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I was in Ohio this past weekend to run my second marathon. While waiting for me at the finish line, a local spectator recommended Graeter's to my father as a great nearby place for my post-race...
I was in Ohio this past weekend to run my second marathon. While waiting for me at the finish line, a local spectator recommended Graeter's to my father as a great nearby place for my post-race treat. After the race, we headed over to see what the buzz was about.
Graeter's has an old-fashioned ice cream parlor look and feel. I orded cookies and cream ice cream and cookie dough ice cream in a sundae. Delicious! The ice cream base was a smooth, creamy vanilla, mixed with huge chunks of cookies or cookie dough. The price was reasonable for such good ice cream - four dollars and some change for the sundae.
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My father and I visited Dayton this past weekend so that I could run my second marathon. We were looking for a good place to grab a hearty meal after the race in the morning. The line at most of the...
My father and I visited Dayton this past weekend so that I could run my second marathon. We were looking for a good place to grab a hearty meal after the race in the morning. The line at most of the restaurants was out the door, so we settled on Max & Erma's. Being from California and New York, neither of us had ever heard of Max & Erma's, which is a chain of restaurants serving American-style food, centered mostly in the midwest area.
The menu itself reminded us of an Applebee's menu - lots of burgers and sandwiches. My dad had a cheeseburger and I had a reuben sandwich. Both of these were great! My dad reported that the burger was cooked just right, with lots of cheese on it. My reuben was tasty and piled high with corn beef. In fact, it was enough that I wasn't even able to finish.
The prices are reasonable, as one would expect from a casual dining restaurant such as this one. The service was standard, too. Nothing spectacular, but we didn't feel neglected either. Overall, a good experience.
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Morton Williams seems to have a policy of hiring only the rudest staff available. All of them seem bored and unhappy to be there. They won't even bother with a "Hello" or "How are you?" when you...
Morton Williams seems to have a policy of hiring only the rudest staff available. All of them seem bored and unhappy to be there. They won't even bother with a "Hello" or "How are you?" when you approach the checkstand. If you get a disinterested and mumbled "Hi," its a good day. The store rarely had everything I'm looking for (and its not like I'm looking for exotic items, either) and the prices are a lot higher than the D'Agustino store down the street. I believe that this store only continues to turn a profit because many Columbia students are too lazy (and I'll admit, somtimes I'm one of them) to walk the 5 blocks to D'Agustino to find a somewhat friendlier staff and prices that are more reasonable, at least in terms of Manhattan pricing.
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You can find great bargains at Filene's Basement, but you have to search for them. Unless you get there right when they open, on the morning after they've cleaned or restocked, expect to find the...
You can find great bargains at Filene's Basement, but you have to search for them. Unless you get there right when they open, on the morning after they've cleaned or restocked, expect to find the place disorganized and messy. Bargain hunters, apparently, cannot be bothered to hang clothes back up or put that sweater back on the table they found it on. Maybe doing so might cause them to miss some huge bargain?
That said, if you are willing to sort through the mess, you can find some very nice clothing at significant discounts, especially if you are willing to buy offseason. I found some great sweaters last spring that would normally have run me $40-$75 dollars, which I was able to pick up for less than $20 each.
Don't bother asking a salesperson for help finding an item, either. He or she may be able to point you in the direction of the dress section or the men's area, but because of the constant moving of the merchandise, probably can't get more specific than that.
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Koronet's is located just a few blocks away from Columbia University, and is a huge favorite of the students there - and for good reason! Koronet's serves huge (bigger even than "normal" New York...
Koronet's is located just a few blocks away from Columbia University, and is a huge favorite of the students there - and for good reason! Koronet's serves huge (bigger even than "normal" New York sized slices) slices of pizza. The prices are low, which is especially attractive to the students in the neighborhood. And to top it all off, the pizza is really good! I won't go so far as to call it great, mostly because it has a tendancy to be a bit too greasy, but for the price you are paying and for the quantity you receive, that is an annoyance at the most.
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Labyrith Books is a true book store, unlike what you'll find at the mammoth sized Barnes & Noble type stores that clutter this city. If you are looking for a store with reasonable prices, friendly...
Labyrith Books is a true book store, unlike what you'll find at the mammoth sized Barnes & Noble type stores that clutter this city. If you are looking for a store with reasonable prices, friendly (and knowledgable!) staff and lots of great books, this is the place. It has that old New York feel, cluttered with books of all types, from the textbooks for Columbia students to the newest novels and autobiographies. If they don't have it, the staff is happy to order it for you.
If you aren't a Columbia student seeking your course's textbooks, I'd try to avoid Labyrinth in the first week or two of September and in the last week or so of January, when the semester starts up and students fill the place to the brims as they buy their books (although Columbia has a bookstore, many professors like Labyrinth for its friendliness and willingness to accomodate, so many courses have their books here only).
If you are looking for a place with big cushy chairs to read a book before you even buy it (all while sipping your latte from the Starbucks upstairs), this isn't it. If you are looking for a place that knows and really cares about books, though, this is it. And if you really need that latte to make your book-buying complete, there's a Starbucks two blocks away.
