Advantages: fun, catchy, great riffs
Disadvantages: not a vast fan-base

...Blink 182, Good Charlotte, Sum 41, Yellowcard, Simple Plan, Mest etc ……. a line of Green Day wannabes growing longer with every intake of breath. Yet, other than Good Charlotte, there is only one band that have earned the god given right to be spoken of in the same sentence as Green Day. That band hit the scene with the release of their album ‘Blue Skies, Broken Hearts ….. Next 12 Exits’ in 1999 through Kung Fu Records. That album, however infectious, was nothing compared to the success they would see with the follow up album ‘So Long, Astoria’ (and no that’s not in reference to the London gig venue). Released in 2003 through Sony Music, ‘So Long Astoria’ came full to the brim with great lyrics and hooks so infectious that you wouldn’t want anything else. Oh ….. And the name of the band ………… The Ataris. Hailing from San Diego... Read review

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Advantages: 5 Star hotel in central location
Disadvantages: Some areas could be improved upon

...I stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in January 2004, which was my first (and only so far) trip to New York, and at the time only my second trip to the USA. Given that I didn't feel I'd be regularly jetting off to New York, I'd decided to check us into the hotel I'd always heard about and hence had always wanted to stay at. We arrived late evening by taxi which dropped us off at the main entrance to the hotel on Park Avenue. The lobby area is large, with the reception being located right at the back, meaning you have to walk through the lobby and past the main lifts to get to check in to your room. It's not a problem as such, but you are left following your nose and common sense, which, when your body is telling you it's 2am, you're not really up to doing. We booked the hotel stay through BA Holidays rather than directly... Read review

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Advantages: Superb location and communal areas
Disadvantages: Hotel rooms being allowed to deteriorate

...The Waldorf Astoria, An iconic, Landmark Hotel. This hotel has been in many films, so....I suppose I should be saying wow. My husband and I visited New York in the February of 2005. I was treated to a stay at the Waldorf Astoria. When we entered the hotel, I was.......blown away. The entrance is plush, extravagant yet elegant, with a pianist playing music, for those that wish to sit and enjoy a drink and just take in their surroundings. The reception area again was stunning. That unfortunately is where the glamour of it all stopped, during our 10 day stay, I lost count of how many times their \"systems were down\". Checking in therefore took an age. When we eventually got our key and were directed to our room, the disapointment set in. The room was shabby, the bathroom, although ornate and I am sure impressive in it\'s time... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap, easy to use, compact
Disadvantages: No automatic pump stop

...I'd been thinking about getting an espresso machine when I saw the Krups Espresso Vivo on offer in Tesco last week, reduced from £79 to £69. You can pay anything up to £400 for 'the full monty' of coffee makers, so I thought it looked pretty good value. It is a neat, compact, easy-to-use espresso and cappuccino maker, predominantly in matte black plastic. It has a large, removeable water tank which is easy to fill either at the tap or on the machine itself using, say, a Brita jug. There are two switches on the top, one which turns the machine on to heat the water, and one which starts the espresso pump. There are two lights, a red one to indicate it is switched on, and a yellow one which goes out when the water gets up to temperature. It has a 15 bar pump pressure, which helps give a richer taste and a creamy 'head' on the espresso... Read review

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Advantages: Central location, friendly security, seating available upstairs
Disadvantages: Overpriced drinks, shabby interior, early curfews

...~~Venue Details~~ Address: 157 Charing Cross Road, London Directions: At the North end of Charing Cross Road, opposite Centre Point at the crossroads with Oxford Street. Tube: Tottenham Court Road Parking: None Capacity: 1600 Age Limit: No Under 14's. Under 16's only admitted with an adult. No under 18's for club nights. ~~History~~ The Astoria was originally a Crosse and Blackwell pickle factory. It has since been reincarnated as a music hall, theatre and the live music venue and nightclub it is today. The venue was acquired by the Mean Fiddler group (now part of ClearChannel) in May 2000. Bands to have played on the Astoria's stage include Nirvana, Black Sabbath, Metallica, David Bowie, Oasis, Prince, U2, Eminem and The White Stripes. ~~Inside the Venue~~ The Astoria has been used in its current guise as a gig... Read review

