Our assessment increase this year was like +40K on a 1300 sf condo, this compounded for multiple units would be very painful. Yiiiiikes!

Price variation mostly reflects seniority/experience, which can drive quality, but you're safe with anyone there! Check out their IG profiles/past work to see whose work/speciality best reflects your style.

ETA good luck and have fun! IMO trying new hairstyles and enjoying time at the salon is one of the great pleasures of being a woman :)

Strong second for Rat's Nest! Super inclusive, talented and kind squad.

Re: difficulty, imo, a lot of recipes are time-consuming, but not technique-heavy. A good food processor is key. Definitely don't be intimidated.

The initial spice purchasing shouldn't be too bad if you go to an Indian market and buy in bulk, same w/ dry lentils, chickpeas, even a big block of paneer to freeze. We hunt down recipes on the internet and make adjustments based on spice/flavor preference. This recipe for saag paneer for example.

Re: dosa, I draw the line at Indian breads, mostly to keep carbs down. I looked up a recipe though and yowza, that's quite the affair and commitment, even for an experienced baker! Good luck w/ that one :)

Love Indian food but agree it's hard to find around here. We make it at home instead, which is really the way to go for quality and cost (and feeling super accomplished!). Asian Supermarket in Webster Sq, and India Market and Patel Bros in Shrewsbury are great suppliers. Saag paneer, baingan bharta and murgh makhani are all pretty simple and forgiving.

Seconding Deadhorse. Absolute best pancakes and lots of fun stuff including cocktails. Their food quality is excellent, if good eggs are important to you.

St Vincent’s validates free parking for patients fwiw. The patient experience (including parking) at UMass scared me away forever.

They're wiring my building in Webster Square now. Any idea on pricing yet?

Blacklane is $$$ but extremely reliable

woof

I think it was the comments, not the post. Nice post, toxic comments.

Seconding Steel and Wire, great cocktails and good liquor selection

My fam has going to Shrewsbury Dentistry for a few years for regular care (can't speak to extractions, etc.). Well-run, high-tech (ie, less painful), great techs. It's probably not the cheapest, but they're very transparent about pricing and do a great job.

Just here to say how good standing rib roast is!

My partner and I travel to NYC a lot for work and fun. ORH to JFK is super fast and inexpensive, and can be done round trip in one day. IMO the downside pain is getting from JFK to Manhattan, if that's where you're headed -- though I live <10 min from ORH which compensates.

Love Amtrak because you land in midtown, hate driving to the Rt. 128 station from Worcester. It's (usually) more expensive and takes longer than flying, but I can work on the train.

Another post also says driving is fine -- I totally agree, depending where you're going and timing. Traffic's reasonable except like the last 45 min into the city.

This is the Worcester content I've been waiting for

Tavern in the Square (Shrewsbury) and Rice Violet on Main St! TITS's are arguable too big and will clog your arteries right up, but they taste great.

Rat's Nest for sure! Carissa is my girl.

I go to Webster Square too, but usually look up what rebates the manufacturer is offering first.

fun detail! thanks for sharing.

Jewels of the Nile at the Worcester Art Museum is super cool