“UYE Wizard” Daniel B

Well well well, it is time for my special milestone, hitting my 1000^th review on Unilocal.This is a pretty special moment for me– as lately, I have had to overcome almost incurable writer’s block, backing up my review queue like the sewage system at old Yankee Stadium. For a while there, I didn’t think I would hit 1000 reviews. This past year, I struggled. With the exception of writing 15 reviews in the last 48 hours (it is amazing what rest, cough syrup, and time away from work can do), it seemed like I was just stuck, in a rut.
But I kept hacking at it– thanks to a great friend and a noble person (who I still am convinced should run for Mayor of Atlanta in the near future) — who is simply known as «Daniel B». I remember meeting Daniel at my very first UYE almost 4 years ago, at Baldino’s, in Marietta (believe it or not, he actually did not host the event, Jang C. did!). After catching him at more events (specifically elite events and UYEs he had hosted), I had learned we had a lot in common. I even found out he went to Georgia Tech with my sister, at the same time!
So what is so special about this Daniel B character I speak of? For one, his ethic is uncanny. Did you know that he has posted a review every day on Unilocal for over 3 (correct me if I am wrong!) years! The only reason that streak was shattered was because one day he was in a village in Asia that did not have internet access!
I posted his Unilocal bio so yo can look at his page. Over 2000 reviews. Take a peek at any of them. A few things about them you will find consistent about them– they are very informative, unbiased, have great tips, and detailed pictures. The guy reviews anything and everything– which is awesome– he takes the guess work out of a lot of things, to help the public make a well education decision on their next visit to wherever they go.
You would think, «this guy, does he work for Unilocal?» He currently serves on the ACRONYM board for Unilocal (an exclusive group of Unilocalers helping make the world a better place), but he has a full time job. After seeing what Daniel has accomplished, I knew I had no excuse to not crank out reviews on a more consistent basis.
When it comes to stuff in just the city of Atlanta, he is definitely in the know. He has led me to so many awesome places, I would like to say that he can partially be to blame for my weight gain. In fact, of the many meals I have eaten with him, I have never been disappointed by his suggestions.
In March of 2013, I had taken a job offer out of state, to Memphis TN. Granted, Memphis is only a 6 hour drive from Atlanta (trust me, I did it plenty of times to come home!), but I knew I wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with the Atlanta Unilocalers like I had used to. So you know what Daniel did? He hosted a going away UYE at my favorite place of all time– Sweet Hut Bakery and Café, on Buford Highway. I know at the time, it had the highest attendance for a UYE in Atlanta. It was one of the pinnacles of my life– having so many people from so many backgrounds come together to say goodbye before I headed off! If it were not for Daniel, I know nothing of that magnitude would have gone down.
Speaking of UYEs, you noticed how I put his nickname of the «UYE Wizard» in the title. Wizard is an understatement. He has hosted 60 events (check out this cool article:
) and even though I have been able to attend only a handful of them, they were all awesome! I have had the pleasure of meeting so many people, thanks to his UYEs!
It sucks that I don’t have the pleasure of getting to see Daniel as often as I used, but such is life. You may think I am obsessed with the guy, but I wanted to give credit where credit is due– Daniel is a true inspiration not only for me, but I am sure for plenty of people out there. If you ever see him, definitely shake his hand and let him know the hell of a job he has done. DB, this one is for you!