Weston L.'s Profile

I made my first purchase at Hot Topic this past Halloween season, and I have to say that I now have an official seat on the "Hot Topic Sucks" bandwagon.

I needed suspenders and a black tie for my Halloween costume and Hot Topic just happened to be a convenient store to purchase both of these items at.

To start things off on a positive note, the items that I needed were incredibly easy to find.  There was a stand right next to one of the cashiers that I spotted as soon as I entered the store.  And now...On to the bad.

All of the suspenders were on one stand with little information.  Were they men's, women's, or unisex?  Aside from design, was there any difference between them?  Also, there wasn't any information about sizing...Nothing to say how long the suspenders were.

They were all out of the solid black suspenders, so I picked up some black ones with skulls on them, and under the assumption that one size would adjust to fit all, I grabbed a skinny black tie and headed to the cashier.

The guy working behind the register possibly could have been nice...Then again he possibly could have been a douche.  I have no clue because I could not hear a single word that he said.  It's not that the music in the store was too loud, it was just that he simply wasn't speaking loud enough to be heard over it.  Even after having him repeat himself and moving in closer towards the cashier I still couldn't really make out what he was saying.  It's definitely a problem when I'm two feet away from the guy and can't hear what he's saying...So not impressed with the staff.

As I'm walking through the parking lot, a car full of dicks spot my bag and yell out the window "Hot Topic Sucks."  I start to turn to yell back..."So does your mom" or "I yell shit while I'm driving away too" or something along those lines when I realize that I sort of have to agree with them on that point.  There was nothing about my experience in the store that would lead me to believe that it doesn't suck.

I get home and attempt to get the suspenders on...And it's a no go.  At 5'10-5'11 and of pretty average build I am by no means a big guy, but these things would just not fit.  After making them as big as I could and struggling for a little bit, I was finally able to get one side clipped.  As I was moving around trying to get the other side secured, the first clip slips and I had just enough time to tilt my head out of the way as the end of the suspender hurtled towards my face.  Not wanting to be defeated, I gave it another try and managed to get both sides securely clipped on...The only problem was that now I was halfway towards an atomic wedgie.

The only problem I had with the tie is that one side of the tag on the back of the wider end ripped off during the process of tying it.  While not a big deal, the simple fact that it came loose with the smallest of snags just lead to an overall sense of poor quality.

All in all, I can't say that I was very happy with my trip to Hot Topic...This was my first time purchasing items from this store and it may just be my last as well.

The food is three star worthy, but the prices bump it up to four stars.  A decent meal at Disneyland for only $8.99?  Awfully hard to beat.

There was a bit of a line, but it moved along fairly quickly.  We ordered the clam chowder and the steak gumbo, and while the gumbo was good, we both agreed that the clam chowder was the better of the two.

The biggest downside to this place is that seating is very limited.  We ended up enjoying our meal while sitting on top of a nearby brick wall...Not necessarily the best or easiest place to eat a bread bowl.

Great prices and enough food (Or at least, bread) to fill you up.  Just be sure to keep an eye out for seating and have someone in your party ready to grab an open table while you wait to order.

Looks like water downed mouthwash, but tastes a whole lot better.  A very refreshing drink on a warm summer's day.

Took a little bit of time to get accustomed to the flavor...Not that it was bad, it's just that I'm not accustomed to drinking these.  But with every sip, I found myself enjoying the drink more and more.

The only downside was that my glass was overloaded with ice, so just as I was really starting to enjoy this drink, it was gone.

Jambalaya, citrus chicken, and 2 drinks for $34.  Not too bad considering this is in Disneyland.

The food was average at best.  The chicken was on the bland side, but the jambalaya had some decent flavor.  The food wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either, and between the main course, veggies, and cornbread, I did feel like I got a good amount of food for my money.

My favorite part about this place was it's location/setting.  On a crowded summer day, it was a great place to just sit back and relax for a while.  Getting a nice, comfortable spot with some shade made our stop by this place well worth the trip.

The food isn't going to blow your socks off, but the prices are pretty good and you do get a good amount of food.  I would say that it's worth a look if you're looking to dine in at the park.

With the word "burger" in the name, you'd expect the burgers here to be good...And well, they are.

Juicy and tasty, and while not the best burgers that I've ever tasted, they are still pretty dang good.  I can't really say that I'm a fan of the fries, although they are decent.

The real star of the side dish show, and if I'm being perfectly honest, my favorite thing on the menu, is the onion rings.  They're delicious and neither heavy nor oily.

I also really liked this location.  It was a beautiful day out when I went and it was just a great place to sit, eat, relax, and do a bit of people watching.

The only downside, as others have mentioned, is that it's a bit pricey for a burger place.  But, you're paying for quality, so it's worth it.

Average, average, average.  That's about all I can really say about this place.  It wasn't bad and it wasn't great.  It was just average.

Tried three different flavors - Mild, Hickory Smoked BBQ, and Garlic Parmesan.  The Garlic Parmesan ones were definitely the best of the bunch, but I still found them to be just ok.

It also seemed like it took a really long time for our food to be ready.  Other wing places that I've been have definitely been quicker, and waiting a long time for average wings definitely didn't help me fall in love this place.  Also, when I was here the place was a furnace...Ended up going back to my car to wait because it was so much cooler outside.

