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Shake Shack at Stanford Shopping Center. Sadly that one has gone downhill over the last year or so.

It was never nearly as good as any of the ones I‘m familiar with in the NY/NJ area. The one in Valley Fair mall isn‘t much better.
 
It was never nearly as good as any of the ones I‘m familiar with in the NY/NJ area. The one in Valley Fair mall isn‘t much better.

For me...it was pretty good when it first opened a few years ago. Though the long lines were often tedious, the food was relatively tasty.

But over the last year or two it's like management doesn't give a truck about how it's operated. The mobile app for ordering hasn't worked for months, sodas are often chocked with 2/3rds of a cup of ice, no salt or mustard packets on the counter, all of the touch-screen order displays are filthy (right when the doors open, you think they would have been cleaned), often no paper tools in the mens restroom (when doors open), hand sanitizer dispensers often empty.

The food is still ok, so I put up with the above.
 
I was about to have an early night, then I just noticed I have another mile to hit my target for my monthly challenge. Grrrrr. I really am too tired to bother. But a quick mile won't take me long. Thats the trouble when you spend all day in meetings.
 
Shake Shack at Stanford Shopping Center. Sadly that one has gone downhill over the last year or so.

I was just there a couple days ago. Honestly, it operated fine, but I was disappointed in the food quality. Maybe I'll have to try a Shake Shack in NY when I'm there later this month. :p

Now, Chipotle at Stanford Shopping Center, I don't even know what's up with that place. I would be next in line and they'd make me wait ten minutes while they fulfilled online orders. 🤦‍♂️ The best one is in San Carlos by Best Buy. Consistently good service and food quality. Can't say the same about either of the two locations in Palo Alto.
 
I was just there a couple days ago. Honestly, it operated fine, but I was disappointed in the food quality. Maybe I'll have to try a Shake Shack in NY when I'm there later this month. :p

Now, Chipotle at Stanford Shopping Center, I don't even know what's up with that place. I would be next in line and they'd make me wait ten minutes while they fulfilled online orders. 🤦‍♂️ The best one is in San Carlos by Best Buy. Consistently good service and food quality. Can't say the same about either of the two locations in Palo Alto.

There's a Shake Shack at Hillsdale shopping center in San Mateo, that's far better run. It just further away for us. And I don't think they can handle take out for eating in the car.

For sure on Chipotle in San Carlos. The best. I haven't been to the one at Stanford in awhile, but the times I tried it the experience just felt weird, couldn't put my finger on why - and that was pre-pandemic. I have no complaints with the one in downtown Redwood City.

We also like Cafe Borrone, atmosphere/food/service, next to Kepler's in Menlo Park.
 
It's cool that we know all the same places. 😁 I used to go to Cafe Borrone with friends in high school to study for AP tests. And Kepler's is one of my favorite bookstores (along with Bell's Books).
 
It's cool that we know all the same places. 😁 I used to go to Cafe Borrone with friends in high school to study for AP tests. And Kepler's is one of my favorite bookstores (along with Bell's Books).

Bell's books is great. Haven't been there since the pandemic, but glad they're still in business.

A long time ago there was used book store on California Avenue in Palo Alto that had a great selection of books of photography by different well known photographers. Years ago I snagged a used original printing of In the American West by Richard Avedon - one of my favorite photo books. Sadly that store bit the dust.

I *think* there's still a decent used bookstore in downtown Mountain View.
 
Unfortunately the used book store in Mountain View (I know the one you're referring to) is gone. :( There is a Books Inc. in downtown Mountain View, but that's it. There used to be a used bookstore in Los Altos as well and that's also gone. Not many options left!
 
Submitted the first beta build to Apple, and got approval. Not a high bar I know, but at least I’m not doing anything egregious, and the test account was usable by the reviewer. So now the work starts of building a beta pool and collecting feedback while I burn through the remaining backlog blocking a first release. I’m probably going to put the Apple TV version on the backburner for now and make sure that iOS and macOS have parity.

