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Arghhhhhhhhhhh

I intended to go get Dim Sum with a bunch of co-workers on Saturday. We've had somewhat reasonable success finding decent DS out in Wheaton at a place called Hollywood East Cafe. I looked it up on google and if you go by their maps application, as I did on my phone, the first hit is in Beverly Hill California... but if you use their search engine the place is listed as 2312 Price Ave, Wheaton, MD‎. I looked that up and it was near the Wheaton metro. Somehow I get lost on the way there (trusting google maps and cell phone tower triangulation based geo-location isn't always the best) and ended up in a mall. After some looking about, I got my bearings right and headed to 2312 Price Ave. I end up there and it looked nothing like the place I went to the last time. I looked at the sign and guess what, the place is called Hollywood East Cafe.

The rest of the people I was meeting meanwhile ended up at Hollywood East Cafe... elsewhere in freaking Wheaton MD. Keep in mind that its quite cold out there (barely above freezing) and I've been wandering around Wheaton trying to find this place for over 20 minutes now... Anyway, they call me, give me the address and thankfully, the other Hollywood East Cafe in Wheaton is only a few blocks away. I hike up there and find them just as they start eating.

I can't for the life of me figure out why they would have 2 restaurants in the same city within blocks of each other with the same freaking name. Apparently, they are owned by the same people or some such nonsense according to the two Washingtonian articles (here and here). Needless to say, I was not happy to have to walk all over town trying to figure out which of the two we were supposed to meet at. Grrrr.

Two lessons from this... get the correct address to a place before you set out in the cold and try to keep in mind that just because the place isn't called McDonalds or IHOP or Starbucks doesn't mean you can't have more than one similar sounding name in the same freaking neighbourhood. So much for authenticity and individuality.
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