Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with unique

What unique events are taking place in NYC on NYE in Brooklyn/Queens?

melodykramer — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:59:02 -0800

I'm going to be in NYC for New Year's Eve with a few friends and we would like to go to a local celebration/event in Queens or Brooklyn instead of Manhattan. Are there any that you recommend? We're most definitely avoiding the crowds in Midtown Manhattan but thought there must be some unique celebrations elsewhere in the city. Flushing? Brighton Beach? Where's the best spot to ring in the New Year?

We are all mid-20's, most live in NYC/Philly/Boston, and are extremely savvy with regards to navigation -- and we have access to a car. We don't really care if we see fireworks but would rather do something free/close to free than pay.

Only Six More Weeks?! [redux]

carpyful — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:56:41 -0800

It's that time again.. What are some good online stores to buy cool, unique Christmas gifts? This old post is one of my favorite askmes and has been really useful in my holiday/birthday/other special occasion shopping. Basically, everyone linked to their favorite store that sells fun, funky, artsy, crafty, unique, cool things.

However, since it's 3 years old, I would imagine that there are some new great stores and new great members that have good ideas. For example, I really, really like my local 826 chapter's (826 Seattle) Travel Supply Store and I just found out about it a few months back.

Other sites that I really like include: the MoMA store, Mxplyzyk, Etsy,ThinkGeek, and Urban Outfitters.

What else can you add that is in a similar vein?

Need help identifying an old Harley Davidson leather biker cap.

silly110671 — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 07:57:52 -0800

Need help identifying an old Harley Davidson leather biker cap. Pics inside. My mother is an avid resale shopper and collects items she finds unique and usually asks me to find information on them, but my google-fu has failed me on these couple items. We're mostly interested in it's history, how old they are.

Pics Here

Harley Davidson leather biker cap - "Brando" style, I've found many generic ones and a newer HD cap, but this one, I can't find any info. Only words on it are the stamp:
Licensed By Harley Davidson
Genuine Leather
Made in U.S.A.

Mickey Mouse matching umbrella and handbag set - If I had to guess it appears 80s/early 90s in style.

Please help me understand an odd medical event.

gibbsjd77 — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:24:32 -0800

Please help me understand an odd personal medical event. Ever since I was little I've had this funny thing happen from time to time and I've never understood what it is or heard of anyone else having it. My inner ears gets a "pressure" type feeling like when you are trying to pop them by opening your jaw and straining slightly. The funny thing is, this happens very uncomfortably with a strange powerful itch/funny feeling on my inner thigh/privates. It is quick and intense and rare, it stops when I itch. I have no idea what it is and would appreciate any explanation. Thanks!

My nephew just turned one. What should I buy him that's cool and costs ~$150?

carpyful — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:39:11 -0800

My nephew just turned 1. I only have $150 but I want to get him something cool that he'll appreciate in the future. My nephew who lives in a different state just turned 1. I want to start being the super cool uncle early and get him a gift that is unique and something that he won't necessarily just throw out once he grows out of it.

I've seen this post, which had some really great ideas. However, they all seem a bit beyond my (small) budget and a lot of the ideas that people shot out I want to save for later years (namely the Port and the museum membership suggestions).

Ideally, I'm looking for a gift that he'll be able to hold on to for a few years. Maybe something he'll want to bring to a show-and-tell or something that will be much more appreciated post high school graduation?

I kind of like the idea of a framed stock, but I can't really think of a cool company to "invest" in. I was also thinking of registering [his name].com -- because I'm geeky like that -- but it's already taken.

So, mefites, can you help me think of a unique gift that can be appreciated in the future and that costs ~$150?

What birthday present should I get my mother?

idyll — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:34:43 -0800

Birthday gift ideas for mom? My mother is turning 60 in just a month and my family has assigned me with the task of creating a present for her from all of our family members.

I have had the idea of having all of us write our wishes and memories in a book along with photos of us and/or our times together, but a lot of our family members have moved thousands of miles away. I am curious as to whether there are sites out there that allow you to do that and then they print the book for you?

dog accomodations

Palmerpoodles — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:16:21 -0800

I will be driving from Rochester NY to Steamboat Colorado with my two dogs. I'll be looking for dog friendly accomodations. Any unique or special locations I should shoot for? Thanks I know lots of the chain motels now allow dogs but I'm wondring if anyone knows of a ranch, or farm or unusual spot that would make the drive more fun.

