Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with local

What are some local specialties that I don't know about?

achmorrison — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:22:19 -0800

I am looking for foods (dishes, sandwiches, entrees, desserts, salads, whatever...) that are unique to a particular region. For example, many people have heard of Philly cheese steaks, Maryland crab cakes, and Chicago-style deep dish pizza. But, I'm interested in learning about lesser known (or well known to some, but not me) dishes.

For example, in central Illinois there is a sandwich called the horseshoe which made with the bottom of hamburger bun, then a meat (usually hamburger patty, ham or turkey) topped with french fries and slathered in nacho cheese sauce.

Another example is the "loose meat sandwich" which is popular in certain parts of Iowa. The most well known example of this sandwich is made by a restaurant chain called Maid-Rite.

I really want to know about the dish itself and the region that it is popular in.

Thanks!

Print is dead; help me replace it

TochterAusElysium — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:16:34 -0800

What's the best platform for a local community news and events site? I've volunteered to set up a site which will serve as a news source, events calendar, and community hub for an area encompassing three or four small cities. I've done personal blogs, and a single-area blog in Blogger, but for this larger project I'd like to expand my options. Is Wordpress a better way to go?

Are there other platforms I should look at? I know Ning is dead or dying (or so I've heard) but it seemed to have the flexibility to do something like this. I don't mind learning a new system, but I'm not a programmer, so I don't feel ready to build a site from scratch. Ideally, there is a pre-existing community news platform that I can customize to be exactly what is wanted.

Also, do you know of any local blogs or community news sites that are well-designed and useful that I could look at as reference?

Many thanks in advance!

Where to go in Bellevue, Washington and Surrounding Eastside?

Redmond Cooper — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 16:21:16 -0800

Looking for Local happenings blogs like Seattlest and company, but for the Eastside. Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah, Bothell, Renton, Woodenville and the surrounding areas Basically I'm looking for blogs that list current events that are happening in their coverage zone. Right now I seem to get most of my, "Oh that sounds like fun" events from Seattle based blogs and friends in Seattle. The only problem is the only events I usually know about on the eastside come from friends and what I notice posted in the library.

Redmonds filled with Microsofties so there has to be a few good local blogs there right?

Thanks

What Public Radio station doesn't interrupt Morning Edition & All Things Considered with local programming?

wuntu — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:09:49 -0800

What public radio stations, with an internet stream, broadcast NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered without local programming segments? I listen to Morning Edition and All Things Considered, but don't care for the locally generated content. (I get my local news elsewhere, and the quality of the local programming isn't that great/of interest.)

So I'm looking for an MP3 stream of a station that doesn't have any local parts that interrupt ME and ATC.

I found a small station that did this (at least with Morning Edition), but I can't remember what it was.

Podcasts aren't available for ME and ATC. I'm also interested in listening to this "live" so a podcast wouldn't suffice.

Is skill or motivation more important?

scarykarrey — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:25:51 -0800

I'm a little short on skills but large on motivation. Should I start working on growing my community's web presence, or leave it to the pros? I've been building and maintaining websites since the 90s, although I wouldn't call myself professional by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not a programmer, know only the basics of html, and usually use already-developed systems like Wordpress or SMF Boards to automagically create and maintain sites.

I'm very interested in developing websites dedicated to various aspects of my local community, to which I am very devoted. I have no interest in making money off of these websites, although I realize that such endeavors have the potential for income of some form or another. Should I go ahead and start developing these sites, getting them going to generate interest in the community, and then maybe hand them off to others who are more qualified to run them once they've gotten bigger than I'm capable of handling? Or should I just wait for the pros to start them themselves and stay out of the workflow altogether?

Where can I go to hear a klezmer band or a large steel pan ensemble in South Florida?

6and12 — Thu, 28 May 2009 05:12:30 -0800

Where can I go to hear a klezmer band or a large steel pan ensemble in South Florida? I know that these two types of music might not seem to have much in common, but I'm asking about them both because it seems to me that one would find both in abundance in South Florida. However, Google as I might, I haven't had much luck. I've been to see the Florida Memorial University steel band before, and they're quite good. I think they only play a few shows a year, though. As for local klezmer, I haven't had much luck at all. I've seen a few klezmer bands passing through (The Klezmer Conservatory Band, The Vulgar Bulgars, The New Orleans Klezmer All Stars), but none that are based in South Florida.

