My Consumer News

Consumer Reviews on Consupo

2008-10-13T12:45:00.003-04:00

“The salad was shredded and stringy, limp and lifeless…”

“Customer service reps always seem too busy to deal with me…”

“The bartenders are really nice and sometimes will give you free drinks if you smile really big...”

“Every time I end up there, I am disappointed by the food…”

These are just some of the entertaining, yet informative reviews you’ll find from Consupo, the latest online community created especially for consumers to voice their opinions.

Membership is free and users can give “props” or “beef” to a company, product, employer, even politician and have the opportunity to post videos and pictures as evidence for their case.

Consupo is also designed so that you can easily browse other companies’ consumer reviews , check out new products, or even investigate a prospective employer.

So whether you’ve got beef to raise or props to give, Consupo is certainly more than just an amusing read.

Getting a Real Live Human

2008-03-04T11:52:00.002-05:00

Don't you hate when companies have long messages, and it seems impossible to get a real live talking human being?
I was just on this article that has advice about getting through to a real person. Check out
PBX Hell: 50+ Hacks Get to a Real Person in 10 Seconds or Less for some really helpful tips that are sure to expedite your phone call and reduce your stress level.

Diet Smoothie

2007-01-08T14:14:00.000-05:00

We ordered Diet Smoothies from Rightsizeonline.com last week and we received them today and actually had them for lunch at about 1pm. I had been noticing my waist size gradually getting bigger, and since it is a new year, what a better way to start off than with a diet. Actually, I started prior to the new year, but it officially is starting now. Lizzie too had been noticing her clothing getting a little tighter than she prefers.
So we have some goals that we will attempt to revisit quarterly, and one of the more important ones is to get in shape. We are attempting to go to the gym at a minumum of 3-4 times per week. Went 3 times last week, and once this week so far. We are also going to be eating a lot healthier. This means less eating out, more fish and chicken, and you guessed it having smoothie instead of a meal on a daily basis.
The Lean Cocoa Bean smoothie that I had for lunch tasted pretty good. It has the consistency of a thin milk shake, and tastes much like a glass of chocolate milk. Its loaded with vitamins and minerals and only has about 110 calories per serving. The shakes are mixed in a blender with skim milk or fruit juice. We chose skim milk...not quite sure what the chocolate smoothie would taste like with OJ. Reading the label, I notice the Rightsize Smoothies have an ingredient called Apemine which is an appetite reducer. It is now quarter to 4, and we both are not hungry.
Anyway I will update the post with my future weight loss progess using the shakes as time permits.
For more information about Rightsize Smoothies, or to get some smoothie recipes, visit Rightsizeonline.com.

Shopping Blogs

2006-11-30T14:43:00.000-05:00

New Shopping blogs have been created using the Wordpress platform. For some things blogger is my favorite, and I will continue to maintain the blogs that I currently have here, unless some drastic changes to Blogger occur. I in particular like the feature of being able to categorize the posts on the blogs. I also like the editing functions of the Wordpress platform more than Blogger. Blogger has a few things going for it, primarily its community.

The new shopping blogs are:

My Consumer Blog on Wordpress. This will be the sister site of this one, in that it wil be my primary shopping blog, and this blog will serve to support it. My most recent post is Holdiday Shopping. This post wil become a ever growing resource list for people to use in their online shopping experiences.
I also have a Christmas Shopping Blog were I most recently told of my Black Friday Shopping experience at the Reading Best Buy.

I also have a new pet blog, where I talk about my pets and have a bunch of links to pet related sites.
Another site that I have had up for a while that does require a little attention is a Home Improvement Blog I started for a home improvement site I am involved with as a webmaster.
For the past Halloween, I made a Halloween Costumes and masks blog for a friend.
I am also involved with a Corn Stove site, and I made a new Corn Stove Blog for it, that has been getting quite a lot of traffic.

Hopefully I have not forgotten any blogs, but if I have, I will get them in the next post about my Shopping Blogs updates.

Preowned Car Shopping

2006-11-10T17:22:00.000-05:00

Just finished writing the post on the Lizzie Bean Blog entitled Travels of Lizzie Bean: Preowned Honda Odyssey

Lizzie and I just purchased this Honda Odyssey, and will gladly do business with Carsense again. The wonderful no pressure, no haggling procedure is a relief when buying a car. The salesperson, George does not work on commision, but does benefit from positive feed back. As far as we are concerned, George gets straight A's. Thanks George, we look forward to dealing with you and Carsense.com again.

