jen "pupu" k.'s Profile

THE +'s: lots and lots and lots of cool and funky stuff -- from stationary to spices to artsy fartsy greeting cards. a great cafe hang-out atmosphere and opens till late. for ucsd students, meal points can be used here so earl's is a great palce to cash out at the end of the quarter for a ton of fun stuff. also -- The Best Vietnamese Iced Coffee Evar, cuz they pour in a shit ton of condensed milk. YUM.

THE -'s: itsa small footpoint. be prepared to squeeze through aisles when browsing. during late nights, seating is usually full inside. this sucks in winter cuz, imma tell you, yer ass freezes on the benches outside. things are pretty pricey as well...and the scary part is, when you're spending points, you don't realize how much more you're paying for a packet of fancy envelopes.

SUM:  i like stationary. and lava lamps. and blankets. and coarse-ground pepper. which means i've sometimes skimped on regular meals just so i can have enough points to buy that kinda totally unnecessary and yet totally entertaining Stuff. if nothing else, hiking to earl's from freaking revelle on a cold, winter night is the stuff that makes memories.

THE +'s: the bridge over the freeway...w00t! can't beat walking over clear plexiglass to see cars rushing by beneath you and then playing traffic cop with the speed guns. that bridge entertains old fogeys like me and younglings alike. the rest of the museum is super fab as well -- huge space filled with room after room of exhibits on a wide variety of subject matter. there's the usual topics like weather systems and building structure to more obscurish stuff like civil war medicine. love that there are so many hands-on presentations -- like the build your own arch project so you can understand the properties of a keystone. and, oh yes, it's got a planetarium attached. oh yieah.

THE -'s: i'm biased by this point, am no longer able to say a single negative thing about this place.

SUM: totally love this museum -- it is the model which other science museums should be based upon. i've been here twice and haven't been able to see everything yet. bring good walking shoes because you are guaranteed to be tired by the end of the day.

THE +'s: great special exhibit events like star wars and the bodies exhibit. love the architecture of this place and the fact that there's a high wire bicycle ride that takes advantage of the glass and steel design. can't beat free admission (to all the permanent exhibits). the history museum and exposition park gardens are steps away so you can plan out a day of activities with ease.

THE -'s: unfortunately, the permanent exhibits are few and not very creative in presentation. it's a great place for kids but for adults, i didn't come away with anything new. food court looks big but is ALWAYS jam-packed and the wait is long. you have to pay for parking (about $10 last time i checked) and the lot is kind of a long walk to the actual museum.

SUM: i really want this place to be better -- bigger, wackier, and with more personality. as it is, it's just rather cookie cutter science exhibits. doesn't match the cool architectural space at all.

THE +'s: a nice big lobby. quick and efficient service by the staff.

THE -'s: dr. rispler is just not a very good doctor -- which negates the entire purpose of coming here in the first place. first i was asked the usual medical history questions by one of the staff. that happens at other docs i go to but usually the staff asking the questions is well-versed in the procedure. i didn't get one of those staff. then i had to wait almost 20 minutes before dr. rispler showed up. when he did, he was quite brusque and gave a diagnosis without asking for details. i had to ask my questions loudly as he was leaving in order to get any answers. and the answers were, like his 5 second diagnosis, short and dismissive. the result of his hastiness was that he prescribed medication that was either way too strong for me or else i was just severely allergic to it. had to take a day off from work because i sprouted rashes all over and my face became swollen.

SUM: last i checked, it's the doctor's responsibility to diagnose and prescribe with due diligence. that's why we go to doctors and don't try to fix things ourselves! grrr. even though i actually got to see him on my first (and now last) appointment unlike other yelpers, it was definitely not a good experience.

THE +'s: doc tseng and his crew are super detailed and attentive. they never rush you through any procedure or appointment and always listen to what you say. excellent follow-up on test results and the like. the office and lab rooms are super-clean and surprisingly well decorated (elegant) for a doctor's office. they accept most insurances.

THE -'s: even with an appointment, you still end up waiting for 20 minutes on average. possibly due to the aforementioned detailed attention from the doc and his staff.

