Benjamin R.'s Profile

I used Rent Direct to find a new apartment last March. I was happy with the service and with what I found.

Finding an apartment is a lot of work, so I like the idea of a broker who will help you find the right apartment for you. Unfortunately, the market in New York means that the brokers work for the landlords, not you.

Craigslist is swamped with bait-and-switch ads by brokers who make posts in the "no fee" section in order to get your contact information, then they will try to show you whatever apartments they are trying to unload that week. Craigslist's community moderation can't filter for that sort of thing, so you're kind of on your own.

Rent Direct is a compromise between paying a broker fee or spending hours wading through junk craigslist posts. I think it's a pretty good deal: you can see all of their listings for free, without addresses. If you want the addresses, you pay a fixed amount (currently $105 or $135 depending on your price range) and then you can go apartment hunting, knowing that the listings you have are real apartments and there really will be no fee. (And if they're not, you can report them to Rent Direct.)

Rent Direct does not have exclusive agreements with landlords -- they can list other places, too -- so it is risky for Rent Direct to allow you to see any of their listings for free. With a little time, you could probably guess the addresses and contact the landlord directly, without paying Rent Direct at all.

That's why they ask for your contact info before you can search for free, and that's why they call you and encourage you to subscribe. I think this is preferable though, because you can find out if they have any listings in the range/location you want BEFORE you pay. And if they don't, you don't have to pay. That is great.

When I used Rent Direct, the woman who called me was very helpful and not nearly as pushy as the "Amy" mentioned in other reviews. (Honestly, if you didn't like the salesperson and did not sign up for the service, you should make it clear at the top of your review that you are not really reviewing the full service.) If you happen to get a rude salesperson on the phone, just hang up. You're not a customer yet, why are you still on the line?

In my experience, Rent Direct is an honest business operating in a crummy market. If you can find an apartment through a friend-of-a-friend, do it, it's much easier. And if you have the time to spend on craigslist, go for it, there are more apartments there (and more junk listings too).

But if you don't have a lot of time to waste, I wholeheartedly recommend Rent Direct.

Food was good. I had pork friend rice. Not too greasy. Would eat here again.

NOW THE EXCITING PART

The fortune cookie contained, instead of a proper fortune, an advertisement for "The History Channel's Lost Book of Nostrodamus" airing on "Sunday, 10/28"; it's May, so you think that would make the cookie a few months old.

But 10/28/2010 falls on a Thursday. The most recent year in which 10/28 fell on a Sunday was 2007.

The fortune cookie was about as old as the original iPhone.

I hate moving. It's embarrassing. "Yes, I own all this stuff, and need to make a big deal about moving it across town, even though I probably don't really need any of it." Lou was professional and efficient. He even complimented me on my packing job, which made me feel a lot better on a very stressful day.

I'm no expert, but the van + trailer setup seems to be a smarter way to move stuff within the city than a giant truck. Lou is careful to avoid $300 parking tickets that bigger moving companies just build into the price as a cost of doing business.

Lou is a friendly guy and a straight-shooter. He sent me an email with a few questions; with the answers he made an estimate which turned out to be spot-on.

(Also: after seeing this Yelp page, I thought for sure he would send a follow-up email encouraging me to write a positive review, but he didn't.)

I stopped in today for a burger, and it was done well.  I don't mean it was overcooked, I mean they did a good job and it was good to eat.  But nothing special.  I'm giving them four stars even though the name is "3 Star" because it is really just a modest place.

I grew up in a small town outside of Pittsburgh and got my hair cut at a no-frills barbershop for most of my life.  Astor Place is the closest thing I can find in Manhattan, judged by the fact that I don't feel like I've been scammed when it's time to pay.  On top of that, my most recent haircut has gotten me a lot of compliments, so that's proof enough for me that I don't need to be forking over $50 to look nice.

Trying to pronounce her name may be intimidating (it's "ET-TOO-FOO") but Dr. Etufugh is anything but.  I went to her to have my wisdom teeth extracted ten years later I probably should have had the procedure done.  She did a great job of explaining the risks in a reasonable way and made the whole affair manageable.  It's hard to choose a doctor, you ultimately have to go with your gut.  Dr. Etufugh is the third oral surgeon I have consulted with and was by far the only one I was comfortable with.

Twice I've ordered the Sesame Chicken, telling myself to eat half and save the other half for later.  Twice I've eaten the whole damn thing in one sitting, followed by a feeling which is wonderful and terrible at the same time.

Update:  CLOSED!  I went there on March 5 and it looked like they were taking the place apart.  Some dude inside (not a staff member I recognized) said they were closed for good.

I want to like this place, mostly because it is so close to my apartment, but everything tastes just a little... off.  As though maybe they don't move product fast enough to keep the pizza relatively fresh.  I don't know how to describe it.  I'm not a picky eater.

THIS IS NOT A DINER.  It is a restaurant masquerading as a diner.  Shame on them!

The Tick Tock Diner looks like a diner from the outside but it's just a restaurant.  Big Daddy's Diner is a great place to get tater tots but it isn't a real diner.  The Malibu Diner and the Skylight Diner are almost but not quite real diners.

The Cheyenne Diner is a REAL diner.  It is rough around the edges.  It is not ironic.  It is open 24 hours.  I am glad to have found it.