A. Donkus

Sales Pitch for Time Share

2006-10-23T09:51:00.000-04:00

Our second annual trip to Las Vegas this week is in progress even as I write this post. As reported Pixelheadonline Blog, we are staying at the MGM Grand, not in the West Wing as promised, but we do have a room. Lizzie was a bit dissapointed that we had not been approached to see any time shares. We were planning on doing one so we could catch a show. Finally, last night, after a whole day on the strip, outside of the Alladin, we were propositioned and offered a show, a meal, and 3 nights and 2 day trip to watch the presentation for the time share for a new Planet Hollywood compound.
We are scheduled to go and see a two hour presentation at 3pm today. Lizzie asked if it was a hard sell, and Judy our second sales person(the first Mark got us in off the street) said we can say no, and we are under no obligation to buy. Judy said that she has had numerous people come back and say thasy actually had fun.
I did a little reviewing and Westgate Resorts is the third largest time share company in the US. They also do have a lot of negative feedback, but most of what I found was about their opperations in Florida, not in Las Vegas. After the sales pitch, I will follow up.

LEGO Star Wars Art

2006-10-17T10:41:00.000-04:00

As I searched the web for anything related to LEGOs and art I came across this really cool blog - LEGO Star Wars. Kids are becoming less and less interested in art, drawing and the like - possibly due to computers, video games, etc. But this site combines both art and video games. LEGO, which has been popular with kids, especially boys, from the beginning of time, now has a site that shows exactly how to draw the popular LEGO characters.

Dreamalong.com - one of my favorite sites for educational toys - which I learned about here - My Consumer News: Lego Mindstorm Robotic Toys, has an entire section devoted to LEGO and LEGO Star Wars toys. This would be a great place to start the beginnings of your LEGO collection.

Environmental Products

2006-09-28T15:36:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I went to the PA Sustainability Fesitval and was exposed to vast amounts of knowledge about technology involving the Environmental community. There were numerous vendors for Solar Power, Corn stoves, recycled products, bio diesel, and many organic farms. To see a more detailed write up about the festival go to the festival site listed above or go to Earthinhandcornstoves Blog.

Enoun Directory

2006-09-18T09:29:00.000-04:00

Just came across this relatively new directory eNOUN.com Find a Person, Place or Thing! - Enoun provides local classifieds and forums for jobs, housing, for sale, personals, services, local community, and events. The teacher in me just likes the use of the parts of speach use for the title. I will have to keep an eye on this site as it develops.

Lego Mindstorm | Robotic Toys

2006-09-01T12:57:00.000-04:00

Early last week, my son asked me if he could take robotics as a 6th grade elective. I said that sounded like a good idea. However, there were two little problems. First, he had forgotten the sign up form at school, and second it cost a couple hundred bucks in supplies. As it turns out, the class was full, so he will have to wait for the next quarter.
Anyway, I began to do a little research on his schools robotics class, and as it turns out his school like many others is using the Lego Mindstorm for their Robotics class. These kits are going for around $250. A little further surfing, and I came to the Wired Magazine(Feb 2006)article"Geeks in Toyland and" which tells the story about how Lego developed the new Lego Mindstorm NXT with the aid of unpaid Mindstorm fans.
The orignal Mindstorm, according to the blog, brykmantra.com, came out in 1998. Apparently, it was very complicated to use, and often times was abandoned due to frustration while trying to understand the programing code. An experienced Mindstorm 2.0(2001) enthusiast can build a robot in about an hour, the new Mindstorm NXT allows users to easily make a working robot in about 20 minutes. The new code is said to be a lot more user friendly.
For a detailed comparison of the 2.0 and NXT, see the article in Wired magazine entitled "Geeks in Toyland"
While comparison shopping for a kit for my son, I discovered some Mindstorm kits being sold on Ebay for as little as $180. With shipping it comes to over $200, but still less than $250. Of course it is on ebay, so when bidding, you must read closely. I would hate to win one, and find out it does not work and also discover it was an "as is" auction.
Next I came across a site, http://www.dreamalong.com/, that sells not only Mindstorm NXT, and other Lego products, but unlike ebay, Dreamalong has a 30 and 60 day return policy on all of its toys to include Lego products. This sounds like the perfect place to do my Christmas shopping for next year.

