You Are Here: geekgoddiss > reviews

Saturday, October 23, 2004

Old Navy - destination, 5 stars

I received some excellent service at the Rivergate area Old Navy yesterday. Thursday night I went in to buy some khakis. The sizes available were limited, but I tried a pair on and thought they fit pretty well. Friday morning, took the tags off, wore them to work, and got zero compliments and lots of un-compliments. One person even said I was looking kind of "butch." They fit much differently than I remembered them fitting in the dressing room, but maybe I was just tired. They kept falling off, so I had to get the rope out of my car to use as a belt. I'm sure that made it look much less "butch" (not). So I went to the store and I said, "I'm very sorry, but these pants did not work for me. I have worn them, and I have removed the tags. Is there any way I can exchange or return them?" The friendly sales clerk said, "Yes, of course! Why don't you take a look around, we have a lot of sales and clearance right now." I needed a new pair of khakis so I thought I would look the store over again, and maybe I'd see a pair. Turns out, I did find a pair -- a much nicer pair for only a couple dollars more than the other pair. I also got a pair of jeans on sale. Both fit very well. I check with the girl in the fitting room to be sure they fit like they were supposed to and that they were becoming on me. She was very helpful.

So....the tally...

Cleanliness: 2
There were clothes in the floor on Thursday night and Friday afternoon. The clearance racks were an absolute disaster. Even if I was wanting something from that rack, I'm not sure I could have found it.

Service: 5
Ok, the checkout lady was very friendly, and did not offer me a credit card (for which I am grateful -- if I want one, I'll get one -- you don't have ask me).
The fitting room lady was very friendly. I told that part already.
The jeans that I tried on but did not buy, I went to put back on the shelf, and the jeans man said, "Here, let me put those away for you." I think his name was Tyler or Trevor or something.
At least twice (both visits), a clerk in the store checked to see if I was finding everything okay. Now, I know a lot people feel hassled by that, but I appreciate it because I rarely go into a clothing store without a mission. That's not a fun job for me. So when I don't find what I'm looking for, I am hoping a clerk will help me.
I was greeted by someone as soon as I walked in the door both times. And the person (a different person each visit) actually sounded genuine. They seemed like they wanted me to be there.

Price: 4
The clearance racks had good prices. The sale racks were higher than Target (my shopping home) but lower than department stores, so I was pleased. Plus, I've never had Old Navy clothes that didn't last, so I'm willing to pay more money if the clothes will last. Additionally, I'm willing to pay a steep price if I get good customer service.

Ammenities: 5
I don't know if they have a bathroom, so clearly I can't give it a rating. But the dressing room was very tidy, the rooms didn't have clothes or hangers left in them, and there was an attendant there the whole time I was there.

Variety: 5
There was enough variety to confuse me. I don't know much about fashion (but please do not call What Not to Wear). There were courdoroys in many different colors (tan, brown, green, blue, gray, red), many different styles of pants (casual, dressy, rugged -- and plenty of colors and styles of each type), about twenty million sweaters, and even more jeans.

Security: 3
I give a 3 because I never saw a security officer. The store was big though -- one could have been there. However, they had enough clerks working on both nights (plus they have those headsets for communication) that they could probably have prevented theft.

Check out: 5
My check out was quick and easy both times. The first time the pants even rung up much cheaper than what they were -- yay! (I think they just were accidentally not tagged as clearance) The clerk was friendly and bid me good day.

Atmosphere: 4
The only thing that would enhance the atmosphere is a cleaner floor -- the clothes lying around was rather sloppy. However, the music was not too loud, and it was trendy, cool music. The staff was busy, but friendly and helpful.

Final score: 4.7

Sunday, October 17, 2004

Coco's - destination, 4 stars

CoCo’s is a Mexican restaurant and bar in the Rivergate area. My guest and I both enjoyed our visit. Overall, great place: 4 stars.

Cleanliness 5
The place was very clean. J Even the parking lot.

Service: 4.5

Our waitress misunderstood something we ordered, but a waiter was there almost immediately to translate.

The host, upon seating us, noticed we had a wobbly table and brought a cardboard coaster, knelt down, and put it under the leg to make our table sturdier.

When the waitress didn’t understand what we said, she was very apologetic.

My drink never fell below half-full.

Two different people checked at least three different times to be sure everything was okay for us.

I watched a waiter joke with a little girl at another table.

The waiter and waitress were very hospitable and friendly. It was like we were guests in their home.

