Don't buy JCPenney Portraits groupon

So you decided to take a family picture. You don't really care much about quality and have seen a lot of groupon deals. So you search groupon and there is one deal which looks good. 3 digital images for $29.

So you call, make the appointment, get the family ready. Get to the studio, take pictures, several different poses, kids separately, mom with kids, dad with kids. Everything is going really great, kids are cooperating, pictures look really nice and it is really hard to pick 3 images out of 6-7 nice ones.  Of course sales person is really helpful it she says that there is $80 package which includes all the images you like. It is a little bit too much, not what you wanted to spend, not edited much, just cropped,  but the images are unexpectedly nice. So you say, ok, the other package it is. So the sales person sends you the link, you'll have the pictures in 3-4 hours. Owesome.

Now it is time to pay. The sales person says: $80+ tax. You say, but what about that groupon. Oh, the sales person says, this is $80 on top of groupon. Oh, no, you say, this comes to $110 and I am not ready to spend this on 8 nice but unedited images, I want the original deal. Oh, the sales person says, there is nothing I can do, the link is in your email, it is not reversible, you have to pay.

The images are really nice, you spent a lot of time getting ready, kids cooperated, this is your first photoshoot in a studio, when is it going to happen again. You want the freaking three images for $30. But the sales person states that there is nothing she can do... Helpfully, she gives you the phone number of customer service... Suddenly, you feel like you've been had in the worst possible way. And you know that this is not the sales person fault, she's probably been trained very well with this routine and with exactly what to say.
You still try.. But link can be disabled you say, you can send another link.

There is nothing I can do the sales person says... And you are pissed off, very much, mostly, for the weakness to agreeing to a different package. But also for the being lied to, because, as an IT person you know, that it is very easy technically to disable the link. And if the system does not allow it, it is on purpose.

You call customer service, there is unusual volume of calls, the recording says. You wonder, how many pissed off customers are calling to complain and when there is no unusual volume.  Finally, you get to talk to customer representative, he can't find your name in the system, puts you on hold and then you get disconnected.

You call again, wait again, talk to another representative, oh, she says, we don't have you in the system yet, it is to soon. Meanwhile, you are getting email, that images are ready for download. But you are not in the system. Interesting. You feel like an idiot and swear not to go there ever again.

But it is not groupon's fault, a reader could say. You might agree. You go to their website and see, that there is 87% customer approval rate. You want to leave your feedback. You want to leave an advice to ask if groupon is included in the quoted price. But you CAN NOT.  At least, there is no easy way to do it, and you look for the way to do it for several minutes.

So do yourself a favor, if you decide to go to JCPenney portraits don't bother with groupon. It is not worth it.

Mishmish Coffee and Food Review

I went there two times for dinner. First time on  a week day we did not make reservation. Second time, on Saturday night we did, as the place is small.  It is a BYOB place and there is a liquor store nearby with limited selection.

Both times I ordered grilled octopus for an appetizer. It was cooked just right. Summer salad was awesome, who knew watermelon and pesto are great together... I also tried hummus, shrimp shakshuka and mussles which were great.  There was grilled Bronzino on special. It was good, but I expected a little bit more. The salad with goat cheese was also a little bit not to much taste for me.

If I understand correctly, the dessert kunafeh, has to be cooked to order. It did not dissappoint.

Alladdin on Broadway review

Alladdin opened on Broadway on March 20th, 2014. It is still going strong in it's second year. If all you want to see, is live version of a Disney movie, then this show will be great for you. Costumes are great and shiny, music and catchy, dance numbers are entertaining, jokes are on par with your regular Disney cartoon and probably lost on most kids. My favorite numbers were the ones with Genie. I was amazed how talented James Monroe Iglehart is. I attended the day show and there were not that many kids in the audience and I don't think this show is great for kids, especially if they are not into singing and dancing. Having said that, my son liked the show, but I feel like a lot was lost on him and it is probably was not worth it. As I mentioned, I saw the show with my son. If you have kids who are not super tall, get a booster. Ushers offer them or you can ask for one. I did not get one at the beginning and regretted it. My son had trouble seeing. Thankfully, one of the ushers offered us one mid performance, and it was much better. Special word for people with sunglasses. You don't have to wear them inside on your head. People from behind you can't see them. There were two women in front of me with sunglasses perched on their heads. New Amsterdam Theater is gorgeous but it felt cramped as most of the Broadway theaters do. It was especially noticeable during the intermission.

Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital, Est 1876

Review: The Monster Who Ate My Peas in SOPAC

Couple of weeks ago we saw the show base on a great book with the same name. A boy becomes friend with a creature who helps him to avoid eating the peas. But it comes at a price. The ageless "deal with the devil" plot is well explained and the proper conclusions are made at the end. The show was delightful. All actors did a great job singing and dancing. The show held everybody's attention for the whole length a little bit under an hour. I wish there were more shows like this in New Jersey.

Colonial Christmas in Jacobus Vanderveer House

Jacobus Vanderveer House was on site of the first American Military Training Academy. It also served as headquarters for General Knox during winter of 1778-79. The house has a great collection of the pieces from colonial times. In December every year the house is decorated for Christmas with trees decorated in the style of colonial times and colonial re-enactors. We were lucky to see women cooking on the fire and men dressed as soldiers of Continental Army.

Great list of interesting places to visit

Free and Almost Free Places For Family Fun in New Jersey And The Surrounding States 2014

Kids Activity Deal

Groupon deal for Kidville in Englewood: $65 for Membership with Three Kids’ Classes, Six Playspace Passes, and Registration Fee at Kidville ($209.50 Value)

Kids Activity Deal

Groupon for five open bounces at Screaming Parties

Historical New Jersey: Lambert Castle and Garett Mountain Tower

Historical New Jersey Part 2 from James C. Sengul on Vimeo.

Patterson Greate Falls

Paterson Great Falls, NJ from James C. Sengul on Vimeo.

Morristown National Historic Park - Part 3 - Soldiers’ Huts

These reconstructed huts help us to imagine what it was like for soldiers of Continental Army during the winter of 1779-1780.

Kids Jazz Concerts

Come to free Kids Jazz Concerts this fall - courtesy of WBGO. The concerts are happening in different location throughout NJ. The next concert on Saturday, October 12 at 12.30 is at Montclair Art Museum.

Kids Activity Deal

Check out this Groupon to Children's Museum. It is great to use when the weather is nasty outside.

Kids Activity Deal

Great deal on World of Wings in Teaneck.