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Tag Archives: review

Topo Magnifly 2 Shoe Review

May 29, 2019 By in Gear Review, Running Tags: , , , , , , 1 Comment
Topo Magnifly 2 Shoe Review

Recently, I started running in Topo shoes. I’ve had a few friends that love them.  Since this is my first time trying Topo, I have no previous versions to compare it too. I was lucky enough that Topo sent me two pairs of shoes to test out.

Quick Stats: 

Weight: 8.3 oz
Drop: 0

Topo Magnifly 2 Shoe Review

Fit:

The upper has minimal seams and has plenty of space. Topo is not available in wides; the regular width seems to be enough space for me.  If you are looking for a wider forefront shoe, Topo is excellent for that.

I typically wear a women’s size 10-11 wide. The women’s size 10.5 fit well. It fits similar to the Altra Escalante and shares a lot of characteristics, including zero drop.

Topo Magnifly 2 Shoe Review

Ride:

The Topo Magnifly 2 has a lot of cushion for a zero drop shoe. Before running in it, I thought it would be a minimal shoe, but I was surprised that it did have an ample amount of cushion. The cushion from Topo has a mix of a softer layer on the top and a much more firm and responsive bottom layer.  This allows it to protect your feet but also still spring you forward.

Topo Magnifly 2 Shoe Review

Like any zero drop shoe, if you are not used to running in a zero drop shoe, it’s important to work into the shoe. If you jump into a longer run, you might be more likely to get injured or have tight calves.

Conclusion:

The Topo Magnifly 2 was a surprise for me. I expected less cushion but I like the ride and that I can use the shoe for longer and easier runs. It will probably stay in my rotation as an easy run or long run shoe. If you like Altra or Altra Escalante, it’s a great shoe to alternate with.

Current Rotation:

Easy/Daily Runs: Hoka Bondi 6, Topo Magnifly 2, Hoka Mach 2, Brooks Glycerin 17,

Speed Work: Reebok Float Ride Runfast Pro, Nike Streak Lt,

Long Runs: Hoka Cavu 2

Races: Nike Fly, Reebok Run fast Pro

You can see all current shoe reviews here.

Questions for you:

Have you tried Topo before?

What is your favorite shoe? 

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Park Place Diner (Denver, PA)

May 26, 2019 By in Diners Tags: , , , , , , , 6 Comments
Park Place Diner (Denver, PA)

While traveling through PA, I decided to stop at the Park Place Diner in Denver, PA.

It’s right off the Pa Turnpike if you’re driving through. I was looking for something easy and right off the road.Park Place Diner Denver PA

Atmosphere: A
The Park Place Diner is everything you picture in a diner. It’s big, cobblestone, and has plenty of windows.

The inside has rows of booths, tables, as well as a full-length bar. You walk by the dessert case, and it was enough to have me committed.

Park Place Diner Denver PA

Coffee: A
The waitress brewed a fresh pot of coffee. The coffee mug was a logo mug, and the coffee was just plain good, if not one of the best I’ve recently.

Park Place Diner Denver PA

Food: A
The Park Place Diner has everything a diner would have. There is breakfast all day, plenty of lunch and dinner specials.

I wasn’t sure what I was in the mood for. I ultimately decided I wanted some greens and ordered the Greek salad was salmon. The salad was huge and also came with both anchovies and grape leaves. Having a Greek salad without grape leaves seems naked. In all the salad was excellent and I have no complaints.

Park Place Diner Denver PA

Dessert: A
I ordered a raspberry mousse cup to go, and it was delicious. The outer shell was a chocolate shell which made it even better. After cake, I like mousse and frosting type of desserts.

Park Place Diner Denver PA

Service: A
The waitress was friendly, and my food came out quickly. It felt like I blinked, and it was there.

Cost: $
For my salad and dessert, it was $22.

Summary/Overall Thoughts:
I enjoyed the Park Place Diner, and I’ll be back again.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: A
Dessert: A
Service: A
Cost: $15-20
Overall: A

You can see all diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
What are your favorite salad toppings?
What is your favorite dessert?

Merchantville Diner

May 25, 2019 By in Diners Tags: , , , , , ,
Merchantville Diner

While my parents were in town, we decided to hit up my final diner in Camden County. Considering diners come and go, it’s my last diner in Camden County for now.

The Merchantville Diner is a cute diner located in the downtown. Like many downtown restaurants, it’s a storefront and attached to other buildings.

Atmosphere: A
The Merchantville Diner has a small, downtown feel. It’s not a large, metallic, shiny diner but it’s a little cute, spacious diner. Even though the diner isn’t large, you never feel like you are sitting on top of anyone.

The inside has about 30 seats including several booths, tables, and a full-length bar. It actually had a back that seats several more parties. It’s a lot bigger than you would think.

Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh. Plus, it’s locally brewed lacas coffee! (Lacas is only a few miles down the road!).

Merchantville Diner

Food: B
The Merchantville Diner has a small menu. You would find a lot of healthy or specialty options, but you’ll find many of the diner classics including breakfast, sandwiches, and even a few dinner specials.

