Abby "Mountain Hips" S.'s Profile

Free Wifi!

Of all the places one could work on a laptop, a bakery seems pretty dangerous. It's one thing to go to a coffee shop that sometimes serves sweets, but a bakery that serves a little bit of coffee is another. Vanilla Moon smells so good, which makes it hard to concentrate. And that case of goodies just stares at you, begging to be tasted.

As you could imagine, I could only stay here for 45 minutes or so. Not only was I trying to avoid the calories, but my laptop also ran out of power. Couldn't find any outlets to plug in (kind of smart on their part), so I had to move on.

Next time, Vanilla Moon! We'll see if my willpower holds out :)

A quick and easy meal before a at Flint Center. Came here with a small group on Saturday night after our original sushi restaurant of choice wouldn't seat us (review to come later). Courtney M suggested Harumi since it was close by and when we called, they said they could seat us right away. Sold!

As promised, they had a table for four available. Although we sat down pretty quickly and ordered drinks within a few minutes, it took quite awhile to flag down the server and order food. He might have been waiting for our fourth person to show up, but our menus were closed and we kept trying to make eye contact. I ordered a specialty roll, as did Courtney and our other tablemates tried the sashimi bowls.

My biggest complaint is that service was slooooow, which wouldn't have been so bad had we not had tickets to a show at 8 pm. Barely made it to the venue on time. And we arrived at Harumi (about 1-2 miles away) at around 6:30. Shouldn't have taken so long for four people to eat, especially since we were having one menu item each. However, the food was good and the miso soup was warm, which was nice on a cold, rainy evening.

Apparently this is a great late-night spot with sake bombs and house music. Who would've known? Should probably come back sometime when it's all cray cray...

This review is a bit outdated, but necessary nonetheless. My lovely co-workers had a beautiful arrangement sent on my birthday to the Yelp offices. Since this was back in September, it was fall-themed with mostly greenery and a sprig of berries. Best of all, instead of your standard vase, it came in a Mason jar. How cute! I still use that jar at home, too :)

If you are ordering flowers for someone in the city, hit up Farmgirl! Unique, creative and definitely worth it!

Booooooooo!

Maybe next year?

Decor and parking be damned, the sound here is excellent!

If you've ever been to a venue that has bad acoustics, it can make your concert-going experience quite miserable. Especially if you shell out top dollar for tickets and can't hear what you paid for. Flint Center's sound is pretty amazing. Both Courtney M (my lovely date) and I noticed this on Saturday night at the Peninsula Symphony show here.

Thanks to Yelp, a group of Elites received tickets to the Taylor Eigisti show, featuring Julian Lage. It's gotta be a cold day in hell for me to pass up the opportunity to attend a symphony concert. Little known fact: I played piano for 10+ years growing up. Not that I am in any way to the level of guest performer Taylor Eigsti (that guy is amazeballs!), but just had to throw it in there :)

Courtney and I sat near the back, as we arrived right as the show was starting. I thought for sure that we'd be in for a night of straining our eyes and our ears. Not the case at all! The quality of the sound was right on, not too loud, not too soft and each individual instrument could be heard, but it wasn't like one stood out amongst the others. Besides the guest pianist or guitarist, of course. Seats were perfectly comfortable, too. Wasn't really worried about it because the first hour of the concert practically flew by.

Parking for the night was $5, which I didn't think to be unreasonable at all, especially since our tickets were complimentary. And hey, how are they going to maintain the lots, keep them secure as well as make any necessary updates to the campus (including the performance center) if they don't charge a fee? We left a little early and had no problems getting out of the lot, either.

Overall, it was a perfect Saturday night. Neither Courtney or I had ever been to the Flint Center, but I'd be tickled pink to attend another show here given the opportunity.

Update: I've spent over six months haggling back and forth with the CA State Franchise Tax Board regarding my 2010 filing. You have no idea how scary it is to receive very official paperwork via certified mail, saying you owe the state several thousand dollars.

Matt was somewhat helpful, but hard to reach regarding this issue. Since he prepared my return and I paid him a fair amount to do so, I was expecting a bit more customer service. Quite honestly, he sort of blew it off as no big deal, emailing over some suggested verbiage to send the state in a letter. This started in June and when the state threatened to offset my wages in early December, I started to really panic. Matt emailed me an amended return, but according to the tax lawyer I met with, that wasn't done correctly either. After several phone calls and meetings, Matt agreed to meet in-person to go over my paperwork. He really didn't know why the State of California was sending those pesky letters (every time I called their 1-800 number we received different information) but we worked together to draft up an official letter to take to the SF Tax Franchise Board office.

