Latest news with #Rudy's
Business Insider
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
I asked ChatGPT and Claude 4 to plan my vacation to Tahiti. Here's how they compared.
For this special holiday edition of AI Playground, I asked ChatGPT and Anthropic's powerful new Claude 4 chatbot for recommendations for my Tahitian trip. I'm on vacation with my wife and a group of friends to celebrate the birthday of one of our oldest friends, Theresa. We're staying in Moorea for about seven days. There are four couples ranging in age between roughly 50 and 60 years old. I requested suggestions such as activities during the day and evenings, along with restaurant and bar recommendations. Finally, I asked what would be the best event and location to celebrate Theresa's birthday. Then, I asked Theresa and another friend, Lisa, to review the AI responses. My buddies had already spent a ton of time planning this vacation, so they immediately knew whether the chatbots had done a good job, or not. Here's what they thought: Theresa, the birthday girl: Both chatbots gave similar recommendations, such as a cultural tour, 4x4 rentals, a lagoon cruise plus snorkeling, and what I hadn't even thought about: a sunset cruise on my birthday. ChatGPT recommended three restaurants that we booked: Rudy's, Moorea Beach Cafe, and the Manava Polynesian show. Claude recommended one place we booked, Cocobeach. Both recommended Holy Steak House, but it's a 40-minute taxi ride from our hotel, which seems not worth it when there are so many other restaurants nearer. I preferred the ChatGPT format of a day-by-day itinerary. Claude's seemed like it was too heavily focused on marketing from the Cook's Bay hotel. Lisa: ChatGPT's answer was more comprehensive, listing a sample daily itinerary with pricing estimates and source/reference links. There was overlap, but ChatGPT offered more options and parsed its suggestions in an easy-to-read bullet format. The icons were a bit gimmicky, or maybe just overused. The response from Claude was easier to read, and I preferred its visual layout, but it proposed a smaller selection of activities, restaurants, and other things to do. Neither site mentioned scuba diving as a possibility, despite the fact that there's excellent diving around Moorea and many of us are doing this on the trip. (She gave ChatGPT 4.5 stars out of 5. Claude got 3.5 stars from her.)
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
I used to spend hours shopping on Bold Street now its unique identity is dwindling before our eye
When I moved to Liverpool little under a decade ago the hotspot for unique clothing and items was Bold Street. There was fierce competition between the city centre location and further afield rival Lark Lane, but I was never swayed to make the journey. I spent hours trawling Bold Street, popping into stores not my style but intriguing nonetheless. My cash strapped university student image was entirely because of the endless bargains available in Resurrection. Now, a stroll along the street feels isolating unless you're visiting on an empty stomach. While a few long standing clothing and homeware businesses remain, they're slowly being eclipsed by the growing number of food spots dominating the area. READ MORE: Beloved Bold Street restaurant returning after note left in window READ MORE: Bakery with queues down street issues warning to customers Bold Street is famed for its massive selection of international cuisine. There are Mexican, Vietnamese, Turkish and Korean restaurants along with classic takeaways featuring burgers, fish and chips, and everything else you could possibly imagine. The street currently holds four different pizzerias, which, if we're being frank, bare very little difference from each other. Pizza Punks, Rudy's, American Pizza Slice and Crust are all fighting for the same market which begs the question, why does a single street need so much pizza? This conundrum is pushed even further if you consider the vast quantity of takeaway options offering the same menu at a lower price. The aforementioned are competing with the likes of Pronto's and sports bar Tops, diluting the street's identity even further. Bold Street also has a problem with replication. You only have to walk 10 minutes in the opposite direction to Castle Street and the offer remains the same. Foreign food concepts Pho, Rudy's and Elif boast restaurants on both sides of the city, with So Salsa the most recent business launching its fourth replica site just last week. Bold Street might be a prime location but it's unique identity is dwindling before our eyes. "Why go to Bold Street when we can go Castle Street?" I was troubled by the quantity of food venues as I dined in Franco Manca, which opened in December. While the irony is not lost on me, it's because the gorgeous building I sat within was once home to a Bold Street staple many were gutted to see depart - Rennies Art Gallery. The gallery was founded by Ronald and Jean Rennie in 1965, who went on to open several art shops in Birkenhead and Liverpool. In 1991, the company opened its Bold Street head office, which sells collectable artwork