This may well get moved because its a tech question.
but I know not where else to hope to get an answer.
About your search technology - by the way u behave with it and express the problems - one can only draw a single conclusion:
You are loading the live database with "places" search requests?
Now if that is true, that is the daftest DB architecture I have come across in 20 years of consulting on systems of this scale.
If it is true, PLEASE get a search cluster in place, like Google's Search Appliance (they are cheap!) and have 24/7 index updates being created that the search cluster uses - not hitting the live DB with search requests on items that dont change that often.
*sigh*
I hope I am wrong in my assumption.
BR
Lord Leafblower