When I made the trip to the Franchise Tax Board office in the FiDi, the government representative informed me that my state taxes were filed wrong. Period. She also informed me that any tax expert should have known better. It was suggested I file a complaint with the state, since I basically paid someone to mess up my taxes. Apparently that's not OK.

Obviously my case is an exception. As you can see from the multiple 5-star reviews, The Tax Ninja does A-OK. I will definitely find someone else to do my taxes this year not only out of principle, but I don't feel comfortable having my taxes handled by someone who might not know what he's doing. Especially if I'm paying several hundred dollars to do so.

At the end of the day, I don't owe California any money and am happy about that.

Tired of the same old restaurants in your 'hood? Take a trip to Mezza Luna in Half Moon Bay! Whether you're looking to have some delicious, fresh Italian food or spice up your love life, this place delivers.

I'm amazed to find out how many Bay Area people have never been to Half Moon Bay. Ever. It's a lot easier to get to than other destinations like Napa or Tomales Bay. Right off Hwy 1, just south of Pacifica, it takes most about 45 minutes to get there. So, no excuses, people! Although it's somewhat of a sleepy town, there are plenty of things to do while you're here: walk along the beach, rent a kayak, go see some vintage airplanes, grab some taffy - and, of course, try some of the local restaurants!

Enter Mezza Luna. One of the "fancier" eateries in the area. I put "fancy" in italics because you can come dressed up or in jeans, they don't care. Technically, it's part of Princeton By The Sea, but most of us would consider this stretch of land (which includes Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, Half Moon Bay Taffy, Oceano Hotel & Spa) to be Half Moon Bay. It's simple, but definitely leaves an impression.

We visited on a Sunday evening and the restaurant was lit mostly with candles. One would think that this would be "couples only" (and there were several couples there) but we sat next to a big family having a celebratory dinner. So don't stress about bringing a special +1 here... no need to wait!

Our group (yes, there were three of us... not a date) split the calamari as an appetizer and then each of us had our own pasta/seafood dish for the main course. Can't say enough about the tortellini in cream sauce. So good! I don't eat cream sauce very often, as it's not very good for you, but it's a nice treat every now and then. This cream sauce was worth every caloric bite :)

Service was personable and made our dining experience even more pleasurable. Our water glasses were never empty and although it was getting late, we were never rushed or felt like it was time to go. Prices weren't unreasonable, either, especially for the quality of food served.

For those of you who've never been to Mezza Luna, or Half Moon Bay for that matter, take the time to visit. It's different, charming and something you'll remember.

Loves it!

Anytime I get the opportunity to fly Virgin, it's a no-brainer. Recently, I flew this airline to Los Cabos and it made the 3+ hour flight a breeze! Even when we crossed the Mexican border and weren't able to utilize satellite TV anymore, the music selection alone kept me entertained.

Prices are comparable to any airline, assuming you book a few weeks in advance. SFO to San Diego or LA? $59 each way. Bam! AND if you have the Virgin Rewards Visa, it's pretty easy to earn a free flight every now and then...

I have heard horror stories about tickets booked on Virgin suddenly disappearing or being canceled - luckily, this hasn't happened to me. Also, I'm not a fan of their cancelation policy. Unless you do so within 24 hours of booking, you only get $25 credit. No matter how much you spent on your ticket. Kind of a bummer. My advice? If you're not 100% sure about whether or not you want to fly, go with Southwest. If you are absolutely sure that you're booking this trip, go with Virgin.

One trip to The Refuge and I'm already wondering, "How can I find this Reuben guy so I can shake his hand?"

This is one of those restaurants where you should absolutely trust the Yelp reviews! Pastrami is to die for. And I don't even like pastrami that much. Until now, of course. Hot pastrami with a side of garlic fries and a beer? You can't do much better on a cold winter evening. Don't worry about what that will do to your digestive track later, just dig in and enjoy :)

Not only does The Refuge offer a delicious menu and impressive drink list, but they also have a cozy atmosphere and spot-on service. Grab a booth if you can, 'cause Courtney and I were relegated to a communal table. It wasn't bad (my mom taught me how to share), but it was hard to have a decent conversation when a group of 8 is practically sitting on top of you. However, it made for a great story later.

I'd come here for a date or with a group, it doesn't matter. Just make sure whomever you meet here likes a good Reuben or cheesesteak sammie, 'cause there's not much else to order!

Dayum! What a beer list! Never would have expected it from a bar called "Freakin' Frog", but hey, what do I know?

If I went to UNLV or lived nearby, I'd be at this bar a lot. Wouldn't say that this is the fanciest place I've ever been to or has the best entertainment, but they do have pumpkin beer on tap and it's good. You could probably visit Freakin' Frog every night of the week for several months and not have the same drink twice. Hence why they're near a college campus :)