Gift site

2006-08-31T12:41:00.000-04:00

Was on a gift site today, looking for a gift for Lizzie. Hmm lots of delicious looking gift ideas on this site, in particular the Chocolate gift baskets. Lizzy is a chocoholic at times. Many people do get cravings for chocolate. Well perhaps I will have to order her something for her Birthday from this site.

Titanium Drill Set

2006-08-22T11:38:00.000-04:00

Recently purchased an as seen on TV product, a Titanium Drill Set from Ehousehub.com, which is a home improvement site. I have been needing a good set of bits, since the ones that came with my cordless drill have a lot to be desired. Everytime I tried to use one, it seemed the bits would be shredded in a matter of minutes, and frequently the task I was working on would remain incomplete due to frustration caused by the weak metal of the bits. The package arrived quickly, and upon opening it I was impressed by the container which has plastic dividers to keep the various fasteners organized. I have not had the opportunity to use the bits, but I am sure I will use them all at one time or another.

Recycling Bowling Balls

2006-08-15T13:29:00.000-04:00

I was recently working on marketing for a bowling ball site, Cheapbowlingballs.com, which sells bowling gear to include bowling bags, bowling shoes, bowling shirts, and of course bowling balls, when I came across this bowling ball wall picture on and a more on Flickr. Kind of a cool idea for a wall. I was very surprised to see as many bowling ball pictures on Flickr as I did. Many people have done some interesting things to recycle them to include using them in their gardens, using them in crafts, and my favorite making a bowling balls tree. I don't advocate it, but the guy who found a bowling ball in the dumpster and then with his friends help, took turns hitting it with a sledge hammer, appears to have had a lot fun.
So why am I writing this post about bowling balls, what does it have to do with Consumerism. If anything, it is a message to consumers that no matter what it is, practice the tree R's- reduce, reuse, and recycle...even if it is a bowling ball.

Alex's Lemonade Stand Heist

2006-08-11T11:54:00.000-04:00

Well July is over and Rita's is still serving Alex's Lemonade Ice. Lizzy is not complaining nor am I. Although I do like the other flavors. I think blueberry has to be my favorite...blueberries are brain food after all. The Boyertown Rita's also had Alex's parents over on Sunday July 23rd. They also were shaving heads for charity that day. I was a little disappointed thought that they did not shave down to the skin.
Alex's was also in the news recently when some juvenile's broke into Alex's headquarters and stole some cash and some other items. The way it sounds, the people who broken in new what they were looking for. What kind of people would steel from such an organization. I like to believe Karma comes around. I just hope they needed the money more than the kids whom it was meant to help.
If it doesn't make you cry thinking about it, it might make you laugh if you think of the thugs stupidity. What kind of person goes and steels lemonade stand money.

Boyertown Rita's has Alex's Lemonade

2006-07-08T12:21:00.000-04:00

All during the month of July, Rita's Water Ice is having Alex's Lemonade Water Ice. It is just like their lemon ice, but it is Alex's. Buy an Alex's Lemon Ice and they will make a contribution to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation witch is an organization that seeks to cure childhood cancer. The founder, Alexandra "Alex" Scott , was 8 years old when she died from a form of childhood cancer. When she was four, her and her brother held their first annual lemonade stand sale, and they had one every year after that even when her health began to deteriorate. Today the organization has raised millions of dollars to support childhood cancer research.
I frequently stop in at the Boyertown Rita's and have an ice. Lemon ice, which is a favorite of Lizzie's, ordinarily runs out. Due to the Alex's Lemonade special this month, Lizzie will have plenty of opportunity to indulge in Lemon ice from Rita's.

Cheap Telephone, Internet, and Cable

2006-07-06T10:55:00.000-04:00

My sons birthday is approaching, and he said what he wants for his birthday is high speed Internet. They currently have Service Electric for their provider of both Internet and Cable TV. The Internet they have is a cable modem, which still requires the use of phone line for upstream. This is better than standard dial up, but it is still too slow. I have been looking at Comcast as their Internet and Cable provider. I know numerous people who have them for these services, and they rarely have trouble, unlike Service Electric. Once they get high speed they can then get Vonage for their phone service. If Comcast does not have Phone service like Vonage, they should. Next, I think she needs to cut off her premium channels, which continually play the same movies over and over again, and sign up for the unlimited plan with Netflix.
Another thing they could do to lower their monthly bills is to disconnect their long distance and use International Phone Cards from Cloncom instead. This is an option if they are unable to get highspeed internet out in the boonies.

