Vilay "hot sauce" S.'s Profile

The venue fit the theme perfectly. The restaurant has an old boys/railroad baron thing going on. I'm glad they let me in the door.

This event ties with Olneyville System for the nicest, most welcoming staff at a Yelp event. The manager and chef were out there mingling with us, waitstaff were all very young but very friendly and nice. The food was generous and delicious - definitely enough to make me plan another trip back. The hosts at The American really got that part spot on (making us want to go back, that is) And the Shutterbooth guy is also super nice! Great to have them at an event again.

So Hilary, thank you for your wonderful service to our country of Elite Nation

Thanks to these reviews from fellow yelpers, I was able to show up at the DMV with every single thing I needed and I was out 30 mins after they opened. Here is a step by step guide to new residents.

1. Go to the website and download all of the forms you need for license & registration. Fill them out before going to DMV. Get *everything* on the checklist; the most confusing thing to me was the tax exempt forms. Yes, you do need them. The form they give you + bill of sale was sufficient for me. Don't forget your checkbook when you go.
2. Go to a police station to get your VIN check. I went to the Providence one because it opens at 7 am so I went right before going to the DMV. It costs $10 here but for some reason costs $15 at other places. The Prov location ONLY accepts money order!!
3. Check in at DMV: I got to there at 7:30 am on Friday, 1 hr before opening. I was 8th in line. By the time it opened, there were over 50 in line. As soon as I got my ticket, my number was called. This is why it's important to fill out your forms beforehand. I go to the window, she tells me I need to go to the tax line. No big deal because they give you a special ticket so you dont have to wait in line again. (Don't bother going to the tax line first, because you'll miss out on an early ticket #) The tax lady gives me a stamp. I get a new number from the check-in booth, and it's called before I even sit down.
4. Get rude ass service from the worker. I've heard horror stories, but I've never really had anyone treat me so infuriatingly in any customer experience. Each time she'd say "I need this thing" and as she sees me shuffling the papers to get to it, she says "sign here... get me this... now look over there and read line 5..." basically every time I was in the middle of doing something she asked, she'd interrupt me with the next step. Look I get that you want it to be fast, but this doesn't help. Then when she asked for proof of residency, I have my hand on it and haven't even put it through the hole yet and she says "We don't take leases." Me: "It's a home insurance policy. It's on the list." This exchanged happened a few times too where she thinks I'm an idiot with the wrong forms, and surprise, it's right. Then she asked me 8 separate times if there was a bank loan on my car. Even though it says it right there on there on the title to my car! Read it, No lien! Finally it's all over with, and all of my shit was correct. She hands me the car plates and says, "you're all set" as if that's the end. I paused and asked, "What about my license stuff?" Her: "Oh, go over to window 7,8,9 to get your picture taken." Well that's nice of you to let me know. Now I see why they need the plexiglass in front of them. (cost here was about $160)
5. Get your car inspected within 5 days. (not sure about the cost)

The paperwork is all very confusing, so I do kind of have to separate the paperwork from the physical experience at the office. Three out of the 4 employees I dealt with were perfectly nice. There are around 20 stations to take customers, so the line does move pretty quickly. There doesn't seem to be enough room to sit considering the amount of people though. I think it is the most efficient setup of the many DMV's I've had to visit in the past.

What an amazing event! Everyone was dressed to the nines and in good spirits. The space was rich and cozy.  It was awesome to have Spicebox sponsor the drinks. I didn't care for it, but that's no one's fault. The photographs of the night captured the event perfectly. Stacey Doyle's photos were gorgeous! Thanks Hilary for putting together a fabulous party and making me try a new place.

Oh, and I saw boobies - and I don't mean next door at Club Fantasies. Can we have burlesque at every event?

I admit it: when I first heard the concept ("a standing room only tapas bar") I was a hater. Who's gonna eat tapas at a place with 5 seats? And why would you stand around at a BYOB bar? Why do I have to go inside before I see the menu?

Tapas are my favorite genre of food, so I had to give it a shot. Here's how it works: menu items are on the slate board on the wall. It's all in Spanish, which I do not speak. But I do speak food, and I could sorta figure out what was what. If not, just ask and the gracious staff are happy to explain everything to do. Bocadillos = sandwiches, tortilla = like a fritatta of egg & potato, pintxos are your a delicious bite of something on top of a piece of bread. Then there are a few selections of meats, cheese, olives, and empanadilla of the day. They also do espresso, which I haven't tried but need to.

