Karen "Penguin Lover" C.'s Profile

The class time and location was convenient for my husband and I to attend so I got the Groupon deal to check out the gym for a month. I being an ex-typical gym rat, had mixed opinions about it at first. My husband who hates traditional gyms loved it. We are both believers now though. After 3 weeks of 2-3x a week Crossfit classes, I can tell I am stronger already. So if you are used to normal gyms, this is quite change in a good way. But don't come here and expect to see and be seen. People who come here are serious about getting a tough yet efficient workout.

More details....

There is definitely a little bit of a learning curve on the moves and technique. Nothing major though and before each work out, the trainers review the moves and have you perform the move for them to make sure you are doing them properly. Also, this isn't the type of gym where you just show up and do your own thing. There are scheduled 1-hr workout times were you do workouts as a group. The nice thing is the groups are typically small (5-8 people from my experience in the 6:30pm classes). You spend almost half of the time doing warm-up moves which at some gym would constitute a light work out for someone. And then you may work on a skill such as improving your technique on a particular move. And then finally you prep to do the WOD or "Work out of the Day", where the trainers make sure you know how to do the WOD properly and help you set up the equipment and appropriate weights to use. And then the WOD starts and you are timed.  If you are worried about not being fit enough, everything can be scaled down to be easier or harder or modified if you have an injury.

Best part....

I would never work out this hard and intense at a gym by myself. Think of it like a personal training session in a group session. The WOD's seem very efficient to me. You do a few types of exercises each time but it is a full body work out. You never have to do another stupid sit-up and your abs will still be sore. This is because a lot of the exercises include core stability. I do think if you are trying to lose weight you will probably have to include cardio on the side (like running, etc), but I could be wrong. For me, I want to get stronger and more fit to improve my tennis game and reduce injuries. I think it's working already. :)

Sorry guys, not a fan here. The staff was friendly but the food and prices just don't do it for me. I came here with 4 other co-workers and we all agreed that we liked our usual Pho place a lot better.

The first qualm I have is they don't cater to the authentic experience and only offer certain types of meat. I love my tendon and tripe. If you don't like that kind of stuff, then maybe this might be the place for you. BUT also, the broth just doesn't taste right. I've been to vietnam and had pho, so I kind of know what I'm talking about here. And finally, the prices here are higher than your normal pho place (by 1-3 dollars), probably to cover the trendiness factor. I do have to give it to them that their beef is of higher quality. But the overall flavor of the broth just doesn't make up for it.

I also noticed they have banh mi (vietnamese sandwiches) on the menu for 7-8 bucks! GASP!!!! Most banh mi is 2-3 bucks! And one very good banh mi shop is just a 2 blocks away.

So overall, I found this place to be washed down trendy vietnamese restaurant that I doubt any hard-core vietnamese food lovers would want to come to. I certainly don't.

Sorry to have to be the one to say it!

I love supporting local businesses and this one is a gem!

My husband was having 14 of his closest friends over to make beer. So we needed to have food that was going to be easy to eat with hands while people are standing around outside. Turkish Pizza to the rescue! I ordered several turkish style pizza's and they were a hit! Everyone loved them and commented on how delicious they were. I especially liked the ones with lamb on them. They have such an interesting and exotic flavor from your traditional pizza. I can't wait to try their other turkish dishes (I'll pass on the normal style pizzas since I typically don't like pizza unless its from somewhere like an A16, Delfina, Flour&Water, etc).

The other awesome thing is the owner was super cool. He knew I was trying to feed a big group and made several of the pizzas larger than normal to make sure I had more than enough food. He also helped me carry the boxes to my car. Sweet! I'm definitely bringing my husband and several friends to this place. I want this place to stick around!

So what if the receptionist has an accent, this is San Francisco and we should all appreciate diversity here. Also, I have never had a problem understanding her or scheduling an appointment.

Yes, this place is no-frills and not going to be super fancy. But Marat was great. He was very professional and could have had me return multiple times to milk my insurance. But he is super HONEST so he assessed the problem, treated me, gave me exercises and sent me on my way. I was not asked to come in again.

I would definitely come back to see him if I had another problem come up. If you don't want someone honest and professional and you want to be ripped off, feel free to go somewhere fancy with a receptionist that speaks perfect english. I like that I can get an appointment here within a couple of days notices.

These guys are going to rip you off if they get the chance! I came here with my family and please note my mom speaks chinese so you can't blame this on some type of language barrier unless you count stupidity and lack of morals.

We asked for duck and they brought us a suckling pig dish (this is dim sum). And multiple times we said is this duck? We want duck and they just pushed the dish on us. And then when we get the bill we noticed the "duck dish" was really "pig" and it was 30 bucks. Uh did we just get raped here? YES.

So excuse me, but I won't be coming back here ever.

Gem Gallery, you always tempt me!!!!

My husband and I have gotten several pieces of jewelry from the Gem Gallery and all have been stunning and top notch.

We get our hair cuts across the street so every time we are in town I go in to browse their latest selection and get my rings cleaned. The last time I went in, I saw a new design that one of their jewelers created and it was absolutely amazing. It was a very beautiful engagement ring setting however I know and trust that Gem Gallery can use that same design and update my plain old diamond earring setting. I've already informed the hubby that this should be on my gift list.

Gem Gallery = Great service, top-notch quality, and amazing designs

Yummy coffee!!!!

This place is cute. I like the location first of all because its half a block from my office, the alley way has some nice chairs some of which even have umbrellas, and you get to hang outside which beats being coop'd up in doors all day.

The two guys who run it are friendly. This ain't the cheapest cup of joe, but I don't mind paying for quality stuff. I like the new orleans ice coffee and the cappuccino's. I highly recommend if you need an afternoon caffeine kick.

This place was packed on a Friday night. This place doesn't have a full kitchen so all their food consists of bread (sandwiches, bruchettas), salad, or other type of appetizers that do not require cooking (cured meat, cheese, etc.). The bruchettas were ok to good. They had a wide variety to choose from and some where definitely better than others. The wines were decent. They also had live music, a one man band type of performer who probably catered to older folks (like my husband).

Overall the place is ok for a neighborhood joint. I'm not dying to come back, but I wouldn't be opposed to it either.

Delicious, high-end seafood restaurant that always seems empty when we walk by. The reviews on Yelp did not lead me astray even though I was dubious on coming here just based on how empty it always is. It's pricey and seems like the type of place that would do well in a big city, so maybe that's the problem. The great food and nice wines are definitely NOT the problem.

This place is awesome and cheap. The desserts are refreshing, not overly sweet, and pretty healthy if you compare it to something like chocolate cake. Also, the food is surprisingly good, like chinese comfort food and portioned for a ravenous teenager.