Prime Time Shuttle

Thought I'd give this shuttle service a try to LAX. It arrived 1/2 hour later than the scheduled pick up time. And I even had to call them to see what the hold up was. They didn't think to give me a call (even after the requested that I give them my contact number when I booked the reservation) as a professional courtesy to let me know my shuttle would be late. Luckily, I arrived at the airport in one piece. And there was not a long line to check-in so I was able to make my flight.

Maybe you have had / will have better luck with Prime Time Shuttle. I only chose this company because it is one of the few authorized shuttle services for LAX.

PROS:
CONS: Late. NOT on-time. unprofessional.

Sears

This Sears store is located in the Vallco Fashion Parkway Mall. It also has an Auto Service Center. The store has two levels and lots of people working there that can help answer your questions. When I say lots of people, I mean at times there were more people working there than there were customers.

I can't tell if this is a high volume Sears store, but I can tell that it is one of the few Sears stores around in the South Bay area. They have all the Craftsman tools (that's what Sears tends to be known for). There is plenty of parking at this store. The store is also connected to Vallco Fashion Parkway mall. The mall is rather barren. If you want a mall to goto in the nearby area, goto Westfield Valley Fair mall (see my review.)

All in all, this is your typical Sears store. Except that this one has the Sears Auto Service center.

PROS: Auto Service center is at this store. It has workers eager to help you out. Located in a safe area.
CONS:

Craigslist.org

Craigslist is very popular, especially in the Bay Area. It is a free classifieds listing service that is great for selling items, buying items, finding a job, finding an apartment, and even looking for a date (just for the record, I never tried this - I've only heard about this section through others.)

Craigslist has set itself up in most major cities throughout the US. Some cities' listings are more than other cities'. A lot of college and young professionals use the free services. In fact, I've sold many things on Craigslist. It's better than Ebay in the sense that the buyer/sellers are local, you can meet up with them to see what you are buying, and there is no service charges. Selling stuff on craigslist is very popular and efficient. There is even a category on there of Free stuff that people are giving away. One time I saw an ad for free dirt. Funny.

It's also a great resouce to look for housing, used automobiles, or even a job. I think Craigslist is great and if you haven't tried it, you

PROS: Try it. It can be more addicting that Ebay. Great resource for buying or selling things. Listing your ads are free. The navigation interface is very easy to understand and the website is clean looking.
CONS:

Barnes & Noble Booksellers

This Barnes & Noble is well-kept and has a cafe inside. The cafe is a bit small for my taste, but there is also more seating throughout the bookstore.

I like this bookstore because of its great location. If you tell someone to meet you at the bookstore, they can't miss it cause it's right on the corner of two major streets. There is parking in the front and even more parking in the rear of the bookstore. This is a one-level bookstore that has spacious aisles, lots of magazines, and usually crowded cafe section. A lot of people tend to go to this bokstore to study or just look like they are studying.

Westfield Valley Fair Mall and Santana Row is a few blocks away from this bookstore. Also, the bookstore is centrally located between I-280 and I-880.

PROS: reat location bookstore with ample parking and quiet atmosphere
CONS:

College Of San Mateo

College of San Mateo has a very lush campus with nice grass, lots of trees, and hilly walkways.

I'd say this is one of the better community colleges in the Bay Area. The class offerings are diverse and many students from this college transfer to the University of California (UC) education system. They offer many evening classes and tuition is less expensive than state universities. There is also public transportation available if you commute to the college.

As many of us know, there are many education budget cuts in California and the community colleges tend to get hit the hardest. If you can support the community college system, and education in general. Though a mind is a terrible thing to waste, a mind with no classrooms to nurture it is even more terrible.

PROS: Great community college to start off in then transfer to a UC. Good instructors that know there stuff. Bright students with a willingness to learn. Clean campus with diverse population.
CONS:

Santana Row

Santana Row was recently rebuilt and has many nice boutiques / shops, restaurants, and lofts for sale. That's right, you heard me, lofts.