Update: I signed up for Verizon DSL, and it is scheduled to be hooked up on 7/29/2006. I am nervous about this because at the bottom of the reciept, there is a statement that says it is still not for sure that Verizon DSL can be gotten at the address. The initial quote may be wrong. Look forward to a future posts if the intial quote from Verizon is estimate is wrong. Seems a little suspect to me....

Update: Got an email on the 14th of July saying it was ok to hook up the Internet connection. Due to traveling to Ontario,Canada with Lizzie Bean, I did not get to hook it up untill later on in the week. But when I did get it hooked up, it was done in less than 15 minutes. Has been up and running since then with no problems. Much better than their previous Internet connection.

Free Internet Access

2006-07-03T11:04:00.000-04:00

Don't you hate being in a hotel, and having to pay for Internet Access. I really believe that a true four star hotel would have this as an include service. When traveling I often am searching for free hotspots...I really love going to a coffee shop that has free access...they will have a customer for life, and I will gladly refer others to their establishment. So I think I should make a list of Free wireless Internet Access places.

Panera Bread Not only free access, but great bread, bagels and pastries. Tasty sandwiches also.
Urban Grind This is a franchise that we encoutered on our trip to Whistler,BC. At the time it was free, but they were in the middle of joining one of the subscription programs. But they were also giving away free passes to customers. Great coffee and pastries. The one we visited was in Richmond BC.
La Quinta Inn & Suites stayed here while on our trip to Winston-Salem

I will gladly add others this list, just leave a comment and I will add it to the list of Free Internet Access.

Soda Machines in School

2006-06-29T12:27:00.000-04:00

I was reading Tom Keating's post "Coke's New Twist on Vending Machines" and was having flash backs of my teaching days in lunch rooms where the din could only be silenced by ear plugs, of which smart teachers have at their disposal.
The new interactive fridge looks like a device that will go over big with the new up coming consumers, with its ability to be interactive. This will be great for the Coke memorabilia collectors, especially if these new machines replace the current models...Have you ever priced those old machines.
I am sure the coke machines will still be in the lunch rooms, however, they will more than likely be stocked with Cokes more nutritious products such Dansani bottled water, Fruitopia, Nestea, and Powerade.
I am also sure that with the passage of this legislation, it will create a greater demand for carbonated beverages. Students will be smuggling them in, and sneaking into the bathrooms to secretly drink a high octane beverage. In my ten years in the school system, I caught more than one student downing a soda during break.
This ban on unhealthy food will do no more than create a demand for them, after all we always want what we can not have.

So I am making two predictions:

unhealthy products will continue to and actually increase in abundance in schools
collectible soda machine prices will increase

Philly Cheese Steak

2006-06-16T10:26:00.000-04:00

Philly Cheese Steak List

Following the previous Cheese Steak posting, I thought I would start a list of Cheese Steaks that I have had that were acceptable...and any comments if they deserve if any. Many of the places that are in this list, I have written about in Lizzie's travel blog in numerous postings.

Oaks Italian Deli Pizzeria has quite a nice cheese steak...also has nice selection of pizza slices available and outdoor seating. (610) 666-0280
Sunset Grill and Pizzeria(610)917-9404-a small place, but quality food. Very tasty cheese steak(believe I had chicken)
Independence Brew Pub has an adequate Cheese Steak...I will take it, but their saving grace is their beer selection.
Eve's Lunch in Norristown...tremendously good Cheese Steakesque sandwich called a Zep...soooo goood.610-277-6600
Zandy's in Allentown (610) 434-7874 a really good Cheese Steak in the Lehigh Valley
The Brass Rail (610) 797-2484 has quite a following in the Lehigh Valley. Acutally will ship cheese steaks.