My biggest complaint is with the bread that we got.  Aside from not really tasting like anything, it was cold.  I'm not talking about it being room temperature cold either.  No, this was came out of the freezer and didn't fully defrost cold.  I ended up having to throw it in my oven at home to make it even worth eating.

There's nothing wrong with these wings, don't get me wrong.  It's just that they're completely average and there's nothing calling me back here...It's simply forgettable.

I have to admit, after my initial awe of my first experience with a salon (The Diesel location in Kensington) wore off, I found myself feeling like something was lacking.  There was nothing wrong with the salon, I just went through a period of bad luck, as my luscious locks seemed to be the kiss of death for any stylist that touched them.  It seemed like every time I got my hair cut I would call to schedule another appointment only to find that the stylist I had seen no longer worked at Diesel.

I like to think it was because my hair was so amazing that they considered it a privilege to cut it and decided to end their careers on a high note.

I was all ready to come on here, update my review on the Kensington salon with a slightly lower rating, and start my search for a new salon, but I decided to give Diesel one last chance...And that's when I met the amazing Jackie.

I've been having her cut my hair for a while now and I must say that she is amazing.  She's worked on my hair through two different styles now and has done a fantastic job with both of them.  I brought in photos of styles that I liked and she was able to give me exactly what I was looking for.  She was extremely helpful when I was trying to decide on my current style, she took the time to look through the photos I had brought in and discuss with me what would look good, why it would work with my hair, and all that good stuff.

The front desk staff seemed nice.  I only talked to them briefly as I was running late for my appointment and was taken back almost immediately.  I found the atmosphere of the salon to be quite pleasant and in my opinion it has a lot different feel than the Kensington location.

The only negatives I found didn't really have much to do with the salon itself but rather it's location.  Getting from La Jolla Parkway to the salon took me absolutely FOREVER because traffic was horrendous.  Thankfully they were very understanding when I called and informed them that I would be running behind due to being stuck in traffic.  Parking can also be a hassle.  I had to circle around a few times until I lucked out and finally found someone backing out of a spot.

But traffic problems aside, I find myself once again in love with this salon.  Jackie is a wonderful stylist and I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a great haircut!

Made the mistake of coming here for lunch.  Went in a party of 4, and at the very least, 3 of our meals were incredibly average.  I can't even remember what it was that we ordered, so as you can see the food certainly didn't leave a lasting impression on me.  The one dish I do remember is the acai bowl, not because my friend raved about it or anything like that, it just simply looked good so it sticks out in my mind.

The drinks were good, but far from amazing...Pretty much right on par with any other smoothie I've ever ordered.

The service, if you can call it that, was absolutely horrible.  The guy couldn't remember which drinks were which.  He said he would go double check and come back...He never did.  We eventually figured out what was what on our own.  The food seemed like it took a long time to get out to our table, and when it finally did arrive, the server forgot to give us silverware.  It wouldn't have been a big deal had he simply forgotten to bring it, but he actually had them in his hand.  He dropped off the food, checked the table, looked down at his hand, and then apparently made the decision that we didn't need any napkins or silverware and promptly walked off before we could say anything.  When it became apparent that he wasn't coming back, I just went up and got it myself.  Lastly, as we were finishing up our meal he made his rounds and I asked him for a box.  Once again he said he would be right back, and once again he never did come back.  Another thing that I had to go up and ask for.

I have heard some good things about breakfast/dinner, so I may give this place another shot...But I'm definitely not going to come back for lunch any time soon.

Really surprised to see this mall get so many low reviews.  I know this isn't the greatest shopping center in the land, but it's not as bad as some of these remarks would make it seem.

If you're planning on doing some serious shopping, this probably won't top your list of places to go.  There aren't a huge number of stores here, but you'll find big name places like Macy's, Target, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart.  Other notable stores include Pier 1, the World Market, See's Candy, and Sports Authority.

There's a movie theater and a pet store, where as others have written, you can take a dog for a walk around the mall.  The food court is pretty average, so unless you're in a rush, it's probably better to head to Panera, or across the parking lot to BJ's, Casa de Pico, or Olive Garden.  There's also a few "kid friendly" places like Fuddruckers, Shakey's, and Chuck E Cheese.

There are better malls out there.  Parkway, Mission, Fashion, and even Plaza Bonita really aren't all that far away from this place.  But Grossmont offers a pretty standard array of stores and you can find most of your needs at this shopping center.  If you're planning to spend the day shopping, or to do some serious shopping, you'll probably want to look elsewhere.  But if you're looking to just pick up a few things or kill a couple of hours, Grossmont is a great place to do it, especially if you're in the area.

Last week I had my Effin's cherry popped.  I'm constantly driving past this place, but never think to stop in.  Met up with a group here to enjoy some snacks and drinks before an Aztec game.

Overall impression was that this place is average in just about every way.  It's close to SDSU, which is nice and they also have nightly deals.  We went on wings Wednesday, which if I remember correctly were 40 cent wings (min order of 6)...we went with the buffalo ones and they were pretty decent.

No real complaints about this place...There's not a whole lot calling me back here except for how close it is to State.

And just a little warning, when I hit up the restroom I noticed that the toilet seat had apparently pulled a disappearing act, so if you get a little rumble in the jungle and need to drop a load, good luck to ya lol...