I need some ideas, BYC!

[Northwind]

My birthday is coming up shortly. It's an important number for me, and I want to do something a bit more than buying a cake and eating it on the couch in front of reruns.
Most people would say "spend time with family!" but for me that isn't really applicable, they have no interest in birthday celebrations. Friends, that's a bit of a far cry, I have associates, a couple I enjoy spending time with, but can't imagine spending a day out with them.
What would you guys suggest? Something memorable, that I wouldn't have to get together with a big group to do.

 

[OCpeep]

Happy birthday!

Pick a random place and go. Go for a day or weekend. No need to plan everything out, just be spontaneous.

 

[Northwind]

Yes, that's what I was thinking I might do. I'm a little short on "funding" though, so a weekend holiday might not be possible. Just trying to think which random place I could go, there's nowhere really special around these parts.

Anyway, my birthday isn't for a month or so yet (it's on Good Friday this year, ironically) but thank you!

 

[OCpeep]

There's always something interesting to see/do where ever you go. Maybe since you live there, you're too close to "see" it. What area do you live in? No need to give me the city you live in. How about the next biggest city near you?

 

[theoldchick]

For my 40 th birthday I jumped out of a plane. Fortunately the parachute engaged and I landed within one mile of my mark. My instructor regained his hearing several hours later.

A birthday I will never forget.

 

[SillyChicken]

what about a day at a spa?

 

[dewey]

What type of things do you enjoy? Is there something you've been wanting to do but haven't had the chance? Maybe there's something new you could try that wouldn't usually be of interest to you. Skydiving optional, although fun.

A night at a busy bed & breakfast with sightseeing, window shopping, or hiking nearby.
A salon day (or few hours) for a massage and pampering. Some of the tanning spas offer all types of pampering treatments.
Get out of the house by renting a hotel room with a hot tub for relaxing (aka: make your own spa) after taking yourself out for a special dinner and conversation with new people.
Join a new activity or interest group and plan an outing around your birthday.
Take a day trip alone or with a group. Around here we have "party buses" that take people on tours or to casinos/sightseeing in other cities, etc.
Go to a karaoke night for entertainment, and/or out to a new-to-you restaurant to try some new foods.
Drive into the city & take the city bus system around town to places you've mapped out to visit. City buses are never boring.

Dress up and go to the theater, symphony, or a play, and dinner.
Go antiquing or on excursion to buy something for your place that makes life at home more pleasurable (like an indoor fountain, or a patio grill, something just for you to enjoy).
Take yourself out to a comedy or mystery dinner club.

So many things but it depends on what you might enjoy....although doing something you wouldn't normally consider doing can turn out to be a lot of fun. Happy early birthday!

 

[Northwind]

OCPeep - How about Sydney, Australia? I've been 'most everywhere worth seeing around these parts - most of them don't really warrant a second visit. My favourite place would actually be a sushi shop on the main street, but I've been there enough times with a wide variety of people that it wouldn't really be classified as special.

theoldchick - I bet that one was fun. I'm too much of a wuss, I think, to actually jump out of a plane (the thought of it is making me sweat

)

SillyChicken - I'm not a spa sort of person. I've been to one before, didn't really enjoy myself. But thanks for the suggestion!

dewey - I couldn't agree with you more about city buses being interesting. unfortunately the festival here finishes halfway through March, so I won't be able to spend a day out there (it was great to look around and see the shows though) I have always wanted to get flying lessons, but never worked up the nerve to start spending so much of my money. Perhaps I could get one of those half hour introductory lessons, that's if any of the places open on Good Friday, which I'm fairly sure is a public holiday.
The restaurant idea is a good one. I might just grab a couple of those work buddies and go out. Who knows, I might get to know them better. But I'd definitely keep a few of those I'm more comfortable with close by.

 

[theoldchick]

My second suggestion: Go spelunking! I like do the extremes for my birthdays. Fall out of a plane one birthday, crawl with the bats on another one. I'm a wuss, too. That's why I find something different to do. Let's see.... what about whitewater rafting?

 

[Northwind]

White water rafting. Something I dream of doing one day! Located nowhere near a suitable river though, the murky, slow-moving water in the city centre is probably the closest we have here.

Being a wuss probably makes it all the more exciting once you're done. Heavens, I'm such a wuss I almost had a panic attack on one of those bouncy 'bunjee' things as a kid.