9/3/2011

3/5 stars

FISHIES! And wine. Neither are too amazing, so this hovers at three. Three is far, far better than SJC would have received not too long ago, but the airport has improved. I wish others would take heed. The review sits at three so long as airlines continue their WTF scheduling, alas.

Yelp tags: Airports

9/3/2011

1/5 stars

Where do I start?

Ok, I know where. I end up connecting through LAX. So I'll end up reviewing their connecting opportunities. Hence the single star. I haven't had a chance to review anything else. I'm too busy sprinting to catch my connection even given a "two hour" lay over.

Why is two hours tight? It involves the connector trams. Once you *find* the tram gate (which is terribly well hidden in almost plain sight), you end up on the poor bus. The bus that has to stop for every airplane. At an airport. Who ever would have thought that an *AIR*port would have *AIR*planes on every runway?!?!?

I've never missed a connection. But I also never have eaten more than a sandwich grabbed from unfriendly, unhelpful employees at LAX. The connector and gate folks are ok, but they know quite clearly how painful LAX is. I also have tried *driving* past LAX. Seriously.

Yelp tags: Airports

9/3/2011

1/5 stars

It's Logan. It's not like you have much choice. An extra star removed for not having much choice. Otherwise, there are pseudo-local breweries and fried food goo vendors available. After security. That is a mess, quite understandably.

If you head out to BOS's rental car area with your own GPS, you're likely to encounter directions like "take road north." When you're heading south, these are of no use. The various signs are marginally better than California signs. Good luck.

Yelp tags: Airports

9/4/2011

4/5 stars

Come here hungry. Leave full. With left-overs.

The food here is solid. I'm not claiming multi-tire-name stars, but damned solid. I mean, this place has *quail* on the menu. The little, yummy, you-can-turn-them-inside-out-to-debone birds.

And the people here are solid. Ready with a smile and recommendations. Good folk. It's dangerous being so close to home and en route for my commute.

Yelp tags: Mexican

9/4/2011

3/5 stars

It's a fancy-ish hotel. Someone's dead relatives stare at you from many walls. They supposedly grow their own greens, which then are drowned in heaps and mounds of oil and vinegar. That said, the conference room was pretty nice. The v6 option would have been great had it been routed outside the conference room.

Also… No alarm clock. Really? Yes, my laptop works quite well as an alarm clock, but not leaving options is an interesting choice. The exercise room in the main building is kinda excruciating. Might work in the dead of Massatwoshits winter, but during the summer it's not quite good pain.

The killer part: The state of the tapestries and paintings is shameful. Tattered and dirty. The quality of the sleeping and conference rooms pulled it back to three stars. Otherwise this has all the trappings of stinky, decrepit old money.

Caveat: I'm Berkeley. This is MIT. So of course I'm going to laugh at the "exersize" room. Which, btw, has been re-purposed as another conference room.

Yelp tags: Venues & Event Spaces Hotels

9/4/2011

4/5 stars

Oh, shiny. I rarely am put up at honestly fancy hotels. This is one. From the front desk where they were very willing to provide extra keys and were amazed that an individual wanted only one bed to the modern workout *rooms* and very pretty pool…

I could grow accustomed to this. Too bad I was there for only one night. The restaurant features local produce, but I couldn't partake. And my room was quite comfy, single bed, single key card, and all.

But I'm a state employee, so I won't grow accustomed to this any time soon. Nice walking distance to my (and others') meetings. Very well located. Workout rooms were *busy* in the wee hours. That's a good thing, visually at least. The help checking in with the specific questions was very well appreciated. My position in life couldn't, um, show my appreciation well. I imagine this hotel is quite popular with the single or available set.

Having to pay out the nose for network access seems distinctly European, however. Not even my various subscriptions that help at every other Marriott worked here. Thank the tax payers for my ability to respond to urgent email.

Yelp tags: Hotels Restaurants

9/4/2011

4/5 stars

This place is good. There's a kitchen. There are places like Trader Joe's within easy rental-car driving distance. There are other places within walking distance that may be more important. The initials of said place are not to be conveyed.

Without decent grocers, I'd be stuck with the local fried food. Exactly what was fried doesn't matter; there's no difference at the end. Even the "famous" crab. ew.

I still haven't braved "Blob's" nearby. The name alone scares me.

Yelp tags: Hotels

9/5/2011

2/5 stars

Decent but not up to the cost. Calamari is correctly cooked, the bruschetta is well browned and not soggy. And the heirloom tomato pasta's noodles were perfectly firm.

But the flavors just weren't there. The calamari was bland. The bruschetta tasted dark. And the heirloom tomato dish was utterly dominated by the sausage's fennel. If the goal is to celebrate tomatoes, make sure you can taste them. Even the beer was somewhat bland.