Interesting photos wanted!

sixcolors — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:30:38 -0800

Nonlamephotopraphyfilter: What are some websites, books, and/or magazines that have some neat photos? Flickr pools and sets, count too. :)

What's the coolest thing you've ever seen at a bar?

bjork24 — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:28:55 -0800

What's the most unique feature you've ever seen in a bar or pub? Ideally, this would be something that could be replicated anywhere, so "an awesome view of the Pacific ocean" wouldn't quite fit. I'm looking for that one special thing that, when you're sitting around talking about cool bars with your friends, spurs you to say, "I went to this one bar in [Anyplace] and they had [cool feature]. It was AWESOME!"

I'm brainstorming ideas for a potential bar, and have several unique features in mind, but I thought I'd query the hive as well. Anything from unique drinks, unusual architectural details, nightly/weekly specials/events, waitresses with all the same first names, or whatever else!

Ho, ho, ho, Merry frickin Xmas!

bolognius maximus — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:20:20 -0800

I need Xmas gift ideas for someone who has everything! Help! I have searched previous posts, google, everything, and I have no ideas. He said he got me a really cool, kitschy gift (and he usually gets really great stuff for me), and I have no idea what to get him. Commence panic mode...

He makes a lot more money than I do, so he usually just buys whatever he fancies. I'd like to spend $300 or so max. He is a scientist. He likes bugs, SCUBA diving, running, art, books, and is a cook and food snob.

Examples of other gifts I have given in the past:

Nikon Field Microscope

A really cool bonsai tree

Art from The Bungled Jungle

I need ideas for something really cool, unique, off the wall, etc. I don't know why I can't think of anything, but time is running out, so I need help! Online or in stores, and I will be downtown Chicago tomorrow, so I will have access to stores there.

Thanks in advance!

What's a unique gift idea for a male business associate?

bodgy — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:21:50 -0800

What would make a unique thank you gift for someone who has really helped my business? My husband and I run a media business. Recently, while covering some events, some people went out of their way to help us. I would like to send them a thank you gift however I am not sure what to send. These are males so flowers won't be a good gift. Something related to a hobby won't work - these guys are big time collectors and anything I send them would be a duplicate of something in their collection. Any ideas on what makes a unique gift to say thank you?

Unique hotels in small to medium cities?

eileen — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:56:39 -0800

Does anyone know any hotels, in any city in the US, comparable to the Hotel Congress in Tucson, AZ? Basically, a hotel that "makes" the experience of visiting a city which you might not otherwise consider a vacation destination. The hotel is downtown within walking distance to a lot of stuff, driving distance to national parks, has a unique history and decor, and it has its own restaurant and bar and even nightclub. It's not fancy at all, in fact it is pretty cheap and feels like one step up from a hostel, but it is clean and has a great vibe. For my bf and I, staying in this hotel totally made our recent trip to Tucson. I was thinking that the trip would have felt very different and not nearly as special if we had stayed at some sort of chain hotel.

I would love to visit other small to medium cities off the beaten path if I knew where I could find a similar place to stay. And by similar I don't mean that it has to be exactly like the Hotel Congress, just similar in the fact that the hotel is itself a reason you might select the destination. I know it's hard to pinpont what exactly makes a hotel special in this way, so recommendations don't necessarily have to have all or even any of the amenities listed above. Day-trip closeness to national parks or other cool hiking is definitely a plus, though. Oh, and I am not a fan of shared bathroom situations, so a lot of B+Bs are probably not going to be my thing.

Thanks!! :)

How does a lovely geek drop-out find gainful employment?

watercarrier — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:30:19 -0800

What would be the ideal type of work for someone with no formal education but who has amazing talents? A friend dropped out of Junior High and never looked back, basically educating herself via books, experience and internet. She is super smart, has worked in numerous jobs, from food vendor to assistant to a CEO of a global financial corporation, to simulatneous translations online to cleaning people's houses and on and on. Basically she never felt she was fulfilling her life's purpose. Now - she's at a cross-roads and must find some type of employment - self-generated or other to make a living. Her skills are almost genius in differential association, having the ability to gauge space and matter, she has exceptionally good writing skills, and a very rich language, spoken in a beautiful voice. This is a bit random, but I'm trying to fill you in on some background talents. She's computer savvy, has an eye for design and color and has a flair for incorporating nature and its elements in all she undertakes. From flowers on the wall, to driftwood sculptures, to creating fragances from trees and fauna.

