Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Open Thread #28

The last open thread has been pretty slow. Come on...kick it up a notch!

What do you want to talk about? How about restaurants...you guys love talking about restaurants. Or I could just say some words that seem to generate lots of comments...

Olive Garden.
Wal-Mart.
Altru.
Landfill.

I really don't care what you talk about...just talk!

42 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi... I'm in Grand Forks for the week for a class at UND, and my car needs repair to get back down to Mankato (MN). Is there anywhere that is really highly recommended (or anywhere that I should definitely stay away from)? Thanks for any help... I've been in town last week and this week, and I've grown to like it a lot already.

Josh

Anonymous said...

First hot week of summer and my AC poops out on me...hope it cools down soon.

Anonymous said...

As far as your car...Rydells is very recommended - they have always been good for me and they seem to be very honest. It is one of the only places I have gone to get my oil changed where they don't try to "up-sell" and try to get you to do unneeded repairs.

Anonymous said...

Beckstead's Auto Repair. 1319 9th Av. S. 746-6758. Kevin, the owner is an honest, regular guy who will not rip you off or fix something that doesn't need to be fixed. I have been having vehicles fixed here for many, many years. Good luck.

Anonymous said...

Gateway BP Amoco. A relative took their car to Rydells 3 times and they couldn't find the problem. Amoco on Gateway found it right away-fuel pump. Started taking my vehicles there and have been very satisfied.

Anybody notice that Aurora hired a Park River Doctor away from her home community?-weren't they claiming they were going to hire ND Doctors to return to ND and not raid rural communities??

Anonymous said...

I like the idea of a new hospital coming here. It brings in high paying jobs. I remember sometime ago, UND was talking about building a germ lab here -- now that would bring some serious jobs here (even though it's a little scary). What we DON'T need is another restaurant or retail store. Those are great, but real good jobs are high tech and medical field.

Anonymous said...

I echo "not affiliated" above with Beckstad's Auto Repair. They have taken care of my last 2 vehicles, do a great job and stand behind their work. I won't take my vehicles anywhere else.

elucidarian said...

Depending on the repairs and the age of your vehicle, Odin's on Belmont is a trustworthy service station with reasonable rates. If they can't fix it, they'll steer you in the right direction. I generally like to go to them first.

Anonymous said...

I think they should make all the central students and teachers park in the parking ramp on the upper levels. Leave the lower levels open to the public. Parking in downtown is always going to be an issue.

Anonymous said...

GFG, you forgot to include The Alerus in your list of open thread hot buttons. I watched the recent Alerus Center update at the city council meeting and was absolutely appalled. Every citizen of Grand Forks should be too!

Anonymous said...

Anyone hear what's going on with the Gateway Drive "Welcome to Grand Forks" signage that we voted on months ago?

Anonymous said...

Ditto elucidarian's comments on Odin's.

Coffee Guy said...

I've heard nothing but good things about Odin's.

Anonymous said...

I agree...Odins is great!

Anonymous said...

Odin's is very good, Paul & crew are honest fellows and won't over-diagnose your car troubles.

Matt BK said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Matt BK said...

I think they should make all the central students and teachers park in the parking ramp on the upper levels. Leave the lower levels open to the public. Parking in downtown is always going to be an issue.

They are the public, just like you.

If you actually look, there's always parking in the Alerus ramp.

------------------
Campus Dakota rocks my socks.

Anonymous said...

RE: Parking ramp across from Central

While attending the art fest, I parked in the ramp, only to discover that all the spots were reserved (as indicated by signage) on the first two levels. I didn't dare risk getting ticketed, and parked on the available spots on the roof level. To top it all, the elevator didn't work---and me with two blown-out knees! :o) Sort of bugged me, tho---with all the touting the city does about off-street parking advantages. I no longer blame those who live if GF for parking on the street.

RE: Reliable, efficient car service
I've had excellent service from 32nd Amoco for several years. John Lutheran and his crew seem to be doggoned conscientious about repairs.

Anonymous said...

Odin's is an honest, friendly shop and the mechanics do good work. Plus, it is one of the last, if not the last, full-service stations left in Greater Grand Forks. Why fill up the car yourself at $3.00+ a gallon?

Anonymous said...

Had trouble getting Odin's to honor a warranty as we didn't have some mysterious piece of paper that went with the product-even though he acknowledged they did the work and we had a receipt and we could not recall getting anything else. I would go elsewhere.

Anonymous said...

The best service I've ever received on my vehicle was from Bumper to Bumper. Give Jerome a call and he will pick up your vehicle (giving you his) and bring it back to you fixed. Very honest and trustworthy.

Anonymous said...

Could you be mistaken? How could Odin's guarantee a part made by a vendor of their's? They're a gas and service station, not a parts manufacturer.

Must every thread on this blog eventually fizzle down to bashing a local business?

Anonymous said...

