12 Places
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Aaron’s 5-star review: I am such a fan of Konrad's that despite my moving from San Francisco to Berkeley, I still go out of my way to bring him my car. He takes his time, he is honest, and he is bound to give you good advice. Go in for an oil change, and he is going to check your tires, your brakes, etc. because he wants you to be safe. On more than one occasion he has told me the "book" on auto servicing requires a mechanic to change a part because the manufacturer recommends it. On these occasions he has told me my part is fine and to wait, saving me $500 - $1,000 in services that any other mechanic would happily charge. Konrad is a UC Berkeley graduate too. He is an icon of friendly quality local servicing that seems to be lost in this country as we move towards consolidated name-branded service companies. Not every one of his services are going to be cheap, but he will save you money in the long run and give you far more bang for your buck. For that I will continue to drive across the bay to use his services. -
Aaron’s 5-star review: When I used to live in SF, Al of SirPet was a godsend. In fact wish Yelp had a 6th star that I could hand out. Using Al meant my house was clean and well maintained while I was out. My cats were groomed and played with daily (which even I don't do every day...or week). Sometimes I suspected the two cats wanted Al to stay longer. The sitting was super affordable for the level of care delivered. I think it was about $30 per night if he spent the night at your place. My needy little buggers needed someone to spend the night, so it was perfect for us. I am shocked that other Yelpers haven't found him yet. Now that I am out of SF, and don't want to keep him secret & free so that he can sit for me, I am happy to spread the word on a great service. If you are going out of town and want your home and pets to be loved as if you were there with them, know that Al's service will bring you peace of mind. As a goofy pet owner with dozens of pictures of his pets in his iPhone, that peace of mind was gold for someone like me. -
Aaron’s 5-star review: I've only had one formal wedding, so my perspective might be way off, but my impression is that Melissa did a fantastic job. In fact I was most impressed with the fact that she: A. Works in digital and sends you the original files so that you can print off your own pictures again and again. B. She is very affordable - plus you save because of A., as you can print your own pictures where most photographers charge above market rate for prints. C. She is very personable and is enjoyable to be around. D. She has a very nice eye for more than your basic wedding pictures. E. She will give you a MILLION pictures, so nothing is missed. Further, she Photoshops them 1st, and runs them in both color and black and white so you double up on the shots. I ended up with 7 CDs or 1 full DVD of photos from my little event. I forget how my wife and I found Melissa, but we ended up liking her so much that she worked the next two wedding we attended after we had recommended her to our friends. One of those events came when a photographer backed out on our friends just at the last minute. Melissa came to their rescue. Further, for our wedding she was hired to work for 4 hours, but when we ran past four hours she willingly stayed late to snap impromptu posed shots. She never complained or even charged us extra. In the panic of trying to coordinate your own wedding, that was greatly appreciated. I would haply, and since I am yelping, am happily recommending Melissa to all. Especially if you are looking for a less expensive or digital option. http://www.meldodd.com/ -
Aaron’s 5-star review: Found these guys after slogging through a litany of google searches and bad reviews. The highlights: 1 - You can call a day ahead and schedule your pick-up. 1a - My guy was early for a 6am pickup time. Then he happily waited 20 minutes outside without complaint as the other couple in my travel party arrived. 2 - Flat rates, competitive price. 2a - No extra charge for taking 4 people to SFO from Berkeley. 3 - Sent a van so we would have maximum room for people and bags. Usually I BART to the Airport, but certainly when I need a ride, this is who I will be calling. -
