Reviews by krus54

krus54 says "This is the place to stay on the outskirts of NW Chicago" about Marriott NW - Hoffman Estates - Hoffman Estates, IL

krus54 — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:19:50 GMT

This week marked my third stay at this incredible Marriott. This hotel is in the suburbs of Chicago in Hoffman Estates, about a 20 minute drive from O'Hare airport.

The employees here are among the most attentive and friendly than I've seen at almost any other hotel in it's class.

Now Marriott, I believe, was the first major hotel chain in the country to switch to all non-smoking rooms. That makes ME happy, though it might not make YOU happy if you smoke. I know some people will smoke in a room regardless of the policy, but so far in my stays there was no lingering smell of smoke or of products designed to mask the smell.

This latest stay was in room 431. I have also stayed in room 603 and in 704 on the Concierge level when I was chosen as "Silver Elite Member of the Day" and given top floor privileges.

The rooms are pretty plain standard hotel issue . There's good sized working desk and the table lamp had power outlets built in which were enough for my laptop and phone. The lamp also...

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krus54 says "My Whole House is Verizon and I LOVE it!" about Verizon - FiOS Cable Service

krus54 — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:02:31 GMT

I have quite an opposite review of Verizon FiOS than the one other person who has reviewed the service.

My experience has been fantastic with both customer service and the quality of the service for cable. We had Comcast and terrible service. When Internet went out, even if they KNEW it, I had to wait until others in my neighborhood called to complain before Comcast would declare an "outage." I actually had to go knock on doors asking neighbors if they had service and if not to please call so Comcast would declare an outage. Otherwise they had to schedule a service visit for the next day or two days later.

The day FiOS was available here I called, ordered service and I've never been disappointed. I made sure the cost was at least the same as Comcast for cable. We actually got many more movie channels and we didn't lose any channels that we had with Comcast and the cost was a few dollars cheaper. The picture is noticably clearer and brighter. My children who were upset at me......

krus54 says "You'll sing praise for Glory Days!" about Glory Days Grill - Gaithersburg, MD

krus54 — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 17:00:35 GMT

There's not many sports bars I feel comfortable taking my children. That's because either there's a lot of people screaming and yelling words not appropriate for children or because there's mostly burgers, fries, and appetizers.

Glory Days Grill is an exception to what I've found. It turns out that this is a chain of restaurants in Virginia and Maryland (and soon in West Virginia).

Menu:

Their signature Wings are fantastic, though several times we've had to ask them to cook them further as they still came out pink inside. There are several standard appetizers like Cheese Fries, Mozarella Sticks, Onion Rings and also Mini Crab Cakes, Nachos and a few others.

Where Glory Days shines is the variety, flavor, and consistency of their meals. Unique for a sports bar. Their burgers are some of the best you will find. Several varieties of 8 ounce burgers at reasonable prices ($7.30 to $8.00)

Last visit my son and I ordered the Shrimp Dinner ($13.00). The diner has the choice of fried,...

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krus54 says "Nonstick but doesn't last long enough!" about Silpat Baking Mat

krus54 — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 00:50:23 GMT

Silpat is a product that takes the place of using aluminum foil or parchment paper for baking; According to advertising, the mats never need oiling if cared for properly. According to Demarle, the Silpats are nonstick sheets are made of woven glass coated with food-standard silicone.

Demarle advertises a useful life of 2000-3000 uses or 2 years, whichever is less. Note that you cannot use the Silpat under the broiler. It will ruin the mat and void the warranty.

You can use these for just about any kind of baking: cookies, breads, chicken nuggets, pizzas, etc. The advertising is true. Virtually nothing sticks to the mats!

Cleaning is really a breeze. Just use a sponge with hot soapy water, rinse, and when dry you can roll it up to store in your cabinet. Do not use any kind of abrasive cleaner or scrubber. You may wash the mat and then feel that the grease from the food never really came off. If you followed directions the mat will be clean.

The mats are wonderful except that while...

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krus54 says "A heartwarming movie you'll rememember for a lifetime" about The Ultimate Gift DVD

krus54 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 12:55:39 GMT

I was very fortunate to have seen this movie in a private screening last year. The Ultimate Gift is a movie version of the book by the same name written by Jim Stovall. The book has sold over 3 million copies.

This movie was released nationwide a few weeks ago for a limited run. I plan to purchase the DVD the day it is released.

This will be one of the most heartwarming wonderful films you will ever see. It was presented to non-profit groups at private screenings last year (2006) when it was released.

This is a story of a year long quest by Jason Stevens (played by Drew Fuller) to inherit a piece of his billionaire uncle's estate. Jason is arrogant, selfish and has had life handed to him on a silver platter for his entire life. He believes that all the best things in life can be paid for.

Following the death of his wealthy uncle Jason is late to the funeral and then heads to the lawyer's office waiting to receive his share of the billion dollar estate. Instead, what he finds,...

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