Can anyone suggest any steel bands or klezmer bands that play locally on a regular basis? I live in Broward, but I'm willing to drive.

Local Bike Shops in Pasadena, CA

onich — Sun, 24 May 2009 18:44:32 -0800

Please recommend a bike shop near Pasadena, CA I'll be moving to Pasadena, CA and the commute to work will be about 7 miles in local roads. AskMe has convinced me to buy a bike and commute to work so my question is: Where do I go to buy a bike? I'd like to go to find a local bike shop so that I can pick someone's brain about which bike to buy. I'd appreciate recommendations of knowledgeable staff, decent prices and a good selection of bikes and parts.

I'll also appreciate it if you can also get me started with a few questions to ask. I really have no idea of what I'm looking for in a bike.

Aside from work, there will be hiking/biking trails near where I'll live so I'd like to be able use the bike for both.

I'll appreciate bike and bike trail recommendations as well. It's going to be my first bike since I was a child.

If it's relevant, I'm not in great shape, but hopefully, biking to work will help.

Thanks in advance, folks.

Car column possible?

Groovytimes — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 22:19:20 -0800

What resources are there for getting a car column into a local paper. This question isn't so much about me as it is for my father. He works in the auto industry as a service manager at a local dealership. He came to me today asking about starting a web page which would answer individual car questions, debunking myths, etc. After discussing many options we came to a conclusion that what our local paper needed was a column that dealt with just this issue. It would be similar to an "Ask Amy" column but for cars, kind of like Click and Clack (If you listen to NPR). My questions are:

1) Is this realistic?

2) How should he prepare a proposal to submit to our local paper?

3) Are there any resources which provide information on starting your own column?

We live in a town with about 100,000 residents, most of which commute to the nearby city central.

Not at all kinky, sorry

indyz — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:07:48 -0800

Where can I find 2mm-4mm neoprene in the Chicago area (preferably the northern suburbs)? I'm looking for the stuff that is fabric coated on both sides. I can find it all over the place online, but I'm not having any luck with local suppliers. I'd like to buy locally because I'm in a bit of a time crunch and I'd like to make sure I'm getting what I need. My hopefully not-too-restrictive requirements: The exact thickness isn't that important. Color doesn't matter, but I'd prefer to get black on one side. I only need a few square feet and the exact dimensions of the piece(s) I buy doesn't matter as long as I can get a half-dozen 6"x6" squares out of it. I'd prefer to avoid used material or chopping up existing products (wetsuits, mousepads, etc).

what do you wish you would have known when you picked out your CSA?

ialwayscryatendings — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:13:07 -0800

For those of you who have gotten shares in a CSA, what information do you think would be helpful to someone trying to choose which CSA to participate in? More specifically, any recommendations on CSAs in the Twin Cities area? I work at a twin cities food co op, and am trying to put together a guide to local CSAs that we can offer to our customers. There is some information available online, but much of it is outdated and difficult to navigate, plus there are so many factors to consider that it's difficult to organize the information. For those that have experience with CSAs, what information do you think would be helpful to someone choosing which CSA is right for them?

So far, I'm thinking I could make a chart showing cost, what kinds of foods are generally offered, how much food is included in each share, when the food will start and finish arriving, how often shares will arrive, how food will be obtained (whether it can be delivered or must be picked up), whether food is organic, a little general information on the farm itself and whether they offer any other opportunities for share owners (like visits to the farm/recipes etc).

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! And, of course, if you have any experience with a twin cities CSA, I would love to hear about it. Thanks so much!

Tankless in Denver

boo_radley — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 11:44:09 -0800

Localfilter: I live in Denver, and I'd like a tankless water heater. Who can I trust? My wife would really prefer a Rheem tankless, but I'm open to other options as long as they're dependable. We've had terrible luck with Lowe's and Home Depot sub contractors, the former having shortened our current tank water heater's life considerably.