The things she can't do anymore is hard physical labor like lifting heavy objects, standing or sitting for long periods of time and would probably be at her best working for herself or in a small group.

She also has a bit of struggle with long-term projects, so any job would have to be relatively short-term projects, or immediate sales.

Another quirk she has is a really ~really~ uncanny way of drawing people into stores. I've seen it myself more times than I can remember at this point. She will enter a virtually empty store and within a minute after people start crowding in. So maybe that's something to capitalize on as well as the above mentioned.

Maybe a job where she could work from home, online with occassional projects where she could venture out.

Any ideas what a person like this could do and do really, really well? The last time she took an aptitude test - it showed good marketing skills but also it was said that she could do practically anything she would set her mind to.

That's it. Hopefully, the hive mind will help generate some awesome, intelligent and insightful ideas to help her get back on her feet and feel like *she's doing her life's work*.

Cheers

Strange Places in Paris

Julnyes — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:41:07 -0800

What odd things are there to do in Paris? I will (hopefully) be in Paris for a few days in the beginning of May and I am looking for something truly odd to do there.

Is there anything in Paris similar to The Museum of Jurassic Technology ? That place was a highlight of my trip to Los Angeles.

I looked into the sewer tour and the catacombs, but they just weren’t doing it for me. Thanks for any suggestions.

Unique Eats

srrh — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 21:39:59 -0800

Please recommend some unique dining experiences in Richmond, VA and the Hampton Roads area. My boyfriend lives in Richmond, and I live in Chesapeake, and we both love new and interesting restaurants. Our favorites are unique experiences -- The Melting Pot, for fondue, Europa, for tapas, Cajun Bangkok, for an eclectic mix of cooking styles, Freemason Abbey for the beautiful and unusual atmosphere, etc. These are just a few of the restaurants we really enjoy, but hopefully it gives you a good idea of what I mean by "unique."

The price range doesn't really matter -- anything from fine dining to BYOB is OK, as long as we get something new from the experience. (: Can you tell me some of your favorite places to go when you want something out of the ordinary? As I live in Chesapeake, I'd prefer any Hampton Roads restaurants to be in the Chesapeake/Norfolk/Virginia Beach area, and of course Richmond is self-explanatory. Thank you in advance for your help!

Looking for unique albums.

davebush — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:18:15 -0800

I really like albums that seem to exist in their own little world, devoid of obvious influences - some good examples being Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks"and Talk Talk's "Spirit of Eden". What else should I check out?

Need job. Need fun job.

damnjezebel — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:05:10 -0800

[grownupfilter] What is the most unique job you've ever heard of - the one that made you say, "Damn, if I wasn't 5 years away from retiring, I'd TOTALLY do _________!" It's time I growed up a little. Since I've spent my entire working career to date in stupid, boring environments that do not encourage growth of any kind, I now want a fun (and "different") career that is going to last me for the next 10 to 20 years and beyond. Give me your suggestions for great, fun, crazy careers.

My current job: so boring and lackluster that I get my tasks done in 10 minutes and spend the next few hours staring at my desk, as email and internet are strictly forbidden - like as in, I got screamed at on my first day for launching Outlook to see if I had a work email. So I stare or write until I'm given another task. Lather, rinse, repeat.

The rules are: a) you're not pulling it out of your ass - it's a REAL job (or field, at least) that I can find information on and b) you have some sort of reference ("my aunt's friend does this" or "I saw a doc on A&E about this very job!"). It's ok if schooling is needed - I'm currently looking at local and online classes to take in my spare time.

Oh, and fast food, cocktail waitressing, stripping, web design, freelance writing, modeling, blackjack dealing and internet porn star are all out. I've already done those. =)

Now, if you'll excuse me, my lunch break is over and I have to go back to ~~staring at a desk for the remainder of my day~~ work.

Does this bus go to Du-lut? Visiting Duluth, MN

bullitt 5 — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 15:56:18 -0800

Visiting Duluth, MN. Any ideas for someplace unique to visit? I'm spending the day in Duluth on my way to visit relatives, and I'm interested in finding some restaurant, art museum, movie palace, coffee shop that is unique to Duluth, some local spot with a lot of personality. I already enjoy Sven and Ole's in Grand Marais and Tobies' in Hinkley, and am looking for something with similar cache, though it doesn't have to be food related.

(Title line is first half of a groaner of a joke my father tells: "...no, it goes beep beep!" (in Norweigian accent))

What to affordably get the wealthy executive friend?

