Jan 25 2010

Beware – Bad Stories Just Sound Better

A Happy Tale

I just returned from a wonderful vacation to Seattle to visit a long-time friend. He took time off from Boeing to show me the Emerald City, and did a great job, despite the rain’s best efforts to keep us inside. One pleasant evening, as we walked down toward the water through the quaint neighborhood of Wallingford, it began to sprinkle. We were, perhaps, a fifteen-minute walk from his condo and so we ducked in to what looked like a cozy bar.

The sign read “The E.N.D – Wine Bar.” It was warmly lit with a half-dozen wooden tables, jazz was on the stereo, and we were immediately greeted by the manager carrying two complimentary glasses of champagne. We were then shown the menu (there was just one hand-printed menu in the middle of the restaurant) and the wine selection (no wine list, just shelves of wine arranged by varietal, and all equally priced). Simple, elegant – we were sold. My friend’s girlfriend joined us shortly thereafter for what turned out to be a wonderful evening of wine, fantastic appetizers, and jazz.

Positive Reviews are Rare

The fact that I’m writing this positive review says a lot about my experience – which was indeed outstanding – because such positive reviews are rarer than the experiences that precipitate them. Continue reading