There is also a nightclub there that is pretty happening and popular among many locals. Santana Row is interesting in that sometimes you see stars there, and sometimes you see tourists there. The shopping area is one street that spans about 3-4 blocks. Alot of the restaurants have outdoor dining available. There is even a Borders bookstore there if you to get away from all of the high society boutiques in the shopping area.

Santana Row is a new generation of shopping area, in that it caters to mid-high income patrons (they sell lofts there to goodness sakes). Don't let the rich architecture overwhelm you, people there are friendly.

PROS: Up-scale shopping area full of students, tourists, stars, and the average person. Great outdoor setup. Good food. Place to see people and be seen by people. Give it a visit, just so you can say you were there.
CONS:

Westfield Valley Fair Mall

This is a good size mall. It has many known anchor stores like Nordstrom, Macy's, Rubio's Fish Tacos located in the food court (just kidding - but it is located in the food court).

Check out the website for the directory. Many people go to this mall because is is right across the street from Santana Row (see my review). Also, there is a Cheesecake Factory at Valley Fair Mall. Do not confuse Valley Fair Mall with Valleco Mall (a fews miles down the road). They are like day and night.

Valley Fair Mall is very popular as people visit the mall from all parts of the Bay Area. It has a good size food court, good mix of stores, and lots of parking. FYI, usually there is plenty of parking on the top level of the parking structures.

PROS: Well-kept mall that is popular with many people. Lots of stores to interest anyone. Good food court and plenty of parking.
CONS:

Saratoga Community Library

This library is nestled in the calm, semi-suburban, fresh-air city of Saratoga, CA. The library is fairly large and recently renovated and expanded. It has free Internet access, laser printers at most computers for free printing (big plus for this library), large selection of movies and audio tapes, CD's to check out, and of course lots of books to check out. Just so you know, this library is so popular and in-demand with the locals that people actually line up 1/2 hour before it opens!

It's a great place to study and read magazines, and surf the Internet, I mean do research on the Internet. Also, there are study rooms for study group use. The library even has a large children's section. There are even computers with Internet access in the children's section...but the chairs there are a bit small.

PROS: Modern library with Internet access, free laser printing, lots of movies and audio to rent, an oh yeah - lots of books.
CONS:

Fry's Electronics

Ah yes, good ol' Fry's Electronics.
Each Fry's has its own theme to it. You'll know what I mean WHEN you go to a Fry's Electronics store - an you will go to one in your lifetime.

I am a self proclaimed Fry's Electronics expert. My credentials range from visiting and shopping at almost all of the known Fry's Electronics stores in both Northern and Southern California to eating at the cafes in select Fry's Electronics stores to wasting time being asked by fellow customers what my take on a particular product is when I don't even work there (and I'm not even wearing the standard Fry's Electronics' white long sleeve dress shirt store uniform)! Yes, I am a Fry's electronics god to you.

Fry's has many stores in California and select states (see http://www.frys-electronics-ads.com/ for more info). I picked this Sunnyvale Fry's out of all the other stores because it is very spacious, has a cafe in the center, is usually stocked with product, and is one of the larger stores. If you Google "fry's ad",

PROS: All-in-one electronics store. Great prices and everything electronic under the sun. Some stores can seem claustrophobic b/c of all the product, but the Sunnyvale store is rather spacious. Fry's Electronics is your friend. Let me know when you're going, I'll tag along.
CONS:

N D Auto Care Incorporated

The Nissan Doctor, as this establishment is also known by those in the know, has always treated my Nissan and other people's Nissans with great care and attention to the details. Their service rates are very reasonable compared to Nissan dealers in general. They perform preventive maintenance, full service, pre-car-buying inspections, and also a bit of modification work/installment to certain cars, especially the venerable Nissan Z's. The owner is friendly, modest, and a great guy to shoot the breeze with. He is knowlegable and keeps up with the current auto industry news. His staff is also friendly and they take pride in their workmanship. I have seen other Japanese automobiles (ranging from Toyota vans to Nissan 300zx race-ready vehicles) in ND Auto Care's shop, as he does have lifts, proper tools, and certification to work on many different vehicles.

PROS: Friendly, non-intimidating, and professional service. Always on time service. Knowlegable staff and solid workmanship. Reasonable prices.
CONS: