Lou MC Yelps a Lot

Here is a newfound strip mall that resembles a strip mall in Chinatown. It's called North Golden Sun Plaza ( Google  |  Yelp ) in North Houston. The zip code should be 77014, but many still using 77068 because it's separated by a street. The street address is 3645 Cypress Creek Parkway, aka FM 1960 W, between TC Jester and Walter Road. According to an article on  Chron.com , North Golden Sun Plaza was established when Sun's Club moved in 2015 after Wal-mart moved across street (zip code 77068). Then, the lot owner expanded from one building to this horseshoe-shaped 3 buildings. Thanks to the Facebook folks who live around this area for the history and the proper street name of Cypress Creek Parkway. FM 1960 was renamed within last few years ( article on ABC13.com ). Therefore, you'll see some newer businesses are using Cypress Creek Parkway on their business cards. Either way is correct. However, not many business owners attach their suite number on their marketi...

2017 was a thrilling year for me. I spent a lot of time on taking better photos and sharing more with the communities. Not just Yelp, I also Google a lot.  Funky YES! Here is my status on Yelp : Completed 111 reviews in 2017 Updated 14 reviews in 2017 Uploaded total of 8025 media files (7549 photos & 476 videos) since the day I started Yelping, March 2011.   As of December 30th, I had 6 Baronies. Somehow, it's no longer visible in 2018 (Android). I could never broke my record of 300 reviews from 2016. Due to reviews disappearance, I've included a counter at the end of each review. I also saved the direct link to each published review with my archive. This process was extremely time consuming. I completed my 111 reviews in 2017. You can only see 110 reviews because 13th review was removed. Here is my story .  As of January 2, 2018, before I added more stuff. As for Google, I joined Local Guides sometime last year. I am currently Level...

In October, I hosted another meetup to invite Local Guides in Houston. I want to give LG another try on LocalGuideConnection.com website, which is changed to https://maps.google.com/localguides. They didn't tell me that. (this is usual with Google. I'm not surprised.) My event was called National Cookies Month  meetup in Houston TX. I limited 10 guests as I usually do. But I received a message from someone really wanted to attend but there was no more opening. That's odd. Among those 10, there were only 4 replied had reviews in Houston. Jawahir (Finland) - Level 2 - 109176936456734675648 Bunda Imoet (Indonesia) - Level 6 - 114393280060569328492 salvatore porru (Italy) Level 5 - 113940019571382231665 Ericka Flowers ( Houston ) Level 3 - 106689765669046657086 Vito Montanaro (Italy) Level 3 - 102425615440366601261 MrAHMED SAEID (Egypt) Level 4 - 101547467045030028617 William Daniel (Thailand) Level 3 - 115909375203005254472 ...

To reply my Yelper friend's question from awhile back, "Why do I see some people on my feed but they are not my friends?" Answer: You marked to follow them. Doesn't matter if you are friends or not, anyone you follow will be showing on top of all feed, reviews and tips. It's good to follow someone on Yelp. It's completely anonymous until November 28, 2017. After that, any new follower will be visible ( updated per Yelp Blog 11/02/17 ). They don't know you are following them. Befriend with someone on Yelp will reveal each other's check-in messages. I don't see any harm to follow your friends. Except, the contents from people you follow will go to the top of everything. I like extremes. Porsche posted over 17k media. From what I know besides reviews, tips, photo post notifications, you'll receive notifications from your friends' interests in Events and posts on Talks on the feed. It's much easier to read them on the app because...

3 years ago when Brian D hosted his first meetup at Xinjiang BBQ, I already set my eyes on hosting an UYE (Unofficial Yelp Event) myself. This is not a remake. Instead, this unique traveling experience will take your taste bud around the western, northeastern and northern regions of China. Today's cuisine is from Xinjian to Dongbei to Jiangsu. Geographically speaking, Xinjiang is in the far west of China (light brown shaded area on the map) It's close to Mediterranean. So, the food tends to have more spices, but not pungent like Sichuanese food. Charcoal grilled skewers are made popular in this region. Let's begin our journey with two of each  Lamb Skewer  ($11 per 10) 新疆羊肉串 and  Beef Skewer  ($11 per 10) 烤牛肉串 per person. I do not recommend eating every skewer flavor on the menu. Because it lacks variation with spices. It will be extremely boring at the end. Trust me. I don't want to disappoint you as I did this before. Instead of a typical stir fried...