The food is simple but delicious. The family-run atmosphere is very warm and welcoming. When my boyfriend wanted to play the vintage pinball machine, the owner-Dad said "You'll have to challenge me because I have the high score!" So cute. They are open for lunch M-F and dinner Wed-Sat. I have yet to go for dinner because every time I've tried, they are PACKED.

Downtown is lacking a good deli and this is as close as we can get. This deli has an overwhelmingly huge menu with endless combinations of bread and meat. But they also offer daily "hot" specials like shepherd's pie or chicken parm. The egg sandwiches (you can also get them in wrap form) are the best because they are made to order: a real egg cracked and fried just for you. They also have a case of donuts, muffins, pastries, breads that look freshly baked but I'm not 100% sure on that. Also the staff is sooooo nice!

I've been to 4 Cafe la France locations and this is the only one worth going to. It actually feels clean. There is nothing special about this little deli, it is pretty forgettable. They have a basic menu of about 10 sandwiches and a few breakfast options. I prefer the breakfast sandwiches. I'd stay away from the "chicken breast" sandwiches and stick to the deli meat.

Like all health & fitness programs, it only works if you actually put effort into it. What's great about Crossfit is that you have no choice but to make an effort. I was super nervous before starting because everything I read seemed like Crossfit was for people who were already fit and athletic. Luckily, the Providence gym has something for everyone.

Pros:
- Results! I started with Boot Camp and now do Elements; both programs are scaled down from the main classes. For the first month, I thought I'd die from a lung explosion and I was constantly sore. I went from struggling to do 5 situps & pushups the first week, to now being able do umm... lots of them. My 400m sprint time was 20 secs faster after 3 months. I have more to lose, but after 6 months of just Crossfit and no diet mods, I've gone down 2 dress sizes. I only just started with the weightlifting. On the first day, I struggled to do the workout with just the 15 lb bar with no weights on it! After 2 weeks, I could at least press 35 lbs. I've been fat for a long time and now I'm really happy with the physical milestones I've accomplished.
- Community. The coaches & fellow Crossfitters are so supportive. The team atmosphere keeps me coming back regularly instead of slacking off like I used to do when I was trying to go to the gym on my own. It seemed a bit cult-ish at first but it makes you want to go back.

Cons:
- Expensive. About as expensive as the fanciest globo-gyms in the area. But this is worth it. I've thrown down tons of money on pricey gym memberships and was unable to achieve & maintain results on my own.
- Not for high maintenance people. No TV's or air condition. Lots of rolling around on the floor. My eyes get irritated & watery whenever I'm there and I think it's from the dust plus chalk that other people use on their hands. I never see anyone spraying or wiping equipment but hey, I haven't heard of anyone getting a staph infection so I guess it works.
-  Mix of levels and abilities is both pro/con. The main classes can be scary for a beginner. I feel pretty klutzy trying to get the weights on/off the bars, and trying to do workouts alongside the coaches, marines, and athletes. They say anyone can do it to their own scale, but it's still embarassing when I'm the last one running and everyone is waiting. That's why I stick to the "beginner" classes.

My whole life I never liked exercise and I never felt I was good at physical things. All of that changed since I started Crossfit. This review is getting long, so all I can say is give it a try. If you go 3 x a week, you will absolutely see a difference in a month.

I got suckered into going here because I had done the Live-In-Theater mystery show and they were all like, "Ohhhh we got you the hook-up on some exclusive drink specials! Just for being you!!" I got there and the exclusive club was called EVERYONE. The special was actually $5 Narragansett.

Anyway. Bars like this are a dime a dozen. There was nothing unique or memorable about it.

I look forward to going to Chicago because it means a stop at Akira. I like this location because it's a little smaller and not as cramped or overwhelming as the bigger stores.

They had some of the nicest friendliest employees I've ever encountered. And by nice, I don't mean pushing for sales either! They were so genuine. I had picked out a few dresses to try on and a guy offered to start a fitting room for me. I said sure, and when I was ready to go in, he said "Oh I also put these things in there because I thought they would match or you would like them." And he was spot on! He knew what I liked/needed just based on what I grabbed. I ended up leaving with a couple of the things he had chosen.

I love the fact that you can walk into their roasting warehouse, step over some bags of coffee, and walk out with a bag of beans still warm from the roaster.

They are also the nicest people! They're willing to talk to you forever about any aspect of coffee you wish - from growing, roasting, even making the perfect latte. The most perfect latte I ever had was made in their gorgeous training room.