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Advantages: Beginning to make the very best coffee in the world
Disadvantages: Instructions & pathetic warming plate

...perhaps Mellow Birds from shuddersville. But still there are more quantum leaps to be made before achieving a coffee that ranks in the Top Ten all time best drinks in the world, along with the best wines, best Cognacs, best water, best Whiskies, best fruit juices etc. Upwards and onwards. The next leap up is making coffee out of coffee – novel notion I know. But very good coffee can be made with one plunge of the humble Cafetiere. Likewise hot-water-drip coffee filter machines are a huge advance over any instant. Care over the choice of coffee, its freshness, grinding your own beans etc, will easily make decent or good coffee with minimal outlay on paraphernalia. But from filtering and plunging there is still a long way to go to get to espresso. Espresso - the pinnacle of drinks that can be made from the coffee bean, and I... Read review

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Advantages: New TV
Disadvantages: The rest is old and dark

...As the clan jetted in to New York for their three-night stay, they gazed over Manhattan illuminated by night, and of course the lasers creating the effect of an eternally-lasting World Trade Centre. Our plane came down [at the airport that is] and we climbed off the 767. Once our baggage had been gathered from the belt, it was off outside to contend with the somewhat swelled queue of passengers waiting to hop in the back of a yellow cab. But the clan had too many bags. So a specialist driver was found. He had a much bigger 7-seater. In we got after loading the bags and commanded, ‘to the Waldorf Astoria.’ The Waldorf, one of NYC’s famous landmarks features in many films and books and is renowned for its art deco looks. You’ll find it on Park Lane in Manhattan. The Journey Continues… The driver... Read review

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Advantages: Central and the Lobby is amazing
Disadvantages: Poor and shabby customer service

...If you don’t already know (where have you been?) l have just come back from an amazing 6 night stay in New York City. It was fabulous and amazing, but if there was one dark cloud on the horizon it would be our hotel. It simply did not live up to the high expectations l had set in my mind, and because of this we were severely let down. We stayed at the world renowned Waldorf Astoria hotel. It is a name that rings with luxury and top quality, at least that’s what l thought. The Waldorf is the hotel all the visiting dignitaries stay at and all the American presidents have at one point or other stayed in the hotel. The hotel is often the back drop for many movies – Maid in Manhattan and Coming to America are just a few that have used the luxurious lobby to film in. The hotel is styled in the Art Deco style... Read review

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Advantages: Wilt- Suprisingly good- fresh & lively
Disadvantages: Poor sound quality, pretentious performance from MV

...with guitar and bongos. Cue many quizzical (and yes, worried) faces. Have My Vitriol hit hard times? No. My Vitriol allegedly have rounded these two up off the street to play after being so astounded by their on-street performance. They proceed to ran through a number of hilarious numbers that could pass for Tenacious D’s back catalogue with titles such as ‘It’s A Crime To Play Music In The Street’ and ‘Things You Can’t Do In A Public Toilet’. Highly amusing but not something you would want to see again in a hurry. My Vitriol have been everybody’s favourite support band for many years. Som and Co. have been on countless tours and have long been thrashing out their psychedelic pop-rock to appreciative, yet indifferent audiences. This gig was undoubtedly the band’s biggest gig to date. Headlining the Astoria is no mean feat and thus I doubted... Read review

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Advantages: great sound, venue, atmosphere!
Disadvantages: quite dark!

...I have been to the Astoria quite a few times now and so far i have managed to see Less Than Jake, Vanilla Pod, Frenzal Rhomb, Goldfinger and King Prawn there. Each and every gig was amazing, each gig being better than the one before it! This is not only due to the extremely talented bands, but a lot of the credit has to go to the actual venue itself. Although rather small compared to venues such as Wembley stadium, it actually out-does these larger places in viewing and atmosphere! Upstairs from the main standing area there is a bar and seating area which looks over the stage so if youre tired from standing up, you can still enjoy the great music and an amazingly good view of the band. It is a very safe venue as well with many friendly security guards who are there to ensure that people in the mosh pits are safe... Read review

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