Category archive for ‘Beyond Chicago’ 
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PR Firms: You’re Never “Anonymous” on the Internet
I’d like to know how an anonymous, scathing comment about my recent criticism of the Visit Milwaukee tourism campaign got on my blog from…the IP address of a PR firm employed by Visit Milwaukee. How about you?
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Misery of CTA Riders Has Company: San Franciscans Plagued By Ingrate Transit Union, Too
If you think Chicago is the only place in America where a transit union has angered an entire city, think again. This week, San Franciscans are getting ready to play hardball with their intransigent transit union, too.
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Pepsi Challenged
‘I was in a bilevel Burger King, with the dining room squeezed in downstairs from the order counter. I ordered something I don’t remember and a large Pepsi. I really don’t know what happened. A tremor? A foot slip? But there I was walking downstairs watching my soda tumble end over end in slow motion in front of me.’
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A Fair to Distemper
Last Thursday, I did the Wisconsin State Fair badly. In my defense, I meant well. But having been to only two state fairs in my life–Arizona’s in 1990 and New York State’s in the Shea Stadium parking lot–I was ill-prepared for the scope of Milwaukee’s century-old annual festivity. Not to mention the heat.
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Love at the Eagle or the Magic of Carrots
Once again, the Internet has wrought cross-country friendship for Yours Truly. Departing today after a whirlwind Windy City vacation are Seattleites Café Kasey and John Dramatist. Emerald City barista Kasey originally contacted me after visiting a link to my blog. He and actor-boyfriend John were ready for a change of scene and were coming to Chitown to see if the flatland urban shores of Lake Michigan would fit the bill.
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It’s 10 O’Clock, Do You Know Who Your City Is?
This week I took a look at the official visitors websites of my two favorites Midwestern cities: my adopted hometown of Chicago (ChooseChicago); and Ohio’s Queen City, Cincinnati (CincinnatiUSA). In doing so, I found that size is no predictor of marketing ability. Both visitors websites fall flat in the storytelling department, among a host of other faults.
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Cincinnati’s Still Cool
Out of nowhere, my four-month-old blog post about my newfound love for Cincinnati is making the rounds on the Queen City blogosphere. I’m gratified to have helped raise the debate about the real future potential–and current coolness–of my second-favorite Midwestern urb.
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Cincinnati Is Cool
This is an epic post, so let me eat my words up front. Despite my pre-trip trepidation to travel to the land of the abandoned subway, as it turned out, Cincinnati is cool. And don’t you know, ex-New Yorker and current Downtown Chicagoan that I am, I half-expect to turn into a pillar of salt for saying so.
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Civilization to Cincinnati
Ohio? Why, oh why, oh why-oh? Because Yours Truly needs a break from his breakneck work and blogging schedule, and new friend Jamie needs to go check on things at the Cincinnati abode he ditched eight weeks ago for a new life in Chicago. In fact, in my five years as a Chicagoan, I actually haven’t ventured all that far into the Midwestern hinterland. So God help me now.
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Waiting for Portugal
One of the things I miss the most about New York City is the palpable presence of a Portuguese community. If Chicago had just one Portuguese restaurant my life would be a lot easier. I certainly never expected to meet the editor of a prominent Portuguese newspaper at a Greektown reception.
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