This is a list of places that I have had cheese steak sandwiches. Next post will be of Cheese steak places that I have heard are good, but I want to try. If you know any places please leave me a comment and I wil try to add to one or both lists(will have to visit and eat one to add to this Cheese Steak list)

Philly Cheese Steaks(English Please)

2006-06-15T09:38:00.000-04:00

Philly Cheese Steaks seem to be in the news, or atleast one of Philedelphia's finest cheese steak establishments is in the news. I am speaking of Geno's(not giving him a link...don't want to give negative attention) who has currently has the "Speak English" sign up in front of his restaurant. I have not had Geno's Cheese steaks thus far, but I spoke with Lizzie of the blog "The Travels of Lizzie Bean" and she has been there and tells me they are the best. Lizzie has also had Pat's Steak Sandwiches, the rival of Geno's, but does not remember which one she liked better. We will have to make a Cheese Steak road trip.
I am not sure what my view is on the "Speak English" sign, although, I do believe that the government should not have a right to tell him to take it down. If the owner wants to make "boneheaded policies" I believe the government should mind its own business. I have heard comments in the news about eligations of racism due to the sign. As far as I know, any race can speak English.
I have a suggestions for Geno's: Have computer translators installed, so that people can translate from their native language into English. They could also give mini English lessons to customers so that they would be able to order in English, theryby creating a more loyal Cheese Steak following. Perhaps his sign should say "Please attempt to order in English". Most people (excluding the French) would more than likely attempt to learn and use the correct English.

Energy Drinks

2006-06-14T14:56:00.000-04:00

Energy Drinks are here to stay. More and more companies are getting into the Energy drink market, and Red Bull sees it s market share dwindle. No wonder...I don't like its taste at all. As the market continues to grow I can for see the prices of them coming down considerably to be more competive. There are many more superior products out there in comparison to the bull. Just the other day I had an Energy Drink, Lost Five-O Energy+Juice. Great taste even my son liked. Plus I love the cans. The next Energy drink I prefer is XS energy drinks, which needs to be purchased online or from a distributor. Great tasting drinks with loads of adaptogenic herbs. If you need a shot of vitamin B, this is your Energy drink.

Below is my Energy Drink List. I will add to this list as I discover drinks that I enjoy, and I am also including herbal drinks and teas.

XS Energy Drinks(email me I can hook you up with a distributor) particularly love the Lemon Blast and the Tropical Blast
Lost Energy+Juice
Arizona Green Tea with Honey
Sobe(love em all)
Snapple especially diet lemon tea
Turkey Hill teas (I love the ginseng with honey)

If you see a drink that I should try...Let me know.

Slaw Dogs

2006-06-06T15:41:00.000-04:00

Slaw dogs, hot dogs with cole slaw are my favorite type of hot dog. A Slaw Dog list of places that serve slaw dogs is being compiled at http://firstman2006.wordpress.com/2006/05/26/slaw-dogs/

Surprisingly, I have come upon many places that do not or will not serve slaw dogs. Hot Dog joints in the Lehigh Valley to include Yoccos, Sharkey's, Potts Doggie Shop, Jimmy's Hot Dogs, and Richards Drive-In to name a few, don't serve them. They all have very fine hot dogs however. The one that I have frequented the most is probably Sharkies, because it is so close the Earth-in-Hand, the Landscape Company that I worked for several years.

Just found a really cool food site that has a tremendous hot dog page. Wow, I am hungry again. Have to see about visiting the place http://amazinghotdog.com/index.html. I saw on the menu they serve a hot dog with cream cheese and onions. HMM. They also have a hot dog site http://www.amazinghotdog.com/ .
Hot dogs as amazing as it may seem can be really awful. I had the worst Chili dog in Kutztown yesterday. So terrible that I had to take all of the chili off. Marks the place I got them from, is saved, because I also got an order of Onion rings that were mouth wateringly good. Oh, and no slaw dogs on the menu.

Health and Wellness Products

2006-06-04T14:54:00.000-04:00

Health and Wellness Products
Recently while under the weather with some buy, I ran out of my Echinacea. Even though I was taking cold pills and sinus meds, I find if I start a regimen of Echinacea immediately when I notice symptoms of a cold, I can either stop it dead in its tracks or at least shorten its duration. Not that I have any solid proof, but it does seem to help, and if millions of other people use it, it must have some effect. Just because its not backed by the AMA, does not mean it is not effective.
Anyway, while searching on line, I found a Health and Wellness Products Website that not only had Echinacea, but also had Valerian Root to help my restless mind sleep at night. My mom had given me some on one of my visits, and I never slept so well at her house. (View some valerian roots just harvested from Henriette's Herbal Blog.)
My order was placed on Thursday afternoon. I received an email from the sites customer support telling me it would be shipped ASAP, and they also wished me well. The products arrived yesterday(Saturday) in the mail. After having taken one dose of Echinacea, I am feeling healther already.
My experience with the Herbalnaturalhealthplus website was very positive. I would definitely recommend this site to friends, and I will surely order other health and wellness products from them in the future.

