"Are you sure?" I questioned, "Because that's not looking like much of a road."
"Trust me" said my GPS. I swear I could hear a faint snicker. I turned left onto Joy Rd. and almost immediately regretted that decision. It was a one lane dirt road and I drove about 50 feet when I was met with an SUV coming the opposite way. On a one lane dirt road. I pulled to the side to let him pass and almost went off the cliff.
"Drive 2 miles, then turn left onto Tolley Rd." my GPS instructed.
"Really? Because I've been on Joy Rd for 12 seconds and just almost died." I argued.
"Just dooooooo it." My GPS whispered. I did as I was told and traveled for 2 miles up a dark, twisty, scary road, taking my life in my hands, when at last I came upon Tolley Rd. The clouds parted, the sky turned blue, angels sang as I turned left, as instructed, onto Tolley Rd.
"Drive .7 miles, end at Days Inn on right" said my GPS, as if he had led me to the promised land, after 40 years in the desert. I drove .7 miles and then I heard banjos. No Days Inn, no promised land, only banjos. Dear God, the banjos.
Thankfully, a nice farmer got off his plow, put down his banjo and came to my rescue. Apparently, there are two Tolley Roads in that area and my GPS did the old 50-50-90 (bastard). The farmer gave me the proper directions and sent us on our way, safely, with no one asking me to squeal like a pig.
We arrived at the hotel (20 minutes later than everyone else, thanks GPS) and put our things in our room. The girls went to hit the volleyball around for a bit while the coach and parents decided on where to go for dinner. Our coach is from that area and she said someone had recommended we eat at the Twin Oaks Restaurant. We had a rather large group, 17 in all, so she called ahead to make sure they had room.
The person who answered the phone could NOT have been anymore rude if he tried. When the coach said there were 17 of us, she was told we could not go there for dinner. 'We don't have room.' She asked if we could maybe go a bit later, perhaps they could put some tables together if given enough time, and the answer she received was "No, we don't want you here."
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| Photo courtesy: monkeyworlds.com |
It's not like we were taking a group of howler monkeys to eat, we had 8 girls and 9 parents, all over the age of 13, all pretty much potty trained, yet we were told in no uncertain terms. "We don't want you here." So I decided to do the right thing, and tell every one I know how wonderful I thought that was. Great decision on the part of the person who answered the phone.
The power of the internet is unbelievable. One bad review, one bad word can lead to more bad reviews, which leads to a drop in business. I'm not saying I hold the power to make or break a business, but I am snarky and bitchy and am not afraid of telling it like it is. So if you are ever in the area of Bridgeport or Clarksburg, WV and you're looking for an amazing meal, go to Oliverio's, the restaurant who was more than helpful in accommodating a group of 17 as soon as we called, and who provided outstanding service and incredible food to us. If you're looking for a shit hole with awful customer service and poor reviews, go to Twin Oaks. Tell 'em Snarky sent ya.