Yelp tags: Italian Pizza Venues & Event Spaces

9/17/2011

4/5 stars

Operation Endure Until I Find a Blintz: Success.

I couldn't find the place I vaguely remembered along my now-wife's commute from East Village, so I headed to Veselka. I have no idea what the address is, but my feet can find it. Even jet-lagged after being in Poland for nearly a week.

The blintz. The raspberries. Yup. Around fourteen years later, and they're still wonderful. And now I can afford them. Good thing I don't live nearby. I rather suspect the rest of the menu remains wonderful as well. I even recognized some of the folks in charge. That's a good sign.

Veselka is not a place to go in a hurry. It's a place to go for food. I had to trade off a different, later stop for my blintz fix, and I'm not at all sorry.

Yelp tags: Diners Polish Ukrainian

9/17/2011

5/5 stars

Oh, another 99% transfer review. I seem to spend a frightful amount of time in airports waiting on transfers.

Schiphol is fast, efficient, clean, well-organized, and easy to reach from Amsterdam proper. My one time with a sufficiently long layover let me run into Amsterdam, hang out at the Van Gogh museum, wander town, and come back without hassle. Had I realized there were in-airport showers, I would have been even happier. I haven't experienced those yet. Sounds like they have long lines, which makes sense.

The only drawback is less Schiphol's than Boingo's… The wireless. It's paid or http- and https-only. I have a subscription to Boingo, but it has *never* worked correctly in AMS. Hence, no VPN and no real email access. But I don't think it's Schiphol's problem, so I'm not docking them.

Yelp tags: Airports

9/17/2011

3/5 stars

A caveat: I first encountered Kate's on Broadway over a *cough*decade*cough* ago when there was little hope of affording anything. Kate's introduced me to the idea of a Pearl-sized store centered around paper. So I'm a bit prejudiced towards Kate's. I hold too many memories of flirtation and unrequited desire.

This micro-Kate's isn't too bad. It's pretty, and that's pretty important for selling pretty paper and related pretty things. But… The pre-written cards were cute, but nothing I can't find here at home. I prefer artists and designers local to the store when possible, and I couldn't find any. The relatively small selection of papers weren't clearly marked for price, so evaluating the 30% and 50% off was impossible. But the paper and cards are so pretty, and that really is the point of a place like Kate's.

The people working there were quite helpful and nice. I know nothing of how the larger company handles its workers, although some of the other comments make me want to know more.

I needed a new pocket notebook, and Kate's had what I needed on sale. I didn't know it was on sale until the friendly cashier rung it up, however. I might have bought two had that been marked…

Yelp tags: Cards & Stationery

9/17/2011

4/5 stars

After being quite disappointed in my hotel's people-watching support, I headed out into the garish lights of Times Square. And promptly ran to this quite non-garish, friendly, and cozy little bar.

The fermented Belgian beverages are quite tasty. The house is a little rough, which almost works with its fruit overtones. And the barkeep's a good person. She kept singing along with the music, so I'll assume she performs when possible. Vocalists do tend to act alike… There was a quite international crowd. I suspect many people take brief refuge in BXL. The crowd was a nice transition after spending about a week out of the country.

Yelp tags: Pubs Belgian Breakfast & Brunch

9/17/2011

3/5 stars

Yet another transfer review. CDG is quick and efficient in processing my entry to the EU. And my luggage kept on going to WAW without incident. Can't ask for much more.

Might help being there 6am-ish. Not much in the way of lines. Also might help that I'm not trying to check in. Although after WAW and JFK I'm not sure any airport's check-in can frighten me.

The terminal I know, 2F, is comfy and full of little storefronts that almost tempt you. I broke down and tried the Ladurée "mini-macarons." Don't. Whoever fills them missed the "mini" part. It's just a sugar bomb, not a macaron. The other, related chain Paul is fine for pan y cafe, or whatever the French call it. It's a kinda-mega-chain, but this still is an airport so there's not much choice.

If you're tight with usage, the 15 minutes of free wireless can stretch a while.

And I am amused that one related (unofficial) website insists that I "upgrade to Netscape" to use it. The European computer industry is so funny.

Yelp tags: Airports Travel Services Public Services & Government

9/17/2011

2/5 stars

State contract. Investment in miles. Otherwise, I'd bail.

The nickel & diming eats away at you. Compare to Delta's partners like Air France and KLM. No (edible) food, no wine, no comfort. Tiny little seats. Yeah, I fly on public money, so I'm crammed into the back of these flying septic tanks, Each flight's staff tries to help, except for those so run down by the system that they've given up.

It could be worse *cough*Continental*cough*, but the experience also could be much better. I miss the days of hanging your garment bag by the door.

