Software & Apps

There are some apps without which I could not function in life; Yelp is one of those. It’s the one app that is not strictly-speaking social (e.g. Facebook or Twitter) which I have on both my iPad and my smartphone, and is something that I use at least daily.

When it comes to certain things in life, most of us tend to get into ruts. We find a restaurant that makes one really amazing dish, and we order it time after time even if the menu is full of amazing choices. Or we go to the one grocery store nearest our house, never knowing that the store 6 blocks away has an amazing produce department. But the time comes when we feel the need to break out, or we’re stuck on the other side of town and we need a resource that won’t steer us wrong. Yelp to the rescue!

I have one friend who helps me break those ruts. Horseback riding? Archery lesson? Urban foraging tour? Heck yeah! We keep a list of places and activities we need to try and Yelp figures into that process at almost every level. The reviews help us choose which stables are best for people looking for more challenge than the usual flat trail-ride. Then it provides contact details and hours, so we can set up an appointment. After that, Yelp makes it very easy to get directions (which is especially helpful given that the stables are seldom easily accessible from my sheltered urban comfort zone).

Then there’s my friend who’s allergic to a handful of ingredients that are in every type of food. We can check out different restaurants’ menus on Yelp, then call ahead to warn them. We managed to find a vegan bakery that has several amazing gluten- and soy-free treats. It’s in a neighborhood that’s sort of tucked away from main roads; this business might never have succeeded but for the power of user reviews.

My most frequent use for Yelp is locating places that are within walking distance, when I’m in an unfamiliar neighborhood. You can search for nearby businesses (restaurants, bars, bookstores, etc.), then filter by price point, distance, whether it’s open, whether it’s highly rated, etc. Quite a few businesses offer deals through Yelp too, which you can locate through this search option. If you use the “Monocle” feature you can use your device as a viewfinder. From my living room, if I swing my phone around I can see information for half a dozen restaurants within a few blocks.

On a more mundane level, I prefer using Yelp to searching other maps for directions. There have been plenty of times where I’ve had to send my friends addresses for new businesses because their GPS or maps had not yet been updated. In the meanwhile I have the address, I can tell you what’s cool (or not so cool) about the business, and a whole long list of other details. Each entry is ridiculously detailed, and reviews add even more nuance to your understanding of a place before you even set foot inside.

You can find Yelp on the iOS App Store. The app is free.