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In Chicago, I've become wary of trusting much on Yelp. I've been checking out touristy stuff lately and had some really lousy experiences. Inevitably, when I

In Chicago, I've become wary of trusting much on Yelp. I've been checking out touristy stuff lately and had some really lousy experiences. Inevitably, when I check to see what the yelpers think, they rave and 5-star it.

jrockway 18y ago
Don't do the touristy stuff in Chicago. As an aside, I've found that Yelp rarely helps me decide on a restaurant. Sometimes Yelp says a place is bad, and I love it. Sometimes it says it's great, and I hate it. Sometimes we agree, but basically I can't trust it. People that aren't professional reviewers don't really know how to review a place ("1 star because I don't like cheese, but ordered a cheese pizza." People on Amazon do this too -- "I didn't like jrockway's book because it didn't cover something I wanted it to." That is a wish, not a review.)
- brandnewlow 18y ago
  I'm checking off the things I want to make sure I do while I'm here. I agree, touristy stuff's usually lame, but you gotta go to the Sears Tower, right?
  - jrockway 18y ago
    The view is nice, but I hate how touristy it is. They make you watch this dumb movie about how great Chicago is before you can take the elevator upstairs. I like the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building ("tocho") in Tokyo (obviously). You walk into the lobby and press the "up" button on the elevator. Then you press the button for 90-whatever, wait a while, and get off at the top. Then you enjoy the view. (And it's free, of course.)
- thwarted 18y ago
  All the more reason to post your own review of places you've been. Don't just be a consumer, man. The most powerful review sites let you find out about the people providing reviews, so it is easy to determine if you should trust a specific reviewer or not (if they like the things you like, or if they review only certain kinds of places, or if they say they don't like cheese but still order it everytime). If someone bought your book because something about it gave the impression that it would contain certain information and it didn't, then I think that's a legit reason to not like it. However, I agree, the simple review you've pointed out isn't adequate. It would be nice to know why the person thought the book would cover what they thought was missing.

jrockway 18y ago

Don't do the touristy stuff in Chicago. As an aside, I've found that Yelp rarely helps me decide on a restaurant. Sometimes Yelp says a place is bad, and I love it. Sometimes it says it's great, and I hate it. Sometimes we agree, but basically I can't trust it. People that aren't professional reviewers don't really know how to review a place ("1 star because I don't like cheese, but ordered a cheese pizza." People on Amazon do this too -- "I didn't like jrockway's book because it didn't cover something I wanted it to." That is a wish, not a review.)

brandnewlow 18y ago
I'm checking off the things I want to make sure I do while I'm here. I agree, touristy stuff's usually lame, but you gotta go to the Sears Tower, right?
- jrockway 18y ago
  The view is nice, but I hate how touristy it is. They make you watch this dumb movie about how great Chicago is before you can take the elevator upstairs. I like the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building ("tocho") in Tokyo (obviously). You walk into the lobby and press the "up" button on the elevator. Then you press the button for 90-whatever, wait a while, and get off at the top. Then you enjoy the view. (And it's free, of course.)
thwarted 18y ago
All the more reason to post your own review of places you've been. Don't just be a consumer, man. The most powerful review sites let you find out about the people providing reviews, so it is easy to determine if you should trust a specific reviewer or not (if they like the things you like, or if they review only certain kinds of places, or if they say they don't like cheese but still order it everytime). If someone bought your book because something about it gave the impression that it would contain certain information and it didn't, then I think that's a legit reason to not like it. However, I agree, the simple review you've pointed out isn't adequate. It would be nice to know why the person thought the book would cover what they thought was missing.