Does buying local really help the community?

proj — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:38:12 -0800

Buying local: Facts and fictions. Help me sort through the arguments about buying local as I get inundated with requests to do so this holiday season. Local businesses have launched an initiative to "buy local" and have started making claims such as "for every $100 spent at a locally-owned business, $45 goes back into the community and local tax base. For every $100 spent at a chain store, only $13 comes back." This seems a) outlandish and b) impossible to actually know.

It's my understanding that money can't "stay" in a community any more than air can "stay" in a community. The products that many of these people are selling are made in other cities, states, and countries. Merchants may or may not live in the community that houses their business and they themselves may not exclusively "buy local" hence the money that you are trying to keep in the community has effectively left the community.

I also know arguments about increasing the size of the "pie", i.e., commerce helps provide jobs in other countries and helps the situation of people outside the community as well.

Is this misguided? Something about the "buy local!" campaign raises my hackles as being insular and based on false assumptions. Am I wrong? Is this doomed to be an ideological question? Please provide arguments one way or the other (citations would be great as well!)

Rock My City

Miko — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:13:02 -0800

How do you make a town more local-music-friendly? What things can individuals, businesses, and cities do to encourage a better local music scene? I come from a small city in New England. In many ways, it has a thriving local music scene.But there are reasons to be concerned about the health of local music. The number of venues, particularly the 100-300 person type venue that is so important for regional touring acts, has declined as a major room closed and another is in financial straits. A few bars provide local music 7 nights a week, and there are a few successful music series that draw a consistent crowd. But crowds are getting smaller and, overall, it seems like the scene is in a slump.

Tonight I'll be attending a meeting of musicians, venue owners, and music fans to generate some ideas about reviving the scene. What are some things we could put on the table? How has your town or city used its resources to encourage the development of the scene? What makes your town music-friendly (or not?)

What we have:
-a number of active cultural leaders, including a great alternative newsweekly, an indie bookstore active in the culture scene, a real brick and mortar record store, a bunch of small venues, a few larger venues but farther afield, some coordinated music marketing in the form of this website, a good summer concert venue (but weather-dependent), some awesome music-focused annual events like the RPM Challenge

What we lack:
-affordable housing, population density, a lot of young people (the closest college is about 20 minutes away), large rooms, good 'draw' strategies to get people out, and .....?????

We might look at things like:
-developing alternative venues
-promoting - encouraging people to learn the art of promoting
-workforce/affordable housing - are 'creatives' being driven out of the market because of high real estate prices?
-attracting audience - how, when, what gets people out the door?
-genre variety - who goes out to hear music? What kind?
-neighbor issues, ordinances, etc
-festivals
-scene 'branding'
-whatever you recommend! What works where you live?

Please flood me with ideas! Thanks!

What would you want brought to you from Philadelphia?

killerinsideme — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 10:55:45 -0800

What should we bring from Philadelphia as gifts for people we're visiting? My boyfriend and I are taking a road trip south in a couple weeks! (Gas prices rising, global climate changing - who wouldn't drive from Philly to Georgia in August?) We'll be stopping by to see various friends - some of whom I haven't seen in years, none of whom have any friends in or experiences of Philadelphia. What should we load the car up with for distribution? Cheesesteaks won't keep and Yuengling seems to be widely available. I was thinking Tastykakes, but he thinks they're more widely available than I realize. I foolishly didn't stock up on Zitner's Butter Krak eggs this past Easter. Is DiBruno Brothers local/unique enough that I should pick up goodies from there? What haven't I thought of?

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. :)

Comprehensive, authentic, good Italian cookbook?

sirion — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 06:55:50 -0800

Italian Cookbook: I'm going to live in Italy for 2 months this summer. Tell me what cookbook I should bring along! I'd like to come out of Italy with some favorite recipes that I first experienced authentically in restaurants there and then figured out how to reproduce. I'd like a relatively comprehensive cookbook that I can go to when I eat something I like and look up what was in it and how it's made.