I think it's called honesty and objectivity. If someone had a bad experience at Odin's why shouldn't he or she tell their story, too? Then let the readers decide.

Anonymous said...

No I am not mistaken. It was a muffler-when I called-they said they no longer install mufflers. I had to produce a receipt-he then said I needed more documentation. When I told them that was all we were given-they said they couldn't help-as he took a rusting,rotten 2 year old muffler off the car.

If you buy a battery from a gas station who does service-they stand behind the warranty.

So no I'm not bashing a local business. As everyone is singing their praise-I'm just telling of MY experience-thankyou.

Anonymous said...

I too have had many good experiences with Odin's. I think they are good guys who I trust.

Does that mean every single person will always have a good experience? Of course not, especially considering the nature of auto service. Sometimes the shop is being unreasonable, sometimes it's the customer. In this forum, we only hear from the customers.

Anyway, when someone asks me for a recommendation, I send them to Odin's.

GrandForksGuy said...

I'm happy to see so much feedback regarding the first anonymous poster's question. Josh sent me an email and I told him that, while I didn't have a ton of knowledge about local auto repair shops, I figured an open thread would be a good place to get plenty of feedback. I was right...thanks guys.

Anonymous said...

Bumper to Bumper...and Jerome....good? honest???? people....please tell me it is a different Jerome then the one in Oslo.

Anonymous said...

Does he mean Bumper to Bumper that is now O'Reillys?

Anonymous said...

Craig at National Muffler 42nd St just north of 32 Ave So. Great mechanics, honest work and reasonable. Don't let the name throw you, they do way more than mufflers. All my vehicles go there. I have no interest in the place other than fixing my stuff.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for all the help... I ended up going to the Gateway Amoco. The people there seemed nice, and my problem was diagnosed quickly. We'll see tomorrow when they're done. I appreciate all the comments, positive and negative. I wish I had time to wait to hear all the positive about Odin's, but I had to get the car in this morning.

Josh

Unknown said...

Odin's isn't the most convenient place to get work done, but they're probably the best.

But anyway...

Anonymous said...

Convenience is in the eye of the beholder, to contort a phrase! One of the reasons I like Odin's is that I can take my car in and easily walk home-then walk back to get the car when it is done. [Of course, that factor wouldn't important, if they did not do good work at a fair price.] It is also convenient for anyone working or living downtown.

GrandForksGuy said...

For those of you who were asking if CiCi's Pizza was coming to Grand Forks, I just received an email from a company representative...

"We are currently selling franchises in South Dakota, but we are not registered to sell in North Dakota hopefully that will change soon. It is always nice to hear that our arrival is eagerly anticipated."

Anonymous said...

Does anyone think The Grand Forks Herald has one once of credibility left? They are so transparent in their political motives. Where is the Lou Pearlman story? 14 banks take a multi million dollar hit, and no story in The Herald? I suspect one local businessman walked this "hot lead" all around the state and burned all these banks. But, how would we know? Any other newspaper would be all over this story.

Hey, G.F. Herald, wonder why the community thinks you suck? It's crystal clear to me, and should be to you.

Do your job!

Anonymous said...

I'm afraid for the future of ND and America!!

Ashley Young of Grand Forks, the new Miss North Dakota, says, “I am happiest when I am doing the thing I am made to be doing.”It involves being “in the right spot at the right time,” she said.

(What the heck does that mean?!!)

She was asked what she would ask President Bush if she were given five minutes to be a spokeswoman for her peers.

“I would ask how he deals with the day-to-day pressures of being an icon,” Young said.

Talk about having your head in the sand. And the world is flat.

Unknown said...

I don't read the Herald much, but when I do (which is, like, twice) I tend to see very right-leaning opinion thrown in. Am I confused, or is the Herald a pretty conservative peper?

Unknown said...

By the way, am I the only one that wants to see an A&W come to town? Has the chain ever been here?

Anonymous said...

joshteel,

You are indeed correct. But the scary thing is, Grand Forks and the Herald are considered to be the most liberal in the state!!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, A&W used to have a major presence with an old-fashioned drive-in restaurant on Gateway Drive complete with a lighted fountain. It served the best onion rings in town and as kids we would drive in from Larimore (28 miles) most Saturdays in the summer for their amazing (or so it seemed as a kid) food.

Lynsey said...

The Herald's political leanings are heavily influenced by the McClatchy ownership. Remember, there was an editorial that ran around election time saying that they were being pressured to endorse the same candidates as McClatchy's other newspapers in North Dakota.

As far as the Pearlman story...That's old news. Unless I missed some major recent development, there wasn't enough there to really cover it right now. I think there was a story this winter when it first came out, though.

GrandForksGuy said...

Uhhh, Lynsey...don't you remember that McClatchy sold the Herald to Forum Comm? For what's it's worth, Forum Comm is a fairly conservative voice and I can't help but wonder if that enters into Herald editorials from time to time.

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