# What should I do for my birthday? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 8, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-for-my-birthday/452193 "2008-06-08T02:15:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-for-my-birthday/452193/1 "2008-06-08T02:15:44Z")
I will be turning 26 on Saturday, June 21st. During the day I am going with some friends to see the [Mermaid Parade](http://www.coneyisland.com/mermaid.shtml) in Coney Island but at this point I have no plans for the evening. I would like to do something fun and exciting but I have no idea what! I live in NYC so there is LOTS to do but I don’t want to do something I can do any old time. I would also like for it to be something I can do in a group or on my own since I will be doing the group thing earlier in the day and I don’t know if any of my friends here will be free that night as well. I hate nightclubs and bars and the like so I would like to avoid that kind of thing and I would like to spend no more than $40-$50. So if you were a woman turning 26 in NYC what would you want to do to celebrate? ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-for-my-birthday/452193/2 "2008-06-08T03:31:26Z")
Get a massage. (Happy ending optional 😃 ) d&r ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-for-my-birthday/452193/3 "2008-06-08T04:04:25Z")
Dammit, I’m going to be in NYC, but am missing the Mermaid parade by a couple of days. Well, we have our own special Solstice party here in Santa Barbara. How about taking the LIRR out to Belmont and parlay a small amount of cash into thousands of dollars? Just bet on trifectas all day long and you can’t lose. It’s your birthday, so it’s pretty much guaranteed! ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-for-my-birthday/452193/4 "2008-06-08T13:38:16Z")
Hmmm, a massage is probably not going to happen. Massages make me feel unpleasant, as if I have been run over by a steam roller or something. Unless it is a small shoulder rub as a precursor to sex or something that ain’t going to happen. The happy ending idea is a good one though and I will keep that in mind for birthday fun 😉 Ooh, gambling is a good idea though. I could go to Belmont or Atlantic City or something! I love to gamble so this might be a possibility. Keep the ideas coming! ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-for-my-birthday/452193/5 "2008-06-08T22:31:24Z")
New York City is one of the greatest restaurant cities in the world. Why not go out to eat? ---
**Author:** ![AimeeB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@AimeeB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AimeeB)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2008, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-for-my-birthday/452193/6 "2008-06-09T00:16:04Z")
Hahahaha dinner and drinks in NYC _WILL_ run more than $40-50, especially if you’re at a fancy place. Well, unless your friends foot the bill b/c you’re the birthday girl. There are places in queens and long island where you can go horseback riding. Or you can take the LIRR to fire island and have a picnic on the beach. Or… rent a car, drive upstate, and hike to the top of something and have cake on a mountain. Or take the train up to saratoga and spend the day there. Or take the train down to Philly and spend the day there. Or go to a chocolate-tasting at a chocolatier. Or just go over to Max Brenner’s in union square and pig out on their chocolate. Or go to a paint-your-own pottery place and have everyone make you a mug. Or go sing karaoke… ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2008, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-for-my-birthday/452193/7 "2008-06-09T02:00:47Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **AimeeB** > > Hahahaha dinner and drinks in NYC _WILL_ run more than $40-50, especially if you’re at a fancy place. Well, unless your friends foot the bill b/c you’re the birthday girl. I have been here a year and have never paid more than $30 for a meal, though I have not gone anyplace special or fantastic. There are a lot of places on [metromix.com](http://metromix.com) in all sorts of price ranges. I don’t drink though, so that probably has a lot to do with my low price point for a meal. I will keep Max Brenner in mind and I have emailed some people to see if they want to do karaoke. I would love to go down to Philly or travel someplace but I don’t know if I have the funds for that. I will look into it though! ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-for-my-birthday/452193/8 "2008-06-09T02:15:57Z")
A woman I know felt that turning 30 was a big deal. So she came up with several things she wanted to do, both small and big. 30 days before her birthday, she began doing them, celebrating for a whole month.