I was among thousands of people to attend Holi Festival last Saturday, March 25. I enjoyed that perfect day drenched with vibrant colors and endless Bhangra music. The weather couldn't be better then a quick spring shower rinsed spring dusts away the day before the festival. Holi powders were on sale by the entrance Everyone was covered with color   Lots of children also take part at the festival. Catching some shades next to a fake car I was novice to Holi Festival. I've only seen the Holi Festival photos online. It's definitely a different feeling when I was among those friendly strangers, everyone was in good spirit. I love that hand print on her jeans. The festival was held at Houston Farm & Ranch , which houses Harris County Fair and many other festivals. The organizer used the huge grassy area for live performances. Tented booths from the community and food vendors lined along the edge. Children's moon walk was in the shaded area wher...

Mike M has been hosting BOTM “Burger of the Month” UYE since last February. This was from a Talk thread when Rachel B returned from her ACRONYM meeting in 2015.  After a long gap in Houston, BOTM was born. First few months, they were hosted by Rachel B. Then, Belly G, Jamie A finally, Mike M. This mock up t-shirt was an idea to generate interest.  Here is a quick overview of his 12 successful BOTM's. The attendance has increased month after month. It has became a popular and well-known event in Houston. UYE Page in… Event Page February 2017 UYE: February Burger of the Month @ Rachels Cafe January 2017 UYE: January Burger of the Month@Stanton's City Bites December 2016 UYE: December BOTM @ Bernie's Burger Bus November 2016 UYE: November BOTM @ Killen's Burgers October 2016 UYE: Burger of the Month@Little Bigs September 2016 UYE: September Burge...

I'm addicted with #Yelfie. I wrote a blog last December about Take a Yelfie . Since then, there are so many good things happening. So, let's start with how to use it. First, you need Yelp app on iPhone or Android phone. Second, check in at a biz. Click on the rectangle on the upper left side. 4 easy steps on Android phone. Easy to use on iPhone as well. Third, point at an object what is a least 5 feet away and tap on the circle button on the bottom of screen. Fourth, take a selfie of you or something within 2 feet (flip the camera). Fifth, edit your Yelfie with the features available. see below. Feature  on  Android phone - move biz name & selfie photo Feature on iPhone - change font on biz name & move selfie photo. Finally, tap "check in" or the check mark. Your Yelfie will be shared to the destinations of your choice. Yelfie shared on Facebook from iPhone & Android phone. Yelfie shared on Twitter from iPhone (below) an...

As much as I love Yelping with my app, I have to slow down on checking in everywhere. Because check-in slows me down with my daily routine. First, I have to take time to pull out my phone. Second, the moment I turn it on, it started to use cell phone data. Third, I don't mind using phone data much but some apps start to synchronize to their servers (such as Google Maps app), which slowing me down. Moreover, I'd rather spend time enjoying life than getting distracted with the apps. I can live without technology when I really don't have the time. This was captured a year ago.  As you may have seen I claimed so many baronies before. At one time, I had 8. Now, I only want to focus on Baron of Chinatown. It's the neighborhood I know best and the area I explore often on my days off. I want to be the go-to person or the Local Guide in Chinatown. If Yelp offered an ambassador position in Houston, I would apply. Starting 2017, I have a few projects lined up to help ...

After weeks of searching and conversations, my passion for meeting Yelpers in SF Bay Area has diminished. I have reached out to CM in San Francisco, East Bay and South Bay. There isn't any UYE or OYE or YEE during my visit. That's okay. I'll find another way to meet Yelpers - go virtual. Thanks for a fellow Yelper John D of San Jose. I followed his specialty in poke - Hawaiian fish salad. I had no idea the concept of "California-style poke bowl" is in. No wonder we don't have any in Houston, unless someone come up with the idea of "Texas poke bowl". Ah, I don't think so. We may get away with Texas BBQ. Not sure we can get fresh ahi tuna and salmon in sashimi quality in Houston. My goal of one poke a day has met. This " Let's Catch some Poké, man! " was a note-to-self event. I was not intended to invite anyone to join me like an UYE, but I wanted to be able to share locations on the fly. My goal was to have a daily dose of r...

I would love to nominate Belly G as Yelper of the Year in Houston, if there is a place for it. We've been to Indonesia, Peru, Bosnia, Poland, Ethiopia & Belgium. This brilliant man with plenty of ideas started the World Travel UYE since January 2016. Every month, the world travelers went from one country to another trying different cuisines without leaving Houston. Check out the chart below for the places we've been to so far. Event Page Reviews 01/16/16 UYE: Around The World @ Rice Bowl II - Indonesia 02/06/16 UYE: Around The World @ La Guitarra Con Sazon - Peru 03/09/16 UYE: Around The World @ Cafe Pita - Bosnian 04/20/16 UYE: Around The World @ Polonia Restaurant - Poland 05/18/16 UYE: Around The World @ Lucy Restaurant - Ethiopia 06/15/16 UYE: Around The World @ Cafe Brussels - Belgium 07/21/16 UYE: Around The World @ Emporio Brazilian Cafe Stay tuned w...