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I have had afternoon tea at Lady Mendl's tea salon twice, and have thoroughly enjoyed myself both times. The rooms are decorated in a Victorian style, evoking an old-fashioned elegance that you...
I have had afternoon tea at Lady Mendl's tea salon twice, and have thoroughly enjoyed myself both times. The rooms are decorated in a Victorian style, evoking an old-fashioned elegance that you don't often find in the city. Lady Mendl's offers an extensive selection of teas for you to choose from. If you are a smaller party (not a large group), each guest is served from their own tea pot, which is then left on the table so you can replenish your cup at will. The 5 course tea service begins with a salad of greens and dressing - nothing fancy, but good. After the salad, you are offered a selection of 4 or 5 types of tea sandwiches. Although only 4 are served at first, don't be shy in asking for more after that - the servers will be happy to bring you more! The third course is scones - a must for any good tea service. Lady Mendl's serves theirs with raspberry jam and clotted cream. They were absolutely delicious!
After the scones, the fourth course is cake. When I was there, the choice was between a chocolate mousse cake or a layered crepe cake with vanilla cream - I had the chocolate, and tasted my friend's crepe cake, and both were wonderful! Finally, the last course consists of a selection of cookies and chocolate covered strawberries.
Lady Mendl's tea service is not inexpensive ($35 per person) but it is also not the most expensive I've had, either. The salon itself can be a bit tricky to find if you do not know what to look for. There are no signs outside that identify the building. Next to the door, there is a small plaque with a tea cup engraved on it, but beyond that the building looks just like any other. Reservations are required in advance for one of the two daily tea services. Unless you are booking near a holiday (Christmas, Mother's Day, etc.), there isn't usually a problem booking a few days in advance.
Lady Mendl's is definitely worth the price for a nice afternoon out!
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If you are looking for some good, reasonably inexpensive Mexican food near Columbia University, Nacho's Kitchen is one of your few options. The food here is good, although there is nothing...
If you are looking for some good, reasonably inexpensive Mexican food near Columbia University, Nacho's Kitchen is one of your few options. The food here is good, although there is nothing spectacular about it. Having been raised on "authentic" Mexican food in my hometown in California, some of the dishes failed to impress. However, they were still pretty good for what you will be paying (generally $7-10 for an entree, pretty average for the area). They serve the obligatory chips and salsa right after you are seated. The chips were good, and probably made fresh at the restaurant. The salsa, though, was just more like tomato mush...no kick to it at all. Very disappointing.
The service was adequate. I know, not a very descriptive word, but the best I can think of for this place. Your server will greet you, take your order, serve it, and you won't see him again until you flag him down to ask for the check. It gets the job done, but it doesn't impress me.
Nacho's also serves a selection of burgers, which are surprisingly tasty. If the diners are full, Nacho's is a great option for that burger fix.
One other thing that got on my nerves: I can understand a nominal charge for bringing extra items to the table, like when I asked for a small dish of guacamole. 50 cents or a dollar would cut it, I would think, considering how tiny the dish ended up being. But $3.95?? That, in my book, is a rip-off.
Overall, I liked this restaurant but was not impressed enough to make it a regular stop for me.
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The Van Heusen Factory Outlet, located in the outlet center in Gilroy, is a great place to shop for clothes if you like clean lines and tailored garments. I was hesitant to go into the store at...
The Van Heusen Factory Outlet, located in the outlet center in Gilroy, is a great place to shop for clothes if you like clean lines and tailored garments. I was hesitant to go into the store at first - the window display featured pricey looking suits - but at my sister's insistance, in we went. What a surprise! The clothes were exactly what I was looking for. This store is a great place to pick up some of those wardrobe staples - black or gray slacks, a pencil skirt, solid color sweaters or a button down collared shirt. While I was there, the store was having a large sale, so there wasn't a single item in the many that I purchased that cost more than $25. Even without the sale, the prices at this store are more than reasonable for the quality fashionable pieces you will find.
My only issue with the store was the staff. Granted, we were there on a Wednesday morning just after opening, but nevertheless, the staff were not up to par. There was only one saleswoman in the store. When it came time to make my purchase, I had to stand at an unattended counter for several minutes before she came strolling out of the back, as though it were a nuisance to be doing her job.
The lack of customer service could be due to many reasons, and because of the quality and price of the clothes I found here, I am more than willing to give this store another shot next time I go to the outlets!
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Knitty by the Sea is by far the most knowledgable and well-stocked knitting store in Monterey County. The owner is always there to help you, and offer advice on the best types of yarn and needles...
Knitty by the Sea is by far the most knowledgable and well-stocked knitting store in Monterey County. The owner is always there to help you, and offer advice on the best types of yarn and needles for your project. They stock high quality, gorgeous yarns that you just won't find at a multi-craft store like Michael's.
Like any store in Carmel, parking is always an issue - but that is more the city's fault than the store's, and is just something you have to be aware of and prepared for whenever you come to Carmel for any reason.
The only other complaint I would have about this store is the price. It is very expensive, and so I save my shopping here for my most important projects - the ones that require the highest quality. For anything else, I just go for the cheaper stuff at Michael's. If you need high quality yarn, though, this is the place to go!
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