Aaron’s 4-star review: I'm a fan of Bart. As an exMuni-train commuter I've come to appreciate BART - it's regularity, it's orderly lines and soft seats. So much so that my car sits lonely and dusty on the street. Happiness to me is letting BART deal with driving, while I read a book. That being said, to get BART up to 5 stars, here are 5 rules fellow riders need to stick to: 1. Walk left, stand right! If you want to treat the escalator as a ride or are too lazy to walk (I am guilty of this), stand to your right. Don't block those people running for their trains to get to work on time. 2. Have your ticket out as you approach the 'turn-styles.' You had to put the ticket into the slot to get into BART, what did you think was going to happen when you got off the train? Don't clog up a gate while you fumble for your ticket either. You risk getting crushed to death by the ever forward moving throng. That or just really irritating the person stuck behind yee of the short sight. 3. Don't have loud cell phone conversations for all to hear, and for the love of god can you get a less obnoxious ring-tone! I don't need to hear the intimate details of your life, nor do the people in the next train. I'm sorry you have that outbreak but I hear they have a cream for it. Now get off the phone, don't touch me, and look-up a 24 hour pharmacy on Yelp! 4. If someone is reading a book, they don't want to talk to you. Unless it is a trashy romance novel. They might be lonely. 5. Don't hold the doors open. BART is sensitive, it likes to breakdown. If you hold the door open and knock my train out of service I'm going to give you...well a really evil eye at the least (OK the most) Although, watching people getting crushed in the doors is a personal favorite BART pastime of mine. Cruel but hilarious. -
Aaron’s 5-star review: It is pretty, romantic, has amazing views, is your typical Victorian B&B on the scenic HWY-1 drive up the CA coast... blah blah blah - I'm a guy, I don't really care that much. What I do care about is the fact that they serve AMAZINGLY good food. My wife and I stayed there for an anniversary, choosing the locale due to a teeny blurb in Gourmet magazine. One of the owners was getting some nice and highly deserved good-press for having retired from his career as a doctor (or lawyer) to move from Italy to open up an inn on the CA coast. Guests and people with only dinner reservations are invited for a set prix fixe homemade meal by the man himself. You show up (or as we stayed there, saunter down to the parlor) and are served several tasty appetizers. Wine or champagne was served to make the morsels go down smoothly. At this time you mingle your fellow dinner guests and await being called into the dinning area. There was a main table, I think it sits 8 (get ready to sit and talk to strangers some more), and two individual tables for couples. Then the meal comes. Three hours of the most plate-licking good food is brought out from the kitchen. This isn't a restaurant, all service and preparation are done by the two owners (a married couple). Food is explained but not overly talked about, as the flavors do all the talking. They even give you a written menu of the evening's meal as a souvenir. I still dream about the cold white bean salad with rock shrimp and leeks. Three hours of decadence goes by really quickly. That's the shocker. That and the bill. I can be cheap, but this is several hundred dollars well spent. If you need a special occasion treat go to the Inn. Just plan ahead by getting reservations well in advance, and by starting a college fund for the meal. On the night we stayed the LA times re-ran the Gourmet article in their food section and suddenly the Inn and its dinner parlor was flooded with reservations booking up for 8 months in advance. Oh, and I think they happily host weddings in their flowered back property. They had a nice garden and they grow most if not all of their produce for their meals too. If you stay there bring ear plugs. They have pet donkeys on the property. We learned that donkeys are needy and social, so when they realize they have been separated from the group due to their mindlessly grazing, they bray loudly for the rest of the clan to find them. This happens every 30 minutes, starting at the crack of dawn. Go for the food, make a weekend out of it. In the morning the owner will cook you up a very nice little breakfast. Coffee, eggs on toast with pancetta. A perfect launch to go explore the coastline. -
Aaron’s 5-star review: Bad-ass vacuum dudes! They changed the belts in my 39 y/o Hoover - a gift that I've inherited from my parents wedding - this weekend when old Hoover started to blow instead of suck (lets keep it clean people). They also cleaned off the outside of the machine and de-stringed the carpet rolly thingamadoodle, making my floor sucker work like new. All it took was 15 minutes and $40. The guy at checkout said that my powder-blue baby was one of the best vacuums ever made, and to hold on to it. Great to hear from a place that sells at least one vacuum that costs $1,000.