Found the health and wellness site on:

Health And Fitness :: Resources Online Your online health and fitness resource centre.
and then while surfing also saw it on:

eNatural - Natural Therapies Directory
Find a Natural Therapist near you with eNatural Natural Therapies Directory

So it must be good.

Body Billboards

2006-05-16T11:24:00.000-04:00

Body Billboards have started to become a way for ordinary people to make money by advertising with their bodies. This can range from Tshirts of companies to tatoos. Sites are poping up that are very much like body advertising brokers.

I am going to start a business venture that in part is a body advertisng broker. The business plan is in the formulation phase at this stage. I am thinking of a marketing company with services that include SEO, SEM, SEO Training, Internet marketing, and traditional marketing. The body advertising would be just one of the services. Hooking up advertisers with bodies.

Further business development to be discussed on Network of Sites blog because this is my consumer blog. This started out as a consuming idea.LOl

Joining a Gym

2006-04-28T08:45:00.000-04:00

Joining a gym is a costly and important investment in ones health and in todays society it is not just for those people who love to pump iron. Often times, it is a necessity for ones health. In fact, many health insurers offer discounts for people who belong to gyms. After reading an article, "How to Buy a Gym Membership" I realized a few mistakes that I made when I first joined a gym. First, I did not proceed slowly. The gym , the one that Arnold made famous in his movie "Pumping Iron, that I was taken to by a friend, was having a membership drive to pay for a new facility. They had a trial membership, but I was enticed into a membership. Big mistake. I am not a person who can go to a gym and work out seriously. This gym has been known as “The Mecca of Bodybuilding.’’ Not a place that I could feel comfortable to work out. There is a reason Curves has had such an explosion. There is a need for that type of facility that does not intimidate. Next I invision a facility were out of shape middle aged men can go to and not feel badly working out next to Arnold Jr. Any way, needless to say, I did not like the facility. I went less than a dozen times. Tried to cancel my membership and was given a run around. Went to the gym that I worked out in(not the one I signed up in) and was told they could not cancel my membership I would have to make an appointment to do so. Called a number of the person I was to talk with about cancelling, but he never returned my call. Was billed for several more months. Moved to another city, and was still not able to quit. It's funny, but when joining they touted that it was a flexible membership. Very funny. Also, was told that the new gradiose facility would be open in January of 2005; last I heard it openned a year off schedule. So you get the idea, I jumped into the gym membership a little too quickly.
Next, I did very little research. I was aware of other gyms, but this one was just too good to be true. There would soon be a climbing wall, and child care. The fact that a really atractive sales lady was encouraging me to meet my goals by working out at her gym, and my friend would recieve a fre month of gym membership was pulling me in...I was doomed to have an unused gym membership.
The next item on the list was in the gyms favor. It has many locations in the city I was living in, and the hours of operation were also condusive to my schedule. If any thing the convience played a major role in my decision.
The next thing that I failed to do was to review the facilities. Reviewing the facilities and comparing would have been a smart thing to do. I should have realized that I am into things other than pumping iron or even working it out on some cardio bike. I need to move. A swimming pool and track are important elements in my effective work out regimine. Neither of which the first organization I joined had or has to the best of my knowledge.
My current gym, the Springvalley YMCA has many of the elements that make a facility that I enjoy using. The facility has activities geared towards all the memebers of the family form 6 to 60 as well as facilities that Arnold would find quite adequate. The running facilities include an indoor 3 lane track, and a marked path outside that is about 3/4 of a mile in length. The swimming facilities include lap pool and childrens facilities. The Y, to me seems like a better gym for people who would be intimidated with a gym that has its roots in Bodybuilding. Whether your into body building, a sport that requires training, or just want or need to get in shape; do your due diligence and see what type of gym you will feel comftortable. If you it feels good to you, you are more likely to utilize your membership.