I decided to order my favorite omelet: Nova lox and onion. It came with hashbrowns, and toast (I chose rye).

Merchantville Diner

My omelet was massive with plenty of nova lox and onions. The rye toast was excellent, and I appreciated that my plate wasn’t mounded with hash browns. In all my meal was excellent.

Service: A
The waitress was great and she refilled our beverages, plus the food came out quickly. We were in and out within 30 minutes.

Cost: $
For my omelet and coffee, the cost was $12.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
The Merchantville Diner was tremendous, and I have no complaints. There wasn’t a lot of information online, so I didn’t know what to expect. I will be back!

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: B
Service: A
Cost: $5-12
Overall: A

You can see all 244 Diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite omelet?
What’s your favorite local restaurant?

West Essex Diner (Fairfield)

May 19, 2019 By in Diners Tags: , , , , , ,
West Essex Diner (Fairfield)

Recently I was at the West Essex Diner in Fairfield, NJ. I was in the area and googled diners closeby, and it came up. I’ve been to Fairfield a few times, and I wondered why I hadn’t ever discovered the West Essex Diner. Once I got there, it was abruptly clear. The West Essex Diner takes the place of the Versaille Diner which I went to last year. I didn’t “love” the Versaille Diner, so truthfully I wasn’t surprised it closed. I did laugh, when I got there, and I was like “I’ve been to this location before” and realized it had closed and reopened.

Atmosphere: A
The West Essex Diner is clean and modern. The outside is welcoming. When I was there last, it was under construction, and I remember watching construction workers do work on the outside. The inside is clean, bright, and looks exactly like what you picture in a NJ diner.

West Essex Diner Fairfield nj

Coffee: B
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh, but there wasn’t anything unique or unusual about it. It was terrible but not surprising either, somewhere in the middle as diner coffee goes.

West Essex Diner Fairfield nj

Food: B
The West Essex Diner has everything you can imagine. There are pages of breakfast options, different lunch and dinner options and a full page of specials too.

West Essex Diner Fairfield nj

I decided to order the “Heart Attack Burger.”  It was two patties with American cheese, grilled onions, and mushrooms. It also came with fries. The burger itself was good. It was a lot of burger, and there was plenty of grease that dripped off. The fries were bland, but they weren’t terrible. I would order it again.

Service: B
When we arrived, the diner was about 1/3 filled. We were sat in an awkward location and waited for a long time for someone to come over. It became clear that none of the servers knew we were in their section. Our waiter was friendly, and our drinks were refilled often. I think I blinked and our food came out, in fact, it came out in less time than it took to take our orders.

Cost: $
For my burger and coffee, the cost was $17.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back?
I think the West Essex Diner is a much improvement of the Versaille Diner and I would go back if I’m in the area. They have a lot of fun breakfast options that I would like to try.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: B
Service: B
Cost: $12-17

You Can See All 243 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite kind of burger?
Have you ever been to a place that’s reopened under new management? 

 

Paul’s Family Diner (Mountain Lakes)

May 18, 2019 By in Diners Tags: , , , , , 5 Comments
Paul’s Family Diner (Mountain Lakes)

On our way to go hiking at High Point State Park, we stopped at Paul’s Family Diner in Mountain Lakes, NJ. The area is about 2 hours from me, so I don’t make it up here a lot. Northwest NJ, has a lot of hiking and elevation change. I enjoy how rural it is.

When we got to Pauls Family Diner around 7 am, there were only a couple of other parties in the diner.

Pauls family diner mountain lakes nj

Atmosphere: A
Paul’s Family Diner looks like a modern, NJ Diner. The outside is chrome and draws you in.  The inside has plenty of seating including booths, tables, and a bar. There is a massive dessert case which captivated me every time I walked by.

Pauls family diner mountain lakes nj

Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh. The coffee was excellent and at 7 am on a Sunday, you hope it is!

Pauls family diner mountain lakes nj

Food: A
Paul’s Family Diner has all of the regular options from breakfast meals including pancakes, omelets, and french toast. There are many different lunch and dinner options as well as a page of specials. They even had a sheet of breakfast specials (which you don’t always see at a diner).

I knew we were going to be out hiking for a while, so I ordered the steak and eggs. Steak and eggs is one of my favorite diner breakfast meals.  I’m more likely to order an egg meal versus pancakes. The steak itself was massive, and I ordered scrambled eggs which were cooked well. It came with buttered rye toast and hashbrowns, both were good.

The meal was exactly what I was looking for.

Pauls family diner mountain lakes nj

Service: A
We couldn’t ask for better service. The waiter was friendly, and the food came out within 5 minutes. I think I blinked and it was done.

Cost: $$
For my steak and eggs, it was $20. Most steak and egg breakfasts in North Jersey Diners are between $15-18 because of the steak, but still not cheap.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back?
I enjoyed my meal at Paul’s Family Diner, and I would go back. It was cooked well, the service was excellent, and I have no complaints.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: A
Service: A
Cost: $15-20
Overall: A

You Can See All 242 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite breakfast?
How do you like your steak cooked?

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