(Side question: What food stuff (,spices, cookware, etc) should I bring back from Italy that's hard to get outside the country?)

please, someone get Verizon out of my life

Capri — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:44:10 -0800

How do I find out which phone companies provide local service in my new home? I'm moving to a house in Washington state that previously had a Verizon landline, so I called Verizon to set up a landline myself. I really should have just shot myself.

I want to get my landline from a different company. Any company. Even "We Suck Phone Service." (It can't be worse.) How can I find out what phone companies provide local phone service to my home? The helpful people at Verizon told me I have no choice, it's them or no landline. I am not inclined to believe anything they say, but don't know how to go about finding out the truth. (Please let it not be that they are my only choice.)

(I have no interest in going without a landline, so suggestions along that line really won't help. But thanks for thinking of me anyway.)

Best and cheapest storage in the San Fernando Valley?

quarantine — Wed, 07 May 2008 07:49:24 -0800

Downsizing -- wife left me -- and moving to Woodland Hills, California (CA). I need storage. Help? I'm moving into a two-bedroom apartment with my old college roommate, whose marriage fell apart just as mine did.

I'm looking for inexpensive storage in Woodland Hills. I've Googled, but an insider would know better.

I'm a bookseller, and my inventory is not going to fit in the new apartment. I'm looking for, essentially, warehouse space.

One of those drive-up carport types would probably be best. A room in a big building would be second-best. One of the "palletized" ones where they bring your stuff down for you to look at is a no-go, as I'll want to retrieve items several times per week.

I'm looking for at least a 10'x10' area, and I'd like to spend less than $170/mo for it.

For bonus points, one within walking (or biking) distance from Topanga Canyon and Vanowen (or just southeast of that) would be wonderful!

Angie's List?

Paleoindian — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:02:07 -0800

angie's list? I'm interested in hearing about people's experiences using Angie's List. It's touted as a help for locals but the company is headquartered in Indiana and their NJ (where i live) office is in Manhattan.

I wanted to give it a shot, but balked at the fees. I want to use it or another unbiased site for business and service reviews.

Any suggestions?

Oh, right... peak oil. What should we eat?

pseudostrabismus — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 13:45:03 -0800

Seeking ideas for healthy, balanced, kid-friendly meals that use local (ideally Ontarioan) ingredients, don't require the expenditure of electricity, and could be made by an 8-year old with minimal supervision? I'm doing some work for a youth organization, and we're trying to help kids understand the amount of energy that goes into getting food to their door. As a challenge, I want to suggest a few meals (breakfast, lunch, snacks, or dinner) that are healthy, kid-friendly, and extremely planet-friendly. The guidelines:

1. Local- Should use foods that are locally grown (Southern Canada). The foods don't have to be organic- I'm hoping to keep costs down so the recipies are accessible to all income brackets.

2. Accessible- The ingredients should be easy to find- say, even at a rural grocery store- and easy to prepare, not daunting and unfamiliar (no sprouted-spelt-germ type recipes), so that the meal is easily recreatable.

3. Human-powered- To show kids how reliant we are on electricity, I was hoping to find meals that required no electricity to prepare- so no oven, and bonus points if no food processor. But also no campfire- these must be indoor recipes.

4. Healthy- The meal must be balanced, with a good protein source.

5. Peanut-free- Because of the prevalance of peanut allergies, avoiding peanuts is probably best. Other kinds of nuts are probably ok.

6. Kid friendly- Ideally a second-grader (7-8 yrs) could make this meal, almost unsupervised. Using a knife is fine.

7. Tasty- Kids and parents should enjoy eating whatever-it-is.

It's okay if these meals turn out to be big, varied salads, or little tapas plate collections- I've been thinking about this for a few days and that's what I've mostly come up with.

If you feel there's some aspect of "planet-friendly" I could re-examine, I'll welcome your advice on those topics as well- I've done some research, but I don't pretend to be an expert.

Thanks in advance, and I look forward to your suggestions!