from around the world, along with a range of craft materials. In 2022, the gallery bid farewell following a failed attempt to downsize the business. The longstanding, inarguable staple of Bold Street was replaced by its fourth pizza parlour offering a lot of the same that was already available. A few of my favourite stores appear to have their roots firmly planted in the ground. Resurrection remains the place to go for unique fashion trends but refraining from stepping into the mainstream. At the upper end of the street is Soho's, an alternative space offering a mix of edgy, vintage and classically cool items, albeit typically never in my size. These stores connect wonderfully to Shared Earth for bohemian homeware items and News from Nowhere if you're on the hunt for a good read. They have always been must-visit stops on my shopping trips and I'm glad to see they're not going anywhere anytime soon. Sadly, plenty of huge names have ditched the street in favour of better locations or simply disappearing. Bold Street has said farewell to various stores over the years including Greenwoods, a menswear brand, Mi Vida, a gift shop with a focus on plants, and Giancarlo Ricci, a designer fashion house. What stands in their respective places today is an abandoned unit, a dessert shop and Aksaya - a Turkish bar and grill. The most egregious example of poor replacement is the former Waterstones unit at the bottom of the street. The gorgeous building boasts a towering glass front similar to Rennie's Art Gallery, but stepped out of its nine year dormancy to house yet another dessert shop, mere feet away from competitors. To top it all off, Waterstones' direct neighbour was Argos - now it's a cookie shop. Fancy dress giant Smiffys, whose bright red doors have been open on Bold Street for more than 20 years, thanked the people of Liverpool as it bowed out last November. In another blow to the street's shopping outlets, discount chain The Works apologised to its customers when it stopped trading at the start of this month. Sostrene Grene, a Danish homeware brand, and One Under, a crazy golf bar, are the only non-food focused businesses to open on the street in recent memory - 2023. Bold Street was once the place to go for a little bit of everything. You could start at the Ranelagh Street, lose track of time, and when you finally reached the Bombed Out Church you were carrying multiple shopping bags. Today, all there is to entice visitors is the promise of good food. And the food is great. The variety on display is genuinely some of the best in the region. It's just a shame more space isn't available for unique businesses - clothing, homeware, hobbies etc. You can still find a few good buys but you have to be specifically searching for them. A mindless wander through the street will no longer reap the rewards it once did years ago. I fear Bold Street will lose its identity as one of the city's top shopping destinations and simply be a continental food strip eating itself with competition. The rise in much of the same feels more of a deterrent than a draw, and I find myself rarely visiting anymore.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pizza chain's restaurant in County Durham has 5/5 'perfect' TripAdvisor score
A pizza chain restaurant based in County Durham has received a '5/5 perfect' TripAdvisor score from customers - despite only opening just over a year ago. Nestled on Silver Street in the heart of Durham, Rudy's Pizza Napoletana has quickly established itself as a top dining destination in the city. Known for its authentic Neapolitan pizzas made with fresh ingredients, the restaurant has become a favourite among students, families, and food enthusiasts alike. Its commitment to traditional pizza-making methods, combined with a relaxed yet stylish atmosphere, has earned it a place among the highest-rated restaurants in Durham on TripAdvisor. Diners have been quick to praise both the food and the experience at Rudy's. One guest, visiting for the first time in January 2025, described it as an 'amazing experience,' noting that it was one of the best places to eat in Durham. As a student, they also found it to be 'relatively affordable for a nice night out' and vowed to return. Another visitor, familiar with Rudy's from its Liverpool location, was equally impressed with the Durham branch, saying, 'Wasn't disappointed. Great service and lovely pizza. I 100 per cent recommend.' The praise doesn't stop there. Recommended reading: 'Enjoy every minute" - County Durham man given months to live defies the odds Council labelled a 'disgrace' and 'out of touch' after scrapping key Darlington fund 'Thriving' 27-room hotel up for sale for £1.5 million A group celebrating a 50th birthday in November 2024 shared how much they enjoyed their evening, calling the food 'incredible' and highlighting the friendly and accommodating service. 'We will definitely be back,' they added. Another reviewer, impressed with the authenticity of the dishes, described their meal as 'beautiful,' noting how the pizza, salad, and complimentary house-made chilli oil all contributed to a standout dining experience.
