Rachel G.'s Profile

Some of the reviews below say there is no alcohol here, but last night -- March 23, 2011 -- there was a beer and wine list. So I assume something has changed.

I'm a fan of the way they do spices here, flavorful but usually not likely to burn my tongue off. Others with palates sensitive to some Asian cuisines might do well to try Tibetan.

The vegetable momos should be ordered fried, and they do something to hte mango lassi to make it tingle on the tongue... is it very slight carbonation? Very slight fermentation? I don't know, but it's amazing. I'll be back every time I want a vegetable-laden and interesting meal.

I've been there three times now: hitting the breakfast, brunch and dinner menus once each.

Dinner: my friend and I split a meaty dish and a vegetarian one. They were very accommodating about splitting the entrees onto separate bowls/plates for us, which was nice of them (it wasn't convenient; one of them was essentially stew). They also were running a special of hard cider, which I always appreciate. Based on other yelp reviews, we tried the poutine, and I'm now trying to forget how good it was so that I stay away in future; health food it is not.

Breakfast: I had the grand marnier french toast, which was delicious. The fruit on top included kumquats, for a unique and tangy little touch. Next time I'm in the mood to carb out I'll definitely head back here for this.

Brunch: we had beer-and-bacon mussels, which were definitely good (if messy), and then I had the croque madame -- that's the croque monsier plus a fried egg on top. UGH. It was good, but, despite removing the lower half of bread, I managed to seriously overeat without realizing I was doing so. I felt sick for a while, and won't be ordering croque anything again.

I'm a fan, but I the TVs really clash with the rest of the ambience and I wish they'd lose them.

HARD CIDER: best selection of hard cider in town, period.

They carry Original Sin, Woodchuck, Woodpecker, Magners, maybe even Strongbow... I lost track, and that's impressive when most liquor stores carry two kinds if a girl is very lucky. I have also seen local specialty ciders made from particular varieties of apple, etc, just waiting for the day I choose to educate myself some more.  There was even one time I drifted down into the beer aisle with the boy, and noticed they also have a great selection of lambic.

I have no opinion about the attitudes of the staff; they ring up my purchases of hard cider, and this is all I demand of them. I'll add that there was interesting music playing last night as I wended my way to the cider and back... a nice touch.

Let's discuss style up front: 02 Yoga is a vinyasa / ashtanga studio. That means lots of transitioning between poses, and focused, aligned transitioning -- you don't scramble between poses here, losing focus on the way, which is something that really breaks my concentration in most hatha yoga. So yes, it gives you some cardio; yes, it can be a little fast-paced. That's the style of the studio.

Now for the love. I've been going to 02 for several years now, and if newcomers are annoyed by people who are in good shape, then maybe I should be feeling guilty. (Really though... don't you want to go where the regulars are in good shape? If they're not, what can a place have to offer?) When I was a beginner, it's true that I kind of freaked out the first time I took a monthly "master class". I saw a bunch of people stand with their legs wide, bend forward until their heads touched the ground, and then lift smoothly into headstand like gravity didn't exist. My jaw dropped, and that might have been the moment I decided to keep coming until I could do the same.

What you'll find here: startlingly good practitioners, innovative sequencing from teachers who don't try to act like spiritual superbeings, and a good workout in a warm (not hot) room. You won't be asked to do anything anatomically impossible like "softening your shin bones", either, which means your eye-rolling muscles won't get sore along with the rest of you.

Mimi can keep a basics class interesting and a power class feasible, Elliott can make an intermediate feel like advanced, and Eve's classes will surprise you with her graceful, serene escalations into difficulty. Watching Ann experiment and find her voice as a teacher is a lovely experience not to be missed.

It must be said, the slogan of "up dogs, down dogs, no dogma" has worn a little thin in recent years, as Mimi has used her position to speak out more about veganism -- and yes, there was that one monthly newsletter email discouraging drinking water during class. There must have been quite the backlash from that, though; it was never mentioned again and people still bring water bottles to class. I do wish 02 would start selling water bottles for $1 the way they used to; I'd prefer to always use a re-usable container, but on the days I forget one, it's sad to have to run across the street to the convenience store (or slurp water out of my cupped hands in the bathroom -- yes, I really have.)

The above points are minor, because when I'm in the middle of a class at 02 the voices in my head are silent; I don't want to be anywhere else. And that's good, because there IS nowhere else in Boston I know of to take a second series Ashtanga class every week.

I"ve been going to Bally's (for weightlifting and occasional cardio) regularly for five years.

A tip: if you get the 1-year or 3-year contract, there's a high interest rate baked into your payments. Ask about pre-paying for the whole span of time in one lump sum -- you'll save quite a lot.

What's good about this Bally's:
* Price -- see above.
* Location -- right in Porter Square, *and* with a City Sports in the same building in case your workout made you realize you need new gym pants.
* They have what you need: free weights including plenty of dumbbells and two squat racks, weight machines, cable machines, pull-up stations, cardio machines.
* It's not a meat market; a person can work out there without being hit on multiple times, unlike some places (Central Square BSC, I'm looking at you.)
* It doesn't discriminate based on gender like certain other gyms in the square (Healthworrrrrrks! Grr!). It used to have a women-only room, which I avoided on principle, but this is just a "low-key" room now. Good job, Bally's.
* I like the magazine racks, and how they're stocked mostly with people's magazines that they leave there. Gives me a sense of community that nothing else in this gym really does. I enjoy leaving my own magazines when I'm done with them.

And the reasons I say I've seen better:
* Some of what they have is off-limits unless you pay for a trainer. For example, kettlebells! They have them, but keep them in a small room that's locked and only used by trainers. Boo.
* Things get broken and tend to stay broken for a long time: the turnstiles at the entrance, the drinking fountains, various cardio machines etc. There have been leaks, burst pipes etc both in the locker room and the main workout area multiple times. It gives the place an impermanent feel at times, as if the gym isn't being invested in and might shut down or fall apart at any time.
* The stretching area is minimal and offers only a few thin mats for padding. The two thicker, slicker blue mats I used to commandeer are gone without a trace.
* Lack of windows -- yes, I knew when I signed up that it was a basement gym, but in the winter it means I often wait until sunset to work out, not wanting to miss any of the few daylight hours by interring myself here.

If you're looking for a place on the Red Line where different economic strata mix and get along well, Davis is for you. I lived here from 1999 to 2001 when I was fresh out of college, and I just moved back in 2011 after many years of exile in efficient-but-less-soulful Porter Square. I'm delighted to find it now has a CVS and a beautiful gym, and still hasn't lost Family Dollar or the $2 pizza slices at Christo's Pizza. This is a place where many aspects of the city mix; I fit in fine ten years ago and I fit in fine now, and for me that means love.

All that Davis is missing now is a grocery store, a hardware store and a bookstore -- don't get me wrong, I'm glad we chased out snotty, snotty Macintyre & Moore, but where's our equivalent of Porter  Square Books? Heck, I'd even take a Borders. The good news is that all these necessities are a ten-minute walk away, in Porter, so they're "missing" only if you're spoiled rotten by the density of the city.

Davis Square is, not coincidentally, my reason for joining Yelp. It has such a neighborhood vibe that I wanted a way to feel involved. This is it! I'll be living here for a long, long time.