Please recommend me a dentist in Cambridge, UK?

talitha_kumi — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 02:57:59 -0800

Please recommend me a dentist in Cambridge, UK? My husband and I both need to register with a dentist. I just need a check-up; he likely needs remedial work. We'd prefer to register as NHS patients with the option of paying for private treatment as and when necessary, so a practice that provides both would be best for us.

Not for Tourists Toronto

beezy — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 10:34:10 -0800

I'm visiting Toronto this weekend (Virgin Festival), and I want to see stuff that's cool for the locals, not just the stuff that everyone does - I'm in it for the local, the weird, the off-beat, and the unique. So, if someone were coming to DC, I'd point them to the National Building Museum (vs. the schlocky Air & Space), Ben's Chili Bowl, the 9:30, the Phillips, tea at the Willard, and the Hirschorn. Don't forget to see Einstein and the Temperance Monument. Plus, I'd tell them to hoof it up to Baltimore for the Museum of Outsider Art. I've checked the threads on eating and general travel, but I need to get off the beaten track.

Crowdsourcing holiday fireworks?

bicyclefish — Tue, 22 May 2007 08:49:32 -0800

On holidays in your part of the world, do people gather to do mass-launchings of small fireworks? It was Victoria Day yesterday here in Toronto (as it was elsewhere across our fair Dominion), which meant Victoria Day fireworks. Thousands of people lined the beaches that make up the city's eastern waterfront to watch the main event.

Now, I've always known fireworks to be a fairly one-sided event. People set off a few store-bought ones in their backyard, then gather along waterfronts to watch the real thing.

But down along the Beaches last night, the neatest thing happened: hundreds of people amongst the crowd brought their own backyard fireworks, and for the 45 minutes or so before the main fireworks, set them off along the beach in a steady, nonstop, miles-long stream of flares. The popping lights stretched off along the horizon - a full fireworks show, laid on its side - and it just went on... and on... and on.

It was magnificent, probably more fun than the main event. I'd seen people doing something similar on the Beaches in previous years, but never so loud or so long.

So my question is: to MeFites in general - do they crowdsource holiday fireworks in your part of the world too, with the store-bought fireworks coming out of the backyard and into the public square?

And to any Torontonians who might be here: is it just me, or is this growing from year to year? And how long before they outlaw it?

how do I find local cafes, bars, restaurants, hotels while on a roadtrip?

krautland — Wed, 16 May 2007 14:05:21 -0800

how do I find local cafes, bars, restaurants, hotels while on a roadtrip? I'm going on vacation. camera and rental car in tow, I'm basically going to cut south from chicago and see where the road takes me. I've done these kinds of trips before and I like frequenting local places as opposed to the ubiquitous national franchises but they are tough to find. a surprising number of small towns -even far away from interstates and major highways- seem to have nothing other than wal-mart, mc donald's and the other usual suspects.

so how do I find the local spots? do you know of websites I can search when I'm in one or another particular state? asking locals, for the record, works a lot less than one might think.

I'm generally browsing flickr for interesting places in the area and have had some luck using chowhound for restaurants. but there has to be more, especially for restaurants, cafe's and small hotels.

Viable, socially conscious small business?

coolhappysteve — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 07:42:30 -0800

GentrificationFilter: Help convince my boss that our independent coffee shop can be both profitable and actively engaged with the community. Social/community activists, please read on & help me out! I work at an exceedingly popular/hip New England coffee shop run by two exceedingly smart/hip women, and we're about to open a second location.

The community we're moving into is pushing through some rezoning, some housing development, and is welcoming in a big name in affluent white retail: my cafe. It feels like we're going to be leading the charge of gentrification, and I want our shop to be actively engaged with stakeholders and truly a part of the community, not agents in its dilution.

Our owners are open to suggestions, but see other sort of touchy-feely community-meeting coffee houses as sacrificing business viability for a 'neighborhood' feel. I'd go farther to say that often those that feel 'neighborhoody' really just feel 'white' and 'upper-middle class,' and aren't a true reflection of the diversity around them.

What ideas, proposals, activities, and habits can we develop to this end? So many thanks for all your thoughtful input, MeFites. I'm shopping this question around to a lot of people, but am especially excited to see what you have to say.