horizon? I'm wondering, also, where in America I could go and have literally no break in my line-of-sight. I'm tired of being crowded in by buildings.

Chiropractors in Salt Lake City, Utah

birdlips — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:39:37 -0800

Do you know of a good Chiropractor in Salt Lake City, Utah? I am trying to find a good Chiropractor in SLC and I am having a hard time. There are too many of them to make an uninformed choice and I don’t know anybody here with an opinion on the matter. I want to avoid the Chiropractors that use rocks and other more holistic techniques. I want the good old snap and pop types, however, in a modern environment and hopefully well versed in their industry.

Thanks!