As my birthday is coming up, decided to get myself a nice chess set. Not a great player, but I do like the game and appreciate the tradition involved. I’m also looking at building a full-size Tri-D Chess board, and wanted a nice set of pieces that would look at home on a nice wood board, as well as a glass one. Haven’t yet figured out how I’m going to keep a glass attack board stable though, and I’d like to avoid using acrylic, but I might have to.
 
I was just there a couple days ago. Honestly, it operated fine, but I was disappointed in the food quality. Maybe I'll have to try a Shake Shack in NY when I'm there later this month. :p

Now, Chipotle at Stanford Shopping Center, I don't even know what's up with that place. I would be next in line and they'd make me wait ten minutes while they fulfilled online orders. 🤦‍♂️ The best one is in San Carlos by Best Buy. Consistently good service and food quality. Can't say the same about either of the two locations in Palo Alto.

I am a regular at the chipotle on El Camino, near Page Mill. The manager knows me by name, and they sometimes give me free stuff. :)
 
I am a regular at the chipotle on El Camino, near Page Mill. The manager knows me by name, and they sometimes give me free stuff. :)

That's the one I went to when I was in college, but it's taken a dip since the pandemic. I encountered undercooked, crunchy rice too many times for my liking :cautious:
 
That's the one I went to when I was in college, but it's taken a dip since the pandemic. I encountered undercooked, crunchy rice too many times for my liking :cautious:
Ever seen the woman with the Stanford teddy bears sitting there?
 
Friday the 13th movies! All day! All Jason! All ... Ch Ch Ch Ha Ha Ha ... Ki Ki Ki Ma Ma Ma ...

Oh, and this looks fun, Kevin Bacon, obviosuly doing a callback to the original F13:

 
Using my electrical contractor skills (I retired from the international brotherhood of electrical workers, local #3, when I was 18. It was a good run.) to install some Leviton neutral-free smart switches. So far, so good. Though coding homekit to automatically turn off a switch after it’s been on for 10 minutes is needlessly complicated by homekit not having a “turn this off after x minutes” option.
 
Prepping for my tomato bisque soup, good stuff!

soup.jpeg
 
You might have to sabotage a Honda mower to get it to stop working. :D


I'm not familiar with the second brand, but looks like higher-ish end, and I knew Sun Joe is pretty well reviewed.

No doubt. :)

That Allett looks sweet. Plus you can add a bunch of attachments like a dethatcher and plugger.

Thanks. Time to go do something nice for the wife. :D
 
Using my electrical contractor skills (I retired from the international brotherhood of electrical workers, local #3, when I was 18. It was a good run.) to install some Leviton neutral-free smart switches. So far, so good. Though coding homekit to automatically turn off a switch after it’s been on for 10 minutes is needlessly complicated by homekit not having a “turn this off after x minutes” option.

I don't know about that.

Way back in 2007 I installed a Lutron Homeworks Wireless system in my house. Since I had like 60 devices, I saved the $10/switch and went with the non-neutral. At the time there was no issue, but now getting them to play well with LED's has been a PITA. At first, for luminaries I could access in the attic, I put a regular bulb in the attic in the system. So it was on, when that circuit was on. Then I started using Lutron's synthetic load on a couple that I could get to. Then Lutron came out with the LUT-MLC which is much smaller and easier to install. I now have them on every dimmer and they work pretty well. Have had a few LED's that didn't play well, but swapping them out for newer ones fixed that problem. Still can't trim a couple down super low, but I'll live.

If I had just spent the extra $10/dimmer............. Oh well. System has been rock solid for 15 years now. Only one failed repeater and one keypad in that time.


Edit: It occurred to me after this post that your house may be wired the old way, with power to the fixture and switch legs. So no neutral in the box. Around here that method isn't commonly used as most electricians just pull up a wire from the nearest receptacle into the switch box. Even my parent's house build in '62 has neutrals in the box. No grounds, but neutrals. :eek:
 
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