text: Whole Foods was easy to find - if you are somewhat familiar with the area you will have no trouble locating it.  While parking on a Thursday evening was no issue, I can see that this place would be unbearable on the weekend.  The surface lot stayed full the entire time I was there, and while there is underground parking, there aren't a LOT of spaces.  The underground lot is very well lit with several emergency phones.  The parking spaces are a good size, so folks aren't dinging doors.\n\nThe store itself is well designed and utilizes every inch of space for either products or seating.  I was impressed by the size, cleanliness and organization of the store.  I briefly walked up and down a few aisles and did see that the prices on items that I get from HT (namely the Amy's organic brand) were either the same or slightly higher than HT.  There were a lot of choices for gluten-free products.  I don't know that I would say WF is overpriced, as I believe that quality items are worth a little more (if indeed they are of a higher quality to justify the higher cost), but the prices for the products that they do carry do seem to be higher than HT on comparable items.\n\nThe staff is exceptionally friendly and helpful.  Whenever I asked questions of the staff, they were quick with a smile and some friendly assistance.  Good customer service goes a long way!  \n\nThe prepared foods section is VAST.  There is a refrigerated section with foods portioned and ready to go (salads, wraps, soups, quiche) and there are also several food bars with salads, hot items and soups.  The dessert bar was beautiful (cupcakes, cakes, cookies, pies).  Nearby there was a large selection of sushi.  A deli section with noodles, prepared salads, veggies.  A gelato bar that looked incredible.  Pizza by the slice or entire pie (they also had take-and-bake pizzas in the refrigerated section).  And I believe there was a blended beverage bar as well. \n\nThe salad bar had standard fare with a few upgrades.  The salad is $7.99/lb. and salad is surprisingly heavy.  For a small salad with a drizzle of dressing, plus a spoonful of potato salad, I paid almost $9.   A small cup of Smoky Bacon Tomato soup ($2.49) that was delicious.  I could not resist some sweets and got a piece of strawberry cake for $4.49.  YUMMY!  Soup and dessert were winners, salad was nothing special.  Thumbs up for the green packaging products/utensils and very well labeled recycling centers.  \n\nOn the 2nd floor, there is more indoor seating as well as a very large outdoor patio with tables and cushy chairs. The 3rd floor contained another few tables and the classroom.  The classroom overall appeared very nice - pleasing colors, clean, shiny.  There are several cameras pointed at the cooking area and 2 flat-screen TV's for viewing what is going on.  \n\nI attended the Cheese Board class ($25).  We were each given a plate with slices of different kinds of cheese, plus a small plate with fruit spreads, pesto, and honey, along with a piece of paper with the names of the cheeses and room for notes.  The two instructors did a pretty good job explaining the different kinds of cheese, how they're made, etc.  I am guessing I don't have the refined palate needed to appreciate what was served.  The tastes for me ranged anywhere from 'meh, that's okay' to 'this tastes like soap'.  The others in the class seemed to enjoy them all, so I believe my lack of enthusiasm is just an indicator of my Kraft taste buds and not the quality of the cheeses.  Wine and beer was poured to test how the cheeses could be paired.  The fig and tart cherry spreads served were out of this world .  At the end you get to try the cheeses again, with different pairings, and ask questions.  Informative class, good instructors, I give the class-experience itself a solid B.\n\nMy MAIN problem, which will keep me from signing up for actual cooking classes (which are $50+ per class) is the chairs are too damn close together.  You had best go with someone you love because you are going to be sandwiched right on top of them.  The chairs literally touch one another.  The woman sitting next to me pushed her hair behind her ear and her hair brushed my shoulder.  True story.  Unless you are buying me dinner and going home with me afterwards, you shouldn't be sitting that close to me.  If the seating area was more comfortable, I would go to several of the classes a month, but my anxiety over sharing oxygen with a stranger in such close proximity will cause me to look elsewhere for cooking classes.  \n\nWhole Foods was a neat experience... if I was a woman of leisure with money to burn, I could definitely fall in love with it.  But since I am a full-time working girl who has to keep the lights on, I will save Whole Foods as a once-in-a-while splurge and stick to hometown Harris Teeter for my day-to-day grocery needs.