Date: February 21, 2008 10:40:07 AM EST
To: inyc@timeoutny.com
Subject: The dilemma of turning 30

I’m turning 30 and need ideas about how to celebrate such a momentous occasion. My friends range from the materially wealthy to dirt-poor artists. Last year, we did the five-borough bike tour, followed by a barbecue at Prospect Park. It has to befit a city as grand as ours—and also worthy of my three decades of life.

Cheers!
Anthony

So, you’re an adventurer—like Indiana Jones without the fedora. Pick one: outside or in?
Outside: Any 30-year-old should remember a little TV classic called Airwolf. The Taste of New York City Helicopter Air Tour helps you channel your inner Ernest Borgnine. For $75 a person, as many as seven riders can get a stomach-churning look at the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings, the Hudson River and Central Park. (Heliport, W 30th St, 212-967-6464)

In: By now, you’re probably climbing your way up the corporate ladder. But have you ascended the 23-foot-high rock wall in the Field House at Chelsea Piers? Relive American Gladiators (the original!) as you race against gravity in a futile attempt to prove your youth. Twenty bucks covers equipment and two hours of climbing—but not the medical bills if you fall and break your hip, Nitro. (W 23rd St at Hudson River Park, 212-336-6500)

You’re cosmopolitan, chic, a true urbanite. Pick one: Naughty or nice?
Naughty: Show everyone that you’ve still got it, Bachelor Party–style. Order the lackies in your entourage to dress sexy and take them to Extra Virgin (259 W 4th St, 212-691-9359), a Mediterranean restaubar in the West Village. Have ’em scribble their craziest sexcapade on a slip of paper and, after dinner, take turns reading them aloud (with feeling!).

Nice: We love that pie scene in Stand by Me. Gets us thinking about food. Gather your pals for a restaurant crawl and start with tapas at Oliva (161 E Houston St, 212-228-4143); jump to Quhnia for a pitcher of Skyy vodka infused with Mandarin peaches (45 E 1st St, 212-529-3066); and end with the moo shu grilled chicken at Thai-French bistro Elephant (58 E 1st St, 212-505-7739). As the birthday boy/girl, you get a gratis chocolate tart!

You’re a dreamer, a dilettante, a true original. Pick one: FIT or MoMA?
FIT: Remember when Molly Ringwald made her own prom dress in Pretty in Pink? That’s your life story. Tell buds they have three hours and a budget of $25 to assemble an outfit for your shindig. Then have the group meet at a designated location—try Think Coffee in the East Village, which rents its basement for $20–$30 an hour (248 Mercer St, 212-228-6226)—for a show-and-tell. So fierce!

MoMA: Bruce Willis had ’em. So did Mickey Rourke. Isn’t it time you got that giant coyote tattooed on your ass? Better yet, everyone in your party should get some ink as a reminder of your bat-shit-crazy birthday bash. Whatever Tattoo II (95 MacDougal St, 212-228-5121) offers a discount to groups of ten or more, and just so happens to be near Monte’s Trattoria (97 MacDougal St, 212-674-9456) and its cheap booze.

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