SUM: for several years i was without a go-to doc since my last one moved away. then, when i went to another doc from a friend's recommendation due to a car accident, this other doc was instantly hands-off thinking all i wanted was a report so i can collect insurance money. wtf?! so, i went to doc tseng on a co-worker's recommendation. first question from doc tseng was how i was feeling, not "which auto insurance company do you have?". i've been the doc's fan from that moment on. i don't care that i have to wait to see him, he and his staff are worth the wait because they take care of me.

THE +'s: huge well-preserved collection of US military vehicles -- from old skool ww1 to modern era exhibited in a ginormous outdoor park. easy place to spend an entire afternoon without blinking. cheap entrance fee. you get a binder with explanations of each vehicle on exhibit and, if you need more info, talk to the ticket guy -- he's a wealth of details. even a non-military nerd like me got lost in the gift shop where you can buy bullet shells the length of your hand (daym!). i totally love that there are vintage curios everywhere like the clackety typewriter on display next to the main entrance.

THE -'s: parking can be annoying cuz there aren't a lotta spaces for visitors. you can't climb into any of the vehicles -- i get that there are liability issues but omg, i so wanted to.

SUM: this place is a hidden gem in the sgv. above and beyond one of the best military museums i've been to even though only US stuff is on display. i love the variety -- from helicopters to land-sea hybrids to totally vintage ww1 ambulances. bring a hat on a sunny day and spend a couple hours getting seriously educated here.

THE +'s: zelda and mario merch EVERYWHERE (yay!). their neon lit staircase of nintendo history was cool. i'm a sucker for the modern decor. the staff are true nerds. the museum section made me SQUEE.

THE -'s: huge space but surprisingly not that much stuff to look at or even buy. tons of pokemon everywhere though (ew). and, of course, over-priced items for the tourists.

SUM: i heart nes and snes like crazy. but this place just didn't live up to the hype. i guess it'd be great for the pokemon generation. i like my old-skool nintendo and want more than just mario, zelda, and pokemon.

THE +'s: a great place to hang out. tons of specialty food shops and wine stores so it's easy to pass a couple hours browsing without even noticing the time. there're tables big enough to seat groups so you can chow on your purchases. also, there are often open-air craft markets across the street for even more strolling/browsing.

THE -'s: long lines to use kinda icky bathrooms. on hot days, there're flies in the dining area.

SUM: if you're into funky foods and wines, ferry building is the place to be. me, i'm just into hanging out, fancy cheese or no fancy cheese. thus, the aforementioned flies in dining area annoyed me. on the other hand, it is quite a nice place to gather a group of friends.

THE +'s: great, relaxed ambiance -- patrons can show up dressy or casual and still feel at home. menu has everything americana -- they've got a great variety of specialty salads and, of course, you should try that zucchini bread. portions are always generous and servers are always friendly. despite being a large dining area, it's surprisingly easy to have intimate dinner conversations. group dining works well here too.

THE -'s: parking can be annoying. if you want free parking, you have to park across the street and then jaywalk across (boo). if you park in the attached garage, you gotta pay. in either case, when it rains, you'll get wet.  when it's peak dining hours, it can take a while to get your food and it may not always be up to their usual delicious taste. then, it might take a while to get your server to bring the bill.

SUM: i'm willing to put up with the parking situation every christmas so's i can buy zucchini bread for gift-giving (something like 20 loaves every year). i'm willing to put up with the parking situation every once in a while (unless i'm broke) to partake of those delicious salads and burgers. i've learned to stay away during the busy hours so's i can taste yummy foods. worth the hassle.

THE +'s: the view from the top of the arch is not to be missed, fear of heights be damned. for american history buffs, the museum at the base of the arch is juicy goodness. for mechanic engineering geeks (and/or thrill seekers), the ride up the legs of the arch is good, creaky fun. for the art nurds, or anyone for that matter, standing at the legs and looking upwards is to experience one of the best public art monuments in the world.

THE -'s: don't come here on crowd days (e.g. holidays or weekends). and don't come during the summer since that pretty much guarantees an arch-high view of the river below -- in brown.

SUM: the first time i was at the arch was when i was about 8. my love for this place hasn't diminished any since. even if you breeze through here in a few hours, nothing beats the feeling of looking up (or down) from the arch.