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Repairs, buys & and sells mechanical watches
One of the rare places where you can bring you grandfathers watch for repair. Ronald Rogers has...
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One of the rare places where you can bring you grandfathers watch for repair. Ronald Rogers has parts for all kinds of mechanical wrist and pocket watches. He also buys and sells classic watches (i.e. Omega, Rolex, Eterna, Logines).
Fortunately I did not need to test his repair services yet.
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Best wireless service provider for the international traveler
VoiceStream Wireless - now T-Mobile - may not have the best coverage of rural areas in the U.S.,...
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VoiceStream Wireless - now T-Mobile - may not have the best coverage of rural areas in the U.S., but as the leading provider of GSM (the European and Asian standard for wireless systems) cellular services, it's the clear choice (no pun intended) for anyone who wants great mobile phone and data service, both in the US and abroad.
Making sure you get service where you need it requires a little homework - not every handset they sell is capable of operating overseas (due to differences in the frequencies used by different countries). But if you buy a tri-band phone (or, if you want to get fancy, try the new 4-band consumer-oriented Blackberry phone / email device), and make sure your service contract is enabled for international calling, you can use your T-Mobile phone pretty much anywhere in the world where cellphone coverage is available.
One other nice thing about T-Mobile is their pricing. When compared to the other leading providers (AT&T, Verizon, etc.), T-Mobile is consistently 10-15% less expensive - not a huge deal month-to-month, but if you expect to have a cell contract for the forseeable future, the dollars can add up.
But don't take my word for it, drop into a local T-Mobile store (or go online) and see for yourself!
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Magnolia Hi-Fi
Category:
Stereo
14404 NE 20th St
Bellevue,
Washington
(425) 747-0850
Good for High-End Electronics
Magnolia Hi-Fi is a place for true audio and video connoisseurs. Not everyone can tell the...
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Magnolia Hi-Fi is a place for true audio and video connoisseurs. Not everyone can tell the difference between music played through $50 speakers vs. a $5000 speaker system. However, if you can tell the difference and you're willing to pay for quality then Magnolia Hi-Fi is a great place. The staff is very knowledgeable and does a good job matching buyers to equipment.
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Nordstrom
Category:
Women's Clothing
Bellevue,
Washington
(425) 455-5800
Personal Shopper is the Ticket
I personally can't stand the hubbub of shopping. Mostly I can't stand shopping. Back in the...
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I personally can't stand the hubbub of shopping. Mostly I can't stand shopping. Back in the Personal Shopper dressing rooms, though, it feels more like trying on clothes at a girlfriend's house - or at least how I imagine that would be.
You'll especially appreciate the Personal Shopper at Nordy's if your process for clothing shopping looks anything like mine:
Look at clothes on the rack, try to guess whether it would look good on & if it's the right size, schlep an armload back to the dressing room, deposit other purchases, purse, etc, so that you can undress, try on clothes, get disappointed at 8 out of 10 potential purchases right away and agonize over the other two that are almost good enough, repeat until sick.
The dressing rooms in the Personal Shopper area are larger, usually enough to bring in a trusted friend for a third opinion, and there is pleasant background music, making the time between PS arrivals with new items to try on that much more pleasant.
There's no braving the herds of others poring over the racks. There's no wandering from department to department till your eyes glaze over. There's only tell her what you want and see it (and a few other things you hadn't considered but really fit with everything else in some way and usually look great) arrive. This is what going shopping is supposed to be like.
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Bebe
Category:
Women's Clothing
Bellevue,
Washington
(425) 452-9020
And.....
So, this store is almost completely ridiculous. It is so overpriced and they don't have sizes for...
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So, this store is almost completely ridiculous. It is so overpriced and they don't have sizes for real women. The shoes even are too narrow for most women's feet. This is a store that I didn't enjoy my time in and will not go in ever again. The people who work there are very stuck up and are rude. If you want to get savings and clothes that actually fit, don't waste your time either.
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Pacific Sunwear
Category:
Men's Clothing
Bellevue,
Washington
(425) 455-3299
That Certain Something
I don't know what it is about Pacific Sunwear. I don't know if it's the loud music or the fact...
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I don't know what it is about Pacific Sunwear. I don't know if it's the loud music or the fact that they think they are so cool that they can play music that loud and people will love it. I don't know if it's the bravery it takes to attempt to be indie and alternative in the middle of Bellevue Square. All I know is that I feel the need to drag my sister in there every time we visit the mall.
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Come For The Celebrities, Then Leave
As your typical bookstore, you'll find a wealth of information that centuries ago would have put...
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As your typical bookstore, you'll find a wealth of information that centuries ago would have put the world's greatest libraries to shame. But today, virtually everything they have can be found online for free, or for a modest fee. (If you haven't figured out yet, I don't pay retail) The good thing about this store is the location. Various local celebrities, such as the Penny Arcade guys, have come to this store for a book signing. That's great, but nothing else about the store is.
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Rip-Off Central
I have a Breitling watch (great watch BTW) which needed a basic service. This service consists of...
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I have a Breitling watch (great watch BTW) which needed a basic service. This service consists of replacing the battery and the gasket, performing a watertight test and a general cleaning of the watch and bracelet. I went to Breitling's website to find the local dealer, which is AGJ. They said they don't do this work in house but send the watch to the Breitling service center in Connecticut (one of eight Breitling authorized service centers in the US). I asked AGJ what they charge for this service and was told $150.00.
I then called one of the other service centers (one about 2000 miles closer to Seattle than CT) and asked for a price quote for the same service. I was quoted $52.00 for the service plus $17.50 return shipping and insurance. Granted, I will have to pay the $17.50 for outbound shipping and insurance and a small fee (estimate less than $10.00) at the UPS Store to have the watch professionally packed, but that brings my total outlay to $97.00. Subtracting the $10.00 packing fee (something AGJ would do), leaves a residual of $87.00.
So, let me see: $150.00 - $87.00 = $63.00 to box the watch? I recognize that AGJ has expenses and is in business to make a profit. I also recognize that having someone else take care of this completely definitely has some value. I would not hesitate to pay a more reasonable fee for this service, but $63.00 to do so little is ridiculous in my book.
Alvin Goldfarb Jewelers: For people with more money than brains.
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Bellevue Square
Category:
Retail Shopping
NE 8th & Bellevue Way
Bellevue,
Washington
(425) 454-8096
Seattle's best shopping place
Admit it. Seattle is not a good place for shoppers. A lot of people will drive to Vancouver for...
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Admit it. Seattle is not a good place for shoppers. A lot of people will drive to Vancouver for some serious shopping. Bellevue Square should rank one of the best place to shop in the whole greater Seattle area. You will find 4 major department stores as well as lots of other smaller shops. Two children's playing area are always full of happy playing kids. Unfortunately, there is not centralized food court. You will have to walk around to find what you want to eat. However, it does have several nice sit-down restaurants attached to the mall.
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Larry's Markets
Category:
Grocery Stores
699 120th Ave NE
Bellevue,
Washington
(425) 453-5031
Nice Try, Whole Foods
In the face of extreme competition from Whole Foods (which is now sitting right across the street),...
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In the face of extreme competition from Whole Foods (which is now sitting right across the street), Larry's has exceeded my expectations admirably. First of all, they now have the most amazing free samples. The other day, they were serving me flank steak, apple juice, and garlic bread as though the store were some kind of crazy bar mitzvah. Second of all, they have the most amazing salad bar ever and a pleasant sitting area in which to enjoy it. Most of all, Larry's, unlike its outrageously expensive counterpart, still has reasonable parking. Have a little extra to spare on groceries? Spend it on Larry's.
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