Do you Yelp?

I went to get my annual exam the other day. Without health insurance and being new to the city, I wasn’t sure how to find a doctor. Usually I would ask girlfriends for recommendations but I don’t have that many here yet, and a popular gynecologist can be booked for months in advance and some don’t take new patients. It’s like trying to find a good hairstylist, not an easy process. And while the risks are not as great as getting a bad haircut, it’s not every person that I want examining me down there. A friend who also recently moved here told me that she found her doctor on Yelp…on Yelp, REALLY?

So I went on and found one that was reviewed the most, 23 times, and had 4.5 stars. He sounded like a great guy and from past experience, I guessed that he would be easier to see because women greatly prefer female doctors these days. Sure enough, I got an appointment the next day. Talking about his new found popularity, the doctor, who must have been in his seventies said “Out of eight patients in a day, I might have four that say they found me on Yelp. Sometimes I’m here until seven o’clock!” He was as lovely as promised: professional, quick, friendly and comforting.

Recently my mom was looking for a bed and breakfast in the area, so she can pay me a visit. She was looking online and couldn’t believe all the negative things that people were writing about all of the places she looked, some were places she’d already stayed and loved! I’m not sure where she was looking but I do find that there are often many more negative reviews on sites than positive reviews. No so with Yelp. It seems to be one of the only places where people write reviews because they’re happy with something and want to share it with the world. My friend in the city has become a Yelp addict. She doesn’t make a decision about what to do or where to eat without consulting it. So far, it’s served us well.