Diana H.

The Sight Unseen Theatre Group

I've been to see two Sight Unseen shows and the group does a wonderful job of producing quality shows. Their subject matter seems to lie between comedy and drama which allows the actors to truly excell at their craft and each play has been completely enthralling. I also saw one of the group's visual art shows which was not as solid as their theater - their current strength is definitely the plays (which are affordable and change frequently) so check out their website: www.sightunseentheatre.com to see for yourself.

PROS: Enthralling, affordable theatre on the Westside.
CONS:

Sendaball

SendaBall is SUCH a great idea! Instead of sending a boring old birthday card you can have SendaBall mail to your friends and family an actual fun plastic ball with your special birthday, get well soon, new baby or new home message on it! Some messages include "Have a Ball on Your Birthday" and "Have a Ball with your new baby". They've also got creative options like plastic buckets ("Have a Bucket of Fun on Your Birthday!"), hockey pucks ("I pucking miss you so much!") or a block of wood ("Wood you come to my birthday party?!"). For only $10 (which includes shipping) you can have everyone at the office talking about your friend on her birthday because she got a BALL sent to her instead of the usual birthday card. It is fun for everyone and a great, affordable way to give someone a great surprise. Know that you can also personalize your message AND SendaBall will work on sending anything else that you can think to put in the mail!

PROS: Such a fun gift and the website is so easy to order from!
CONS:

Erewhon Natural Foods Market

I live right near Erewhon but can't do all my shopping there. The prices for organic and speciality foods are very cmpetitive but the store just isn't big enough to cover all the foods a person needs. I love their huge variety of prepared foods and appreciate the number of brands of vegan and vegetarian foods they offer, but the limited produce is regularly a disappointment. There are plenty of healthy, veggie goodies at Erewhon to entice even the biggest meat lover, but also make the most serious health nut feel well satisfied.

PROS: Huge variety of vegan and vegetarian foods.
CONS: Too small a store to hold everything I need - especially produce.

Strom Carey Dr MD

If Dr. Strom's office wasn't across the street from my job I'd find it quite annoying to deal with visiting him. Every time I have had to wait extensively before seeing him - once for an hour and a half! This is of course the case with most doctors though, sadly. He is personable and friendly, but sometimes I felt like he wasn't getting as deep into my issue as necessary. He did eventually get to the bottom of my acid reflix and also found another otherwise undetected problem which was great - he's very thorough which I think came off at first as unfocused but he's just covering all his bases.

PROS:
CONS: You'll be spending lots of time in the magazine sparse waiting room.

Star Lincoln-Mercury Mazda

I used to take my car to the Mazda location in Culver City, which has sadly closed. I bought my Mazda at the Glendale location and have never felt like it is as good as the one in Culver City. I get my car serviced on Saturday mornings which is fine but they seem to be under-staffed and there was quite a bit of confusion around my simple servicing. I did find the cashiers to be helpful, informative, competent and good at following up to make sure that the confusion was sorted out and I wasn't over charged. I'm going back again since it wasn't terrible, but if there are more problems this time I'll see another service station.

PROS:
CONS: Glendale is a bit of a trek for mid-city dwellers.

A La Mode Hair Studio

Recommended by a friend with great hair, high standards and a desire for extensions (which she got and they look great!) I knew I had to give Fiona a try. I'm not the kind of person who comes in with a specific style in mind, but Fiona always has know what to do with my hair to clean it up, make it look fresh and she does it quickly so your time isn't wasted. The rates are reasonable - you can find coupons on-line for your first visit. And they've got parking in the back if the street is full. It is a really personable little salon and you'll surely find Fiona to be worth going back to again and again - and recommending friends!

Executive Advisors

I've been seeing Lilli for a few weeks now, about 6-7 sessions and while it took some time to get comfortable with her style, which is more direct than most therapists in my experience, we're getting a lot done in our brief time together each week. Lilli has a presence which makes you want to work hard at improving your life and reaching towards your goals which is invaluable when times are tough and you don't feel motivated to get things back on track. I recommend giving Lilli a shot, to see if she's a good match for you.

PROS:
CONS: Parking in the building is so expensive, park at meters in the park instead

Sticker Planet

I make lots of hand-made cards and am always searching for new, unique, individual stickers that will fit my personalized message. This store has a wide variety, which is well organized and reasonably priced. I wasn't blown away like the other reviewer, but they offer some unique items and it is the only stickers-only store that I have ever encountered. It is definitely worth stopping in if you're at the Grove or the Farmer's Market already.

PROS: Well organized, easy to pick through the stickers.
CONS: They didn't have any hot air balloon stickers - how could that be?!

Dr. Jeffrey Marmelzat

I needed a dermatologist, and Dr. Marmelzat was recommended, as being good at getting the job done. And he does, but he isn't very personable or spend much time with patients, at least not with me or from what I've heard. I found that he was not as interested in hearing the details of my condition that I had gathered, but was more keen on just diagnosis and writing a perscription. I prefer a bit kinder bedside manner in my doctors. But his diagnosis was right on - my problem was easily solved in less than a week with his recommended treatment.

PROS:
CONS: Not the friendliest doctor, lacks a listening ear and kind bedside manner.

Visioncare Associates

I was recommended to Dr. B.G. Shily at Visioncare Associates, and he was wonderful this morning. I was way overdue for an eye exam and he was so thorough with the testing, trying to find the best contact lenses to fit my eye, and showing me great new advances in both contact lenses and glasses. I don't have vision insurance, like most people, but he's going to try and run the exam cost through my regular insurance, and he was reasonable in pricing my new glasses lenses, which is much appreciated by the younger, less affluent crowd that I run in. He was VERY patient in fitting me with the right lense with the perfect strength - trying out 3 in each eye which is FAR beyond what any other doctor has ever done for me before. The willingness of any doctor to listen to ME and work with ME on fulfilling my needs towards better living is essential and Dr. Shily was very thoughtful and friendly, as well as thorough. I highly recommend him, even if his regular support staff is a bit spacey.

PROS: Amazing personal attention and patience - rare in any kind of doctor!
CONS: There is a spacey assistant who books appointments and isn't too bright.