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This is the primary place I go to see a movie, if I dare to go out. I am a bit of a homebody, but there is an occasional sci-fi flick, that I need to see super big. So I go here. The location is...
This is the primary place I go to see a movie, if I dare to go out. I am a bit of a homebody, but there is an occasional sci-fi flick, that I need to see super big. So I go here. The location is pretty new, and generally is pretty clean. I try not to go during rush hours-- Saturday nights etc. I prefer having the place to myself, and having a good selection of seating, away from other folks. There are usually plenty of movies to choose from here, so it is not usually a problem to see what you want.
I sometimes visit the food court, and get popcorn. Yum. The nicest part of this theater, is that if alot of people are getting popcorn, and I am not, the whole place doesn't feel covered in butter. I guess they have better ventilation;)
This is a decent place to see a movie!
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I generally shop here once or twice a year, for my sister, who loves the products. I personally love the scents on some of their products, but entering the store can be a little overwhelming for my...
I generally shop here once or twice a year, for my sister, who loves the products. I personally love the scents on some of their products, but entering the store can be a little overwhelming for my sensitive nose. It turns out that the products often cause me skin allergic reactions too. Could be the scents again.
That being said, I CAN use their foot cream. That is, as long as it is only on my feet. As for my sis, she loves everything they sell, so I end up buying her cute little soaps and body lotions and stashing them for gifts. She can't get enough of them.
So, if you are a sensitive, stay away, but otherwise, I think it is a nice place to shop.
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I was recently being adventurous with Persian food, and discovered that my usual store did not carry everything I needed. I ventured over to Scottsdale and had a great time perusing all the exotic...
I was recently being adventurous with Persian food, and discovered that my usual store did not carry everything I needed. I ventured over to Scottsdale and had a great time perusing all the exotic choices at the Saffron Market. Yes, if you need saffron, you will find it here. And more. This is an authentic Persian store. Everyone ( but me) was Persian. The service was wonderful, and everyone was extremely friendly. I suggest saffron ice cream with pistachios. I also suggest trying some of the baked goods. They have a great selection of cookies that will make you go back again and again.
If you are boring, and just need rice, they have that too. The best thing though, is to find a few recipes you want to make, and go here to get the spices. You will not be disappointed.
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I love to eat from this great place. It is family owned, and it is a pleasant place to visit. They used to have a larger dining area, which I miss, but we mostly did take-out anyway. I like to order...
I love to eat from this great place. It is family owned, and it is a pleasant place to visit. They used to have a larger dining area, which I miss, but we mostly did take-out anyway. I like to order the lamb combo, with chicken and beef. It is fabulous. You get a choice of soup or salad, and both are great. I usually take the soup, as it is hardy, and then I end up with 2 meals out of the deal. For sweets- I suggest the baklava. All homemade, and incredible.
I do a little shopping there as well. There is a good selection of Middle Eastern products, so if you are an adventuresome cook, like I am, you won't be disappointed.
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We recently made a trip to Monterey, to do the usual fun stuff- see the Monterey Bay Aquarium, whale watch shop etc. For our jumping off point we stayed at the Best Western Beach Resort.
Let me...
We recently made a trip to Monterey, to do the usual fun stuff- see the Monterey Bay Aquarium, whale watch shop etc. For our jumping off point we stayed at the Best Western Beach Resort.
Let me start off by saying that this is the only hotel with beachfront property. On that side of the hotel, the view is gorgeous. If you love the beach, like I do, it is worth the extra money to stay on that side. When I booked the room online, I was dubious of the view, and opted for a non-view room. I was pleasantly given an upgrade upon my arrival. I could not tell you why, as I did not ask for it. I did not have to pay the extra premium for the room. Having never had stayed at a Best Western before, I was quite pleased.
The lobby is very nicely decorated. If I had to give it a style I would call it kind of a Spanish- casual California style. Handsome chairs with dark wood, tile floors, and a magnificent view of the beach. Since the lobby is on the second level, it is possible to sit next to the fireplace and see the beautiful surf ebb and flow on the beach. Here you can also have evening beverages. Staff is pleasant and eager to help make your stay a memorable one.
The room we stayed in was on the first floor, facing the beach. The neat thing about this room, is that there are wooden platforms built in front of the rooms, interspersed with sand and sand-loving plants. There is a necessary retaining wall between the beach and the platforms. I would imagine these are here to save you from some large waves, which no doubt can appear at your doorstep in large storms. The hotel is also next to a public beach, which is kind of fun. Since we visited in the spring, there was no one in the water that was not screaming. The Pacific is way too cold even for casual wading. With an air temperature of 52 F, you can see why it would be a bad idea. However, in the warmer times, this may be a nice place to paddle around. At night, it is possible to get firewood from the hotel, and dig a nice fire-pit to enjoy the waves by. Several fires were present the first night of our stay.
The room itself was a basic room, 2 queen beds. There was a small table and a decent sized tv. The bathroom was composed of an open shower bay and a toilet. The sinks were outside the door. I found that to be a little crowded, but I do not generally hangout in the bathroom enough to make that an issue. There was a small fridge, coffee pot and hair dryer. The best part was the toiletries- generally I could care less, as I bring my own, but the hotel uses the Proterra line, which I find to be particularly fragrant. I loved it.