It's been in my wildest dream to host a Cross+Cities UYE with a road trip. I always want to try something exotic, exciting and unique to link Yelpers across the Lone Star state. From Houston to San Antonio takes about 3 hours. After reading a blog  Seattle & Portland Yelpers Swap Cities Road Trip , I posted my idea on a  Talk thread . I found Phillip B of Austin hosted a BBQ Crawl UYE in Lockhart on July 26, 2014. Yelpers from Houston, San Antonio and Austin (maybe Dallas) met at the center of these major cities. That was an epic. ( Reviews ) I am not able to pull something like his scale without Yelpers from other cities. In November 2015, I hosted a  Cross+Cities UYE - Austin Edition . Since I didn't have many Yelper friends in Austin, we had a small party. ( Reviews ) After my recent trip to San Antonio, I saw the city's beauty and tourism opportunity. I want to revisit the idea. I am hoping the Yelpers in San Antonio could help me put to...

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud to announce this year's Asian Heritage Month UYE in Houston. It's my pleasure to introduce the growing popular UYE year after year, besides my Lunar New Year celebration. In the past 2 years, we've dined at Thai/Chinese @ Thai Jin  in 2014 and Vietnamese @ Pho Binh 59  in 2015. I want to bring Asian Heritage to Chinatown this year. I want to showcase a few of my favorite businesses with my Chinatown Crawl UYE model - Dine, Dessert & Shop on one day. Do you know any of these regional food types in Houston? Dine - The main focus of the evening is eat authentic noodle soup at  Strings Noodle . You get to watch how the hand-pulled noodles are made in front of your eyes.  Shop - we are climbing a few steps above Strings to shop at  Fit Japanese Store .  Dessert - we are going to Six Ping Bakery next door. After that, I'll guide you to find tapioca drink among 10 bubble tea joints at Dun Huang Plaza. ...

Know where you parked is important After my HoustonRodeo visit last year, I wanted to try  HoustonRodeo on a Budget , I decided to go even cheaper - Value Wednesday. The admissions are at half price for both ground and rodeo/concert every Wednesday. Kids carnival and wine garden were not affected by this change. I have never thought there was so many people around NRG Stadium on a Wednesday afternoon. I blame it on Spring Break. I had no problem finding parking at a nearby lot. However, I paid $15 at Medical center. It's very close by and only available after 5 pm. Afterwards, I learned there were other cheaper lots a little further out. From the moment I entered the lot, parked my car, walked to shuttle stop and to the bus taken off, it took around 45 minutes. During the afternoon commute hours, travel time was about 20 minutes on a 5 minute route. All of these are compensated from daylight savings time - I've got one extra hour of sunlight. I had to buy admission t...

This is the beginning of a new concept to event planning. I welcome your comments and suggestions to make this Chinatown Crawl UYE possible. Please post your reply here or on the Talk thread . I have been the Baron of Chinatown on Yelp for over a year. I can't say I'm the expert with restaurants, but I could help you discover the best of Chinatown. Even if I don't know, I can try to find the answer for you. Where's Chinatown? Most people refer to just the businesses on Bellaire Blvd, from Gessner to Beltway. But in reality, it covers one huge area being the most diverse Super-neighborhoods in Houston. Yelp defined this Chinatown neighborhood On the Chinatown Crawl UYE, I want to take you one strip mall at a time. You can experience different Chinese regional cuisine, popular dessert items and a show-n-tell of what you can find at a grocery store. The following is a list of existing strip malls: Welcome Center 惠康廣場 - 9180 Bellaire Blvd Diho Plaza  頂好廣場 ...

First of all, I am not affiliated with Yelp and I write reviews on Yelp for fun. Secondly, I don't ask for special treatment from businesses because I write reviews for fun. Third, I am a hard-core Elite Yelper. I always encourage Yelpers to write reviews. Now, let’s go to the featured presentation. Many ideas created this UYE . Since my ROTD (Review of the Day) on 2/11/2014, I have been a regular customer to Eatwell Bakery Cafe for my yogurt fix and remain in contact with the owner, Ziad. The more I talk to him, the more I like to feature Eatwell in my UYE choices. Ziad has a passion in promoting healthy gourmet with a Mediterranean twist. It was perfect timing to wrap up the challenge while Eatwell celebrates its anniversary in October. The UYE was named "Zoom Zoom 100 & Beyond" as a result from a Talk thread . This UYE was dedicated to the Yelpers who participated in the  2015 Yelp Challenge . I started the cyber event as a challenge to encourage my fellow Yel...