My Point Of View on negative 'reviews'

Diagnosed with syphilis in 1915, Baroness?Karen Christenze von Blixen-Finecke, author of "Out of Africa" under the pen name Isak Dinesen, died on September 07, 1962 (they say) of malnutrition.

Yet, this deceased individual posted a derogatory inaccurate remark about me on Tripadvisor in the first decade of the 21st Century. That was the moment that I came to two conclusions.

1.) Negative reviews about a person, product, or company should only be allowed to be published when the reviewer uses his/her full legal name. Why be allowed to hide behind an alias and 'take someone down'?

2.) Reviews are garbage. Each of us is different and never hesitate to shout to the rooftops about our individuality when it suits us. But the minute we have to make a decision to do something new, we rush to the reviews to see what others 'thoughts are.

Why?

We're all different. What I like you might not like and what I find delightful, you might find foolish. Have the courage to explore your own world and not see the world from someone else's point of view, good or bad!

I have never listened to anyone's point of view. I have always concluded my own.

This brings me to yesterday - July 01, 2021.

I had planned a visit to the Color Factory in Manhattan, New York. Whilst looking online for directions, I came across this post by Barbara (whoever that is) on Tripadvisor.

March 2021

Please don't waste your time or money

WASTE OF TIME and lost a couple of brain cells walking through this place. All the positive reviews must be fake unless those are from people that were inebriated or high and so the lack of any content whatsoever wouldn't be an issue. This was such a shame as there is so much opportunity to really explore color in art and nature and food and emotion. This was just ridiculous. $60 for parking and $38 per ticket to waste an hour (wait time is nuts even with a reservation!) and then you are grouped with many others that might actually be distracting to the one room that was somewhat interesting ( the room with the wall murals that change based upon lighting). The staff is young and fun but that really can't make up for the lack of anything to learn, see or do here.

I'll start with Barbara's post.

I hate the fact that Barbara lost a couple of brain cells walking through the Color Factory. Having said that though, I doubt that she had many to start with for posting such a ridiculous remark.

I am going to give the Color Factory a very positive review, and I encourage you to visit. After all of the negative issues with Covid-19, and isolation etc., there is nothing more wonderful than being exposed to vibrant colors, exciting music, and hand fulls of treats. And Barbara, at 64 years old, I am not fake at all, I was not inebriated and I was certainly not high. In fact, I have never used recreational drugs ever, and nor do I intend to. I actually find you rather insulting. Perhaps it was you who was inebriated or high to assume that others might be.

$60.00 for parking. It's Manhattan. What did you expect? Oh wait - I paid $22.00!

I arrived at 10 for my 10:30 time slot and waited for all of about 7-minutes. Chatting to the elderly gentleman at the door heightened the experience that lay ahead. He was delightful.

I let others go ahead of me and so there was no one else in each room who could have distracted my attention. You might have thought of that ahead of time since as you point out the rest were inebriated or high and therefore might not have made cognitive decisions. But you could have!

I found the young staff kind, thoughtful & respectful, inspirational, and very useful throughout the entire experience and so I will recommend this experience to anyone who might want to visit.

We all need a splash of color in life and Color Factory did exactly that for me.

I am thrilled that I went, and even more thrilled that you Barbara were not there to add your special touch of misery to my day.

Here's me having loads of fun at 64 followed by my summary on REVIEWS!

Reviews by others on Tripadvisor which are negative and posted under an alias ought to be taken down and/or ignored. This world is filled with misery fueled by miserable people. Why would you let their 'opinion' influence YOUR decisions?

My name is Kenneth R. Vasquez Laya and everything I do or say is done with that name. I am the CEO of New York City based Vuitton Travel and Director of EGYPT Tourism USA. I'll not hide my identity for I am not concerned with anyone's negative comments. We're all different.

So ignore the misery everyone, and go out there and enjoy the bright beautiful illuminations of color all around you. You never know. This could be the last day you have to enjoy so use all of your senses.

Thank you for taking the time to read my point of view.