Food: 4.5

My taco salad was great – plenty of lettuce, chicken, sour cream, and sauce. Good portion size as well.

My guest’s meal was also delicious, and the rice had a unique spice added to it that made it especially tasty.

The flan was good, but I thought it was ready thick. However, my guest enjoyed it very well the way it was prepared. My portion was browned on the bottom (I like that), covered in caramel (not too much), with a perfect poof of whipped cream.

Price: 3

Average prices for a Mexican restaurant. However, it was more than $10/each (meal, drink, dessert). Nonetheless, the prices were comparable to other similar restaurants.

Atmosphere: 3

There were nice murals on the wall and a seemingly-authentic sombrero. It was smaller on the inside than it looks from the outside. However, when we went (Sunday afternoon), there were only 4 other families.

The music was not mariachi music, but maybe it was latino pop or something…I liked it.

There was not much greenery.

I definitely didn’t feel the “Mexican” air, such as you may feel the Italian air at Olive Garden.

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown - destination, 4 stars

I couldn't get my "events" site to work

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a play that lends itself to any audience. This audience was made of children, teens, adults, and senior citizens. An enthusiastic audience gives inspiration and motivation to the cast.

Co-directors Jill Dunlap and Becky Panknin chose a talented cast for this play in honor of "a blockhead."

Mallory Kimbrell played the blonde, silly Sally Brown. She was very enthusiastic in her role. Kimbrell is a junior at Hendersonville High School.

Dru Heffington played Lucy Van Pelt, the bossy girl who enjoys daydreaming on top of Schroeder’s piano. Great singing voice, but the voice was actually probably too mature for this play. She had excellent diction, and I heard her every word, despite the poor sound in the theatre.

Snoopy was played by Ryan DeMoville, a junior at Pop John Paul II High School. He is an excellent dancer, and has proven this in the many plays in which he has performed with Steeple Players. The demanding Suppertime scene was inspirational as DeMoville sang and tap danced. He was absolutely the best Snoopy I’ve ever seen.

Schroeder, the musical genius, was played by Jasson Cring, a senior at Hendersonville High School. Despite the lack of diction and clarity, he is a talented actor and singer.

The talented Stephen Slate played Charlie Brown and did so exceptionally well. The boy-like voice and not-too-mature vocals brought Charlie to life.

Jack Gaughan, a junior at Pope John Paul II High School, played Linus Van Pelt. Though his acting did not convince me he had much experience on stage, his expressions conveyed how much he thoroughly enjoyed helping to create this theatrical work of art. He spoke very clearly and entertained the audience well.

The dancing blanket was played by Pruitt Holmes, who is an excellent dancer. She also seemed to enjoy her role in this play. Her scene was not taken seriously, but the actors and audience were having so much fun that it didn’t seem to matter that it wasn’t serious.

Costumes were great because they were very closely aligned to the costumes you see in the comics. Snoopy was probably the classiest Snoopy I have ever seen, but it seems to fit the role better than the traditional sweatpants you may see on Snoopy. The thick black dog collar; white, fitted sweater; and white pants actually seemed to be closer to the actual Snoopy because Snoopy is always drawn so thin. The dancing blanket was unique due to the dimensions added by sewing two blankets together and creating a face hole in one side. The dancer’s face was painted blue to match the blanket.

The only complaints I had were mainly to due with the sound – there seemed to be some feedback several times. The live piano and drums covered the actors’ vocals and speaking parts sometimes. A minor note is that the lighting was not on time occasionally.

The set was great. The first thing I noticed was the fire hydrant. Upon closer investigation, this hydrant was created from a trash can, Tupperware-looking dish, coffee can lid, bottle cap, and plastic chain links. Painted bright red with yellow highlights, you would never recognize these pieces. The 3-d bird’s nest on the 2-d background of boldly painted trees and sky was an original touch.

The most unique thing about the play was the “actual” flying of the kite. With some clever engineering, this kite was airborne. Also a great touch was bringing members of the audience to the stage to dance during Beethoven Day. Kudos to the person who thought of taking digital pictures with the cast and set after the show.

The theatre was clean, as usual, and the foyer is always inviting. The Steeple staff is always friendly and helpful. The price is reasonable.

Thursday, October 14, 2004

Las Palmas - Rivergate - destination, 3 stars

Overall, Las Palmas gets a 2.8, using a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent...or excellente as the case may be. To get this figure, I averaged the numbers you see following each paragraph.

