Last night, while planning more of our trip to San Francisco, I realized that I have not properly prepared you, readers. I've told you about several resources that I swear by, love, and adore. Yet I haven't told you about those that I hate. Abhor even. I've even got one resource that I have a long-standing love-hate relationship with. It's complicated.
So here is a list of resources that I DO NOT recommend. They are headache inducing liars that will build up your hopes and let you down. Or just get you lost on a major highway. More on that in a bit.
1) Yellow/White Pages online
A year or so ago, Dan and I were thinking about visiting the Florida Keys. I started doing research and realized that looking in the phone book for restaurants was a genius idea--why didn't I think of it sooner! I found one restaurant I had never heard of called Buca Di Beppo. Great menu with interesting Italian food, funky/fun atmosphere. Sounded great! So I wrote it down, excited. I later discovered that the Yellow/White Pages have "Sponsored Listings" that come up no matter what city you look up. Even if there isn't one of those restaurants anywhere near your destination. The nearest Buca was actually in Mississippi. Additionally, they don't update their listings to reflect that businesses are closed. In other words, no good.
2) Menuism.com, Allmenus.com
Often out-of-date, inaccurate, and incomplete. If the place you're interested in doesn't have a website, give them a call! This is also a great way to get an idea of the quality of service you'll get at that establishment.
3) CitySearch.com
I've given myself one too many headaches trying to navigate this website. My biggest gripe is that it is so poorly organized. For example:
Pittsfield Clothing Stores - Via Citysearch.com
Notice that an automotive shop in Pittsfield is located next to an independant clothing store in Lenox which is next to a tuxedo shop in Lee. The unfortunate part is that I am aware of this because I know the area. If I was from San Diego or Des Moines I'd be absolutely lost and confused. I'd also like to note that the "Sponsored Lisiting" is coming up under the "Clothing" category, even though it's an auto parts store!
4) Websites with Outdated © Dates
Like this one:
Museums in the Berkshires
If you scroll to the bottom, you'll see that the © is from 2000-2005. Four years is a long time if we're talking small businesses, especially in difficult economic times. Granted, a museum is something that you can usually count on to still be there. But it's good to notice this because it means that the website is not being maintained and, once again, the info might be outdated and/or inaccurate.
5) Google Maps
This is my love/hate relationship. I love you Google Maps. I hate you! I love you. I hate you!
But I've noticed I only hate it when I don't do all the work.
Like on Wednesday night. See, Dan and I went to Albany. We were shopping at Colonie Center and right around dinner time I decided that I would settle for nothing but Ruby Tuesday's.
(Which, FYI, is a secret obsession of mine. I could sing the praises of Ruby Tuesday's all day. I have no idea why I love it so much. I just do. Don't judge me...)
Anyway! The problem was that we were at the wrong mall. We had to drive 3.5 miles away to Crossgates Mall to get there. So I got out my cellphone, and Goog-411'ed the address. It looked super easy; basically just a left out of the mall, hop on Route 5, and then take the exit for the mall a half mile up.
The problem? Route 5 runs east and west. And Google didn't specify which way to go. I tried really hard to visialize the mall in my mind and told Dan to go west. Wrong. We completely missed our exit and literally watched Crossgates Mall pass us as we drove along I-87, heading away from Albany, now 20 miles from the nearest turnaround point, and over 40 miles from home. Ugh! We ended up just going home (we were headed that way anyway, right?) and instead of having a delicious Strawberry Iced-Tea and a Killer Fish Burger for dinner I had leftover pizza.
The lesson? Look at the map!! Have it sent to your phone!! Print it!! Use GPS!! Google is a great resource, but at the end of the day it's still just software and not the all-knowing mythical being that I wish it was.
I hope this helps you out or at least saves you a few headaches. And if you've got any bad resources/horror stories to share, please do! Heaven knows that I love a good horror story!
With Love,
~Brande n.
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