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Aaron’s 5-star review: In direct contrast to my experience at US Health [DOESN'T] Works, Embarcadero PT was a pleasure to deal with. Friendly front desk staff, laid back appointment booking, and friendly Therapists make for an enjoyable recovery. The place is clean, close to my office, and very relaxed. Special thanks to Leslie who not only can work a rotator-cuff, but she can talk about the Giants all day. My kind of woman! -
Aaron’s 4-star review: I used to loath going to the dentist. I had nightmares in anticipation where my teeth were shattering in my mouth and out came bloody jagged shards. Seriously, I'm a big baby but I earned it. My old dentist once gave me a root canal without any anesthetic, and long story short, it was as traumatizing as a trip to Pluto's (see previous review). Fast forward several years through a time when I was so consumed by fear that I avoided the dentist until I had a gaping cavity and faced the quandary: Death or the dentist? Ok, that might be a bit dramatic but that's how I felt. My wife and several co-workers had been going to see Dr. Shea and so I took a chance that he could handle my deep emotional needs. My wife talked up my lack of dental masculinity and he agreed that he could help. Helped he did. Dr. Shea always checked to make sure I wasn't in pain, going the extra mile to make sure that I was as comfortable as possible. Giggle gas, Novocain and a gentle hand were his tools. Topical analgesic on the gums prior to the shot of Novocain, then a single drop of Novocain to dull the area before the rest of the shot, and so on and so forth. The result? I'm far less a baby and my mouth is back to normal. Further, Dr. Shea is a good guy. He is funny and easy to talk to in that slurred hand in your mouth Dentist-patient language. He is willing to talk you through every little thing if you are like my wife and want to know details. Now Dr. Shea isn't perfect. He is very aggressive and generally doesn't lay out all your options as much as asks you for approval for the next big thing. Secondly, he is expensive. I have decent dental coverage through my company, and I always have to pay a chunk of change. Several co-workers won't go back because they feel he is hyper-aggressive. I'm ok with that. My mouth is in decent shape now and most importantly I'm not afraid. For that, he has earned my loyalty. -
Aaron’s 4-star review: Softpawz is fantastic service that does everything (grooming, pet sitting, dog walking, etc.) and best yet they come to you. So their address is my kitchen or yours (run now they are in the house!), as that's where they give my cat his summer lion cut. I've hired them to make my tubby tabby look like the king of the jungle for a couple of years now, as well as to have them perform a daily pop-in (litter clean up, feeding, etc.) for those times when I have to travel and can't get a house sitter. In this vein they earn only 4 stars because they don't always clean up litter messes or leave me feeling like my cats are overwhelmed with attention while I'm out. But as a bail out for last minute travel these guys are gold. Best yet the cost is comparable to going to the groomers, plus you save on the aggravation of travel. I believe 1st timers get a discount from a coupon online too. -
Aaron’s 4-star review: Sinan's was everything I wanted Pella to be, before Pella didn't stack up. First off, I like supporting local business when I can, so going to a dealer like Sinan's over Pella - a national chain with a local office - was good for me and the community. Secondly, unlike when I went to Pella I got quick and accurate help. They sales reps were knowledgeable, they presented me with all the options I could entertain, and I purchased what I expected to buy from Pella. Further, they are email and web friendly. I went in, gave them all the specs for my job and talked out all the options I wanted (including custom grill patterns to match an odd window pattern at my house). They worked up an estimate and emailed it to me. I had numerous questions and revisions, which they happily worked out over email, and I was able to purchase the window over the phone and via email (PDF contracts, etc). It was perfect. I would give Sinan's a 5 start rating if it wasn't for the fact that they are expensive and I have to wait a long time to get my window delivered. Then again, sometimes you have to pay more to get locally grown (ah window farms take me back to my youth) products and good service. So call this a 4.5 star review. http://www.sinanswindows.com -
Aaron’s 4-star review: Winner winner, I can now cook a chicken dinner. I called up the good people of Reliance to ask for a technician who could come to my place and tinker with my O'Keeffe and Merritt stove. About a week later their guy came out with parts in hand. He fixed my broiler and one non-igniting burner in less than an hour. Admittedly it the technician called and rescheduled a couple times but the solution was relatively quick and painless. Well, a couple hundred bucks pain-full, but in the longrun...ah... you get the point.
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