The place was smoky. I don't understand places that have smoking and non-smoking without having anything to separate the two sections. An aisle down the middle doesn't do it for me. 1

The restroom was poorly kept. However, there was toilet paper, paper towels, soap, and a working faucet. 3

The waiter may have been new. I still don't know that you should have to ask repeatedly what each person ordered. Write it down as they talk, review once at the end, ba-da-bing. However, it is a good thing this guy asked so many times because he had a ton of stuff wrong!! He finally came around the table and had me point to it on the menu. I would say, "Hm, maybe I was saying it wrong." But how hard is it to say QUESADILLA?? Additionally, he knew next to zero English. Do I dare step on this soapbox? Also, twice my glass was completely empty for more than 5 minutes. I don't know much about how restaurants think they need to do things, but I know all about how I think they need to do things. 2

Chips and salsa - bottomless and very tasty. 5

Four meals were ordered at my table. Two meals were wrong. Even after the waiter clarified numerous times, two meals were still wrong. One was entirely wrong and the other was just missing some stuff. Then when the order that was completely wrong was corrected, there was still stuff missing from the plate! 2

The food was okay. It was rather bland, messy, and my meat was not so moist. The flan was terrible. Is it customary to put a cherry on flan? I know the whipped cream is somewhat customary. Maybe I just don't know how flan is supposed to be. But this flan was thick enough (and almost hard enough) to play hockey with it. Also, any flan I've had elsewhere (I have had it from many different places) has had caramel. This flan had a cinnamon-y taste. No caramel. There should be some kind of warning label on the menu or something. 2

The hosts were very nice. They really tried to be friendly and seat me quickly, but I was waiting on others. 5

The restaurant seemed to be pretty clean, but I didn't go back to the kitchen for a little looky, so I dont' exactly know. 4

Overpriced. 2

Friday, September 24, 2004

You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown! - destination, 3 stars

I guess destination is the closest thing...it's a drama production.

This play produced by the Lamplight Theatre at Smyrna Assembly Church was entertaining, but I was much more intrigued by the set than the cast.

The set was beautifully constructed, included a larger-than-life doghouse, life-size mailbox, a brick wall, and the cutest baby grand you've ever seen. The colors were bold, and everything was simiplistic. Props illustrated the creativity associated with the play (for example, Charlie Brown's kite was a "string" that pointed upward. The low ceiling allowed the even the simplist mind create a sky and kite somewhere above that ceiling)

The cast was pretty good. My favorite characters are Schroeder and Linus simply for their personality types. However, I can identify with Lucy and Charlie also. I allowed none of these ideas to sway my thoughts on the presentation.

Courtney Bronson played the part of Linus's blanket when the blanket gets up and dances with Linus. This was done very smoothly -- so smoothly that I did not notice that the actual blanket had been slipped onto a person. She also has good dancing skills.

Geoff Butterworth played the part of Charlie Brown. He did this very well by looking rather hopeless in his countenance and intonation. He also has a very good singing voice, which detracted a little bit from the character but was very good anyway.

Snoopy, played by Carla Dobbins, was not the best Snoopy I have seen, but still very animated. Additionally, this dog has a better singing voice than any dog I've ever heard! Dobbins's best portrayal of Snoopy was during the suppertime scene, where Snoopy danced around the stage in celebration of being fed. This scene seemed to be very demanding vocally, but Dobbins made through with flying colors.

Linus was played by Matt Gedeon, who did a very nice job portraying this intellectual, quiet little brother of a very bossy, crabby sister. Though quite a bit taller than his sister, his thin body, basic clothing, and blue blanket helped the audience understand the personality of this wise guy.

Arwen Meek is a talented actress who played Lucy, older sister to Linus. She did a great job of projecting and bringing the scenes to life by dancing around and truly bringing emotions to the lines that guide the play. She is very skilled in acting, singing, and has potential to be a great dancer (dancing skills were displayed minimally in this production) because she maintained good coordination in other non-dancing things.

Joshua Parker played Schroeder. He seemed a little more outgoing than I recognize Schroeder to be, but the part was played very well. His fluffy, curly hair; lanky body; and large smile enhanced the portrayal of the boyish character. Though he did not actually play the piano in this play, he and the pianist did a great job of coordinating their motion/sound.

Charlie's sister Sally was played by Kristin Thomas, who did a great job with vocals, lines, interaction with other characters, countenance, and animation. This is also a very talented actress.

Thank you to Cool Springs Financial Group for their sponsorship of the theatre's production year.

 << Previous 5