The beds were comfy, pillows perky and best of all, the bed featured giant feather comforters. I left the small window open all night, just so I could relish the chilly morning under that comforter. ( By the way, this small window being open should be explained-it isn’t a window you can see through, but a small vented opening below the big glass window- this way you can sleep securely with it open, and hear the waves crashing all night long.)
Overall- service was great, price was reasonable and I slept like a baby! We will make this our new Monterey digs.
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My husband and I wanted to have a little get away, and decided to take it at the AZ Biltmore. We made our reservation over the phone, and got a rate of $260. It was steep to us, but we thought what...
My husband and I wanted to have a little get away, and decided to take it at the AZ Biltmore. We made our reservation over the phone, and got a rate of $260. It was steep to us, but we thought what the heck, why not splurge on an evening of fun.
So we arrived to discover that all of the parking is far from the rooms. So one would be obliged to use valet parking at $18. Personally, I find this to be way too much of an extravagance. When we decided to leave the lot, we asked the attendant what other areas were available for parking. We were astounded, he did not know! I suppose all guests must use valet parking..ah, no, the lot, which we found on our own, was quite full. We were lucky to find 1 spot.
So we checked in. There we found average service, nothing too special about it. The lobby was nice, with a piano player and a soothing atmosphere, but we have found this in other hotels.
We received our room assignment. It was on the fourth floor, in the main building. We had a nice view of a courtyard, and the air conditioner of the building below. It hummed all night. We were hoping to keep the windows open in the morning, as the temperature was finally below 100, and we wanted a nice breeze. But alas, the humming prevented this. And, oddly enough, there were no screens on the windows, so bugs were coming in.
Our room had a clogged shower. We called the desk, and a nice man came and fixed it. I can't complain about that, I guess, as we have had this in a few other hotels we stayed at- but the difference being that we did not pay this much for them.
Room service was acceptable, but nothing special. The grounds were nicely kept, but I had expected something a bit more lavish. I live in the desert, and am not that impressed with oleanders, and bougainvillea and lantana. I had half expected some more exotic species or some incredible displays of roses or such. But again, perhaps I ask too much.
I did not dine in any restaurants. The menus did look interesting, but we did not care to spend $300 on dinner.
We did not have chocolates on our pillows, and for the price, I had really expected more perks to the room. Bottles of water were available for $6 a piece. ( Aquafina- at the convenience store--89 cents.) Maybe for Perrier, but not Aquafina. The room was clean and comfortable, but truly nothing special. I would advise for a nicer stay, with more appealing grounds, try the Hilton Tapatio Cliffs. It is less of an expense, and a lot more enjoyable.
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I have been to this AJ's and I think it is one of the nicer ones in Phoenix. I really like their selection of beers and wines. If you are looking for something good or new, this is one place I would...
I have been to this AJ's and I think it is one of the nicer ones in Phoenix. I really like their selection of beers and wines. If you are looking for something good or new, this is one place I would try. As far as their other items-- I find their produce section to be ok. I prefer organic produce, and it is harder to find there, than at other stores. Their baking area is interesting, if you are looking for mixes etc. The prices are fairly high on most things, but if you are looking for something exotic, this may be a place to try.
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If you love technology, and you want to leave all your money somewhere, this is the place. There are just aisles and aisles of everything the tech hound could ever want. There are always ads in the...
If you love technology, and you want to leave all your money somewhere, this is the place. There are just aisles and aisles of everything the tech hound could ever want. There are always ads in the Sunday paper, and you can see the kinds of deals available for the week. But I will warn you- if it is a really great deal, you better get up early, because they are certain to be out of anything really good, really fast. Overall the prices are decent, and you can find anything you need here.
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I recently took my 2 cousins to Crackerjax for a little fun. We played miniature golf, which I am apparently really bad at. It was fun anyway. It was a Sunday afternoon, and it wasn't too crowded,...
I recently took my 2 cousins to Crackerjax for a little fun. We played miniature golf, which I am apparently really bad at. It was fun anyway. It was a Sunday afternoon, and it wasn't too crowded, and we had fun hitting the balls everywhere except in the holes. We then tried our hands at the batting cage. Apparently, I am afraid of the balls flying at me at 40 mph. But that was great fun. There was hardly a wait, and the prices were prettly low for an afternoon of entertainment.
We ended our trip with the arcade. The selection of video games was not as good as some malls in the area, but there were enough choices to use the rest of our money on. It is always an adventure to see how many tickets you can acquire- especially playing basketball. I would definitely go there again!
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Southwest Airlines has relatively cheap filghts out of Phoenix. Since they are based here, we get a good selection of places to go. I can usually book flights easily and there always seems to be...
Southwest Airlines has relatively cheap filghts out of Phoenix. Since they are based here, we get a good selection of places to go. I can usually book flights easily and there always seems to be availability to the places I go. The problem is the cattle service that you get. It really irks me not to have an assigned seat. I hate fighting to get in the lines, and the mad rush to the seats. It always gives me anxiety! There are always people trying to cram all of their luggage into every nook and cranny, and never a place for my one little bag, except under the seat in front of me. This is a pain, as my legs are long, and I like the little space you can gain from that area.
So, if you don't mind the hassles, you can get their fairly on time, and cheaply, but that is about it.
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