UMDirector — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:42:14 -0800

What to get the high level film exec for Christmas? I have a very close friend from college who is a highly placed film executive so he is not hurting for money. However, he is still stuck in a smallish apt in NYC. I am tired of getting him things themed to items he is a fan of (e.g. Godzilla crap). He travels a lot and is ALWAYS busy. However, I don't get to see him that much, let alone keep track of what he owns or does not own.

So any thoughts on something unique ($20-$50 range) for the busy executive who has a geeky side to him and is about 30?

Ideas for making a movie theater stand out

brevator — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 14:20:13 -0800

Unique and interesting ideas for an independent movie theater. So, I'm a part time projectionist at an independent theater that's not doing too well. The main problem, as I see it, is making the place stand out. The Big Chain Mall theater has the mainstream covered. And the local Art house has the more independent stuff covered. Right now we show mostly mainstream stuff. I've brought up some ideas to my boss, most of which gotten shot down:

a) second run theater (show movies a few months after they're out of the regular theaters)-- my boss seems to think that the Big Chain Mall theater would starve us out by keeping their movies until they're available on DVD. Also as DVD's come out more and more quickly this becomes less feasible.

b) booze -- apparently illegal to bring booze into a movie theater in New York State. Also would send the insurance way up even if we only allowed it in the lobby.

c) couches instead of seats -- he seems more open to this idea, but would dramatically lessen the number of patrons per theater.

d) Pizza (real oven baked pizza, not microwave crap) -- not a bad idea, but then where do you put the oven?

We've had some success with ethnic movies (Bollywood movies have done very well with the local Indian community but that's usually a once a week phenomenon, not something that can sustain a theater all week). We also have a University right next to the theater, but haven't done very well at tapping into that audience.

So, I'm coming to you MeFi. What are some unique and interesting movie theaters you've seen? What would you do to make your theater stand out from the crowd?

Michigan Travel Excitement

thebarron — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 21:28:08 -0800

We’re heading up to the northern shore area of MI from Chicago mid-July and want to know about any exciting (safe) adventures like jet boat rides, dune buggy rides, zip lines, etc. that are memorable and “not to miss” while in the area. In the past, we have found some of these experiences are not mentioned AAA books or online travel sites. Thanks!

Unique word list application needed

qwip — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 19:37:03 -0800

I'm looking for a method or application that will create a list of unique words in a large text document (a Word document, currently, but can be changed to accommodate another format). I want to see just a list of the of the words in this document, but don't need to know their frequency or order. So the list would have every word used at least once and only show a word one time.

Possible? I am on a Mac, but can work on a PC if needed. Would also be fine to use a terminal app. Need a free solution, so commercial apps will not fit this particular bill.

Gift for new father from the wife?

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 20:07:17 -0800

Suggestions for a present from a wife to husband to celebrate the birth of their new baby? Wife is going to give birth soon and wants to get a gift to commemorate the birth for the husband. Rings, necklaces, watches are out. Something unique, memorable and lasting. Wife should figure this out herself, but unfortunately, is suffering from "pregnancy brain" and needs a push in the right direction. More bits - first baby, wife and husband in mid-thirties, it's a boy!

suggestions for hotels in Amsterdam?

ethel — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 14:07:00 -0800

I'm taking a short trip to Amsterdam in April, and would love some suggestions for unique/ interesting/ historically important hotels, that aren't over-the-top expensive. Preferably near the Filmmuseum (not exactly sure where this is, to be honest, but here's a link to the location: http://tinyurl.com/2fmtw4)
Thanks for any suggestions!

Group Date ideas

ZackTM — Fri, 19 May 2006 09:28:44 -0800

Unique group date idea for Saturday night in Wilmington, NC It's 2006, and I've finally stumbled upon a girlfriend. This weekend my best friend and his Fiancee are coming to visit us in Wilmington North Carolina so they can meet her. Our other best friend is also going to be in town later that night, and may want to join in on the festivities.

Saturday night around 6pm the 4 (or possibly 6) of us want to go on some unique double date. I'm talking about wacky stuff that is both fun and incredibly memorable, like they do on the tv show Blind Date.

Wilmington is on the beach, and has a pretty lively night life.

The only restraints are:
- Must happen at 7pm, and we have to be home by 10pm
- Accommodates 4 people
- One of the girls is a not a big risk taker
- We're kinda poor so under $100 per couple is best

Optional:
- Flexible enough that 2 more people can join us at the last minute (or possibly just 1?)

Whatcha think, Hivey?