Yelp tags: Airlines

9/17/2011

3/5 stars

As a native said when I mentioned being at YUL: "I'm sorry. Enjoy the… nothing."

Pretty much. Unfortunately, my main experiences with YUL are for transfers. There's not much here between cheap and ultra-pricey. Except there *is* network access, hence the A-OK rating. And I can still pretend I'm in Montreal. Kinda.

I stupidly ate at the quicky joint in the international wing. blah. Forgot I was flying Air France, where they give you better food than that place. And wine. And chocolate. And port. Oh, Air France, why must you remind me how badly US airlines suck?

YUL's an ok airport for transfers. My memories of arriving and departing are growing ever more distant, alas. I need to fix that, but then I'll be spending the absolute minimum time in the airport possible.

Yelp tags: Airports

9/17/2011

3/5 stars

It's a hotel.

I was hoping for a little bit more… The Marquis in Atlanta has a bar that draws in people other than the bored, tired business traveler. As a bored, tired business traveler, I was hoping for a bit of Times Square people watching. Not to happen. The configuration does not encourage mingling. While I understand it to some extent, I was hoping to relax with a few smiles and some chat before bundling off to sleep.

The room was great (and huge for NYC), but typical. Cookie cutter. The iron was a real iron, believe it or not. That's a nice bonus. And the staff were great overall. I was here on last-minute state rate, so I think I was bumped up to an available better room. The "lounge" on the 30th floor wasn't available to a peon like me, but the paperwork in the room never mentioned that. Minor point, as I intended on blintzes for breakfast. The workout area seemed serious, but I wasn't.

Now that I've stayed at Times Square once, I feel no need ever to do so again. Nothing bad about the hotel, just not my thing.

Yelp tags: Hotels

9/17/2011

3/5 stars

I was peckish. I wanted a quick and easy slice. I looked inside and saw people eating their lunches. Sold.

Served on a paper plate, my slice folded well as I kept walking. A bit too well; there was no real crispness to the crust although it was plenty firm. The grease was minimal and didn't drip on me. Flavor flirted with good.

Perhaps I would have stopped elsewhere if I had a smart phone and checked for the latest yammering place. Eh. I walked in wanting a street slice. I received a street slice. My mouth and stomach were happy. And I kept walking. Too much to do, and too little time. This was the right slice for my situation.

Yelp tags: Pizza

9/17/2011

1/5 stars

Wow. An airport that makes Logan look good.

It's utter chaos. Even Warsaw had a better handle on its crowds, and they didn't even try. Our crazy-ass "security" meets not having any room to pre-disrobe. Again, hilarity does not ensue.

Add in the Joe v. the Volcano office lighting and keeping booze far away from most gates, and you have a complete fail. Here's a nickle, NYC. Go buy yourself a better airport. What, you want more to add luggage gates to your subway? Oh, ok, here's the other nickle to add what every other place has…

Yelp tags: Airports

9/17/2011

2/5 stars

I decided I needed coffee. I saw a place that roasts. Oh, ok. Except not. The coffee was roasted to the "French roast" that removes all real flavor and leaves ground mud.

My mistake. There are times when a non-stupid phone could be useful.

Yelp tags: Delis

9/18/2011

5/5 stars

This places makes me happy and restores my faith in people. I've read that the Polish pride themselves on being excellent hosts, and Pod Czarną Różą demonstrates that well. This is a hotel with a bed and breakfast feel and a prime location. It's near the clubs, which aren't my thing any more, but it's also near the water, near the leaning tower, near cafes, near the square, near NCU…

This isn't a technical five-star hotel. It doesn't satisfy some list of check boxes. It's not cookie cutter. There's character. You'll trip on the ledge at your room's door. You might worry a bit on the tight stairs. The floor creaks as an older building should. The shower's European, so beware of cracking your elbows.

All this, and they have a real iron you can use. Seriously, silly "business" hotels, why can't you get this right?

The staff went above and beyond. I needed to check out at 5am, and they not only accomodated me but also volunteered to help with my missed breakfast. One lady provided an excellent suggestion for dinner, Oberza two doors down. They always welcomed me with smiles, even with my sad attempts at phrasebook Polish.

Perhaps I'd feel differently if I were lodged in the newer building, but my stay in the older one was utterly delightful. And extremely inexpensive.

Oh, and there is a jar of Nutella on every breakfast table.

9/27/2011

5/5 stars

mmmm…. Cold, raw, dead fish…. yummy…

Everyone from Maki Fresh went out of their way to be helpful and friendly, even soliciting honest feedback directly. Sake's always a bonus. And probably loosens the tongue on the feedback a bit. The people here are energetic and interested, a good combination. Looks like they managed to keep everyone's plates full, too, which is quite an accomplishment.

Looks like I missed a bunch of folks, but we also met a few new faces (like Emily E) and said hello to others before heading home to the new kitty. So yes, we had an excuse for ducking out quickly. (And a few wounds from playing. Kittens don't always know when to retract their claws. And may well have noticed the fish flavor, now that I think about it.)

*Edit:* And I completely forgot to thank the staff here for bringing out gluten-free soy sauce when asked. Wonderful touch!

Yelp tags: Local Flavor

9/28/2011

2/5 stars

Service? Service? Ser… Hello? Could we get a dr… Hello? Um, excus… Perdó… Przepra… Entschuld… (similarly in character sets Yelp won't accept)…

Nope. None of the languages our group knew sufficiently worked. We eventually received drinks while taking up rotating table space, probably about three rotations late. I had fairly quick service for *my* first drink, but I was the first one there. Fast service for a table of one, slow service for a larger group… Someone's unclear on how tips work. (Or, honestly, upon realizing it's a multinational group, they may have been quite clear on how tips from those groups often work.)

The view out is great, as is the view of the crowd. But the service was astoundingly bad, and it wasn't even crowded. Given the difficulty of extracting drinks (and their price v. size), we didn't even attempt food.

But it was nice chatting while looking at lit-up landmarks. I'm kinda confused as to why there are a few televisions oddly mounted on the non-rotating area's pathway. They interfere with the night-time view.

Yelp tags: American (New) American (Traditional)

9/28/2011

4/5 stars

If you enter from the Peachtree Street side, you'll see a big sign declaring that you must sign in to enter. And if you're not dressed in business attire, perhaps looking somewhat askew from forgetting your hairbrush and not fixing yourself up all pretty-ish after the gym, well… The security guard may not give the best of advice. Or even fully form words beyond "No." Maybe he needed coffee, too.

So come in from the *West* Peachtree side. Big difference that may not be apparent to non-natives like me. If one of the no-entrance doors happens to open, grab it. Otherwise walk in, turn right, turn right, and go all the way to the end of the long, no-entrance-door-lined hall.

Then obtain great coffee. Possibly along with Sublime doughnuts, King of Pops popsicles, and other yummy goodies. Have a nice conversation with the baristas. Overall find a nice, relaxing oasis in a very 80s office building. The pour-over coffee's quite good. I'm definitely more of a press-pot guy (I like chewing on my coffee), but this is well brewed. The Kenyan I had today had both that origin's characteristic brightness along with some nice fruit notes. Good stuff.

Yelp tags: Internet Cafes Coffee & Tea Sandwiches

9/28/2011

5/5 stars

Most of Georgia Tech is dedicated to learning about submicron waveguide effects, astrotelemetry, thermohydraulic performance, and other everyday items that people plain don't realize *are* everyday items. This part is different. This part of Georgia Tech is dedicated to *endorphins*.

This is not a wimpy gym, but it's very accepting of wimpy people like me. You're as likely to see t-shirts covering every era and series of Star Trek as frat shirts. The latter are there, particularly the first week of any semester, but even then they show engineering ingenuity. How the hell can you pop the collar of a t-shirt?!?! And the full span of faculty ages work out here as well.

I cause myself pain here almost every weekday morning. About half the days are spent beating myself up with cardio and weights. The ellipticals and stationary bikes provide a good range of options. There are those with TVs (ew), and those without. There are ellipticals that show each stride's range. There also are stair masters, the upper-body ellipitcal-like thing, etc. Almost all have all their functionality. Sometimes one's a little out of whack, but nothing like those of us who use them. Check where the pregnant women work. Seriously. They wipe the floor with most of us. Watch where they go, because they'll show you what's working best. And they'll make you feel like an utter wimp, even if you're one of the ROTC kids.

The weights also span a wide range. There are free weights (I'm clueless), cables (I'm still clueless), semi-cable-ish (getting there), and the fully guided simple weight machines (my category). If you're there "off-hours" (mornings, and pretty much any time once we start crushing the students with work, MUAHAHAHAHAHA), there's little to no wait. If there's a wait, just switch to circuit training and you'll be better than fine (and look it, too).

The other mornings? I make a fool of myself in the pools. Typically the "recreation" pool, where real swimmers practice and are polite enough not to laugh at me. The recreation pool's comfortable and still permits serious workouts. The competition pool ('96 Olympics, Michael Phelps, etc.) bottoms out somewhere in the south Pacific. It's scary. In a good way. I'm all sorts of proud of myself for managing it a few times. And there are spas. Perfect for that cool down phase after "working out." Really.

There's an indoor track, etc. But real running scares me. I'll stick to my fake, feel-good running TYVM. And there's a sauna, but I am old and out of that category.

Yelp tags: Swimming Pools Gyms Climbing