Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Local Diner Gets Creative & Lets Patrons Name Their Price




Times are tough all across the country, but particularly in Detroit. Some choose to focus on the negativity and dwell on all the bad things happening in Detroit and its surrounding suburbs. Others (the smarter ones in my opinion) refuse to sulk in their sorrows and instead figure out a way to counteract the Detroit doldrums.

Many local companies and restaurants are heavily discounting prices in order to attract customers. Some are encouraging consumers to spend their money at Michigan-based establishments in hopes of boosting the local economy. Still others are attempting to raise the spirits of metro Detroit residents by coming up with wildly creative ideas like the 240-hour "Assembly Line" show at AJ's Music Cafe in Ferndale.

One local blink-and-you'll-miss-it diner grabs the top prize in creativity when it comes to easing the burden of these rough times. Now through March 27 from 4 p.m. - 8 p.m., the Whistle Stop Restaurant and Bakery in Birmingham is letting patrons name their price for dinner. Risky? Absolutely! But worth testing the waters? Definitely yes in my opinion. Plus, this promotion has garnered the Whistle Stop a heap of media exposure (with the help of a local PR pro of course). So if nothing else, it's helped create awareness of this establishment and that owner Matt Rafferty truly cares about helping those affected by the economy.

I really admire Matt's faith in metro Detroit citizens and his willingness to put his business on the line for five days, so MAL and I headed over to this quaint little joint for dinner tonight. It was small with a very welcoming atmosphere. Good Morning America once named the Whistle Stop as America's Best Diner, so we knew it HAD to be good!

While we were waiting for a seat, the couple ahead of us asked Matt how the promotion was going. It didn't sound like the promotion was going as well as Matt had hoped, especially when he referred to haughty men in their snazzy business suits who left nothing more than $1 for their meal. But, he knew it was a risk and noted that "it's been interesting so far."

As evidenced by the photo above, MAL and I decided to go the breakfast-for-dinner route, and we were more than satisfied by the generous portions and delicious food. The price was extremely reasonable and actually a bit less than what I would have expected. I liked that our server gave us our bill so we could see what the entire meal actually would cost us on a normal occasion. We paid a bit more than the actual price, but we are also both employed. While I don't expect everyone to pay above and beyond, I am embarrassed for anyone who dares to step foot in that establishment and leave a petty dollar for those hard-working employees.

A huge pat on the back goes out to the entire Whistle Stop team for coming up with a not-so-traditional way to give back to the community!

Monday, March 9, 2009

Kalamazoo Gazette Reporter Shows Love for Motown

It's such a breath of fresh air to read an article that sheds some positive light on Detroit. Every time I do, I make sure to share it with as many people as possible because we're all drowning in a sea of negativity on a daily basis. Jeff Barr from the Kalamazoo Gazette shows some love for Detroit in his recent article about a Motown weekend getaway. In one article, Jeff sums up the message various organizations in southeast Michigan are trying to get across to the rest of the world, and sadly the majority of Michigan: Detroit truly has a lot to offer.

Jeff and his wife drove the two hours east from the K-zoo to Detroit - the "big-time city that often gets a big-time bad rap." The couple discovered just how fun and exciting Detroit can be, and I thank Jeff for putting his weekend into words to share this experience with the many skeptics. Jeff highlights a variety of Detroit locations, including the Ren Cen Marriott, 42 Degrees North and Volt in the Ren Cen, the Fox Theater and of course, American Coney Island.

The entire weekend Jeff and his wife were in Detroit, they encountered not one of Detroit's typical stereotypes (you know, drug deals on every street corner and the constant ear-splitting sound of gun shots). They simply had a great vacation that didn't require the typical expenditures or travel hassle that accompanies many trips.

Take a few minutes to read the entire article. We all need a reminder that there are many reasons why we choose to live, work and play in Detroit.

If You've Conquered Dating, You Can Take on Media Relations

**Photo obtained from www.solicitr.com

I'm a huge PR nerd and I look forward to reading PRSA's pubs each month - Tactics and The Strategist. One of the most clever and creative articles in this issue is titled "Sweaty palms and rejection: How media relations is similar to dating." Catchy, right? The editor is Rob Lynch, a freelance PR consultant, and he does an excellent job of revealing the many similarities between dating and the world of social media. Here's a quick recap of the article:
  • Similar to calling someone you like to ask them on a date, calling the media induces sweat and elevates your heart rate.
  • Most reporters want a monogamous relationship, or the exclusive. But some media relations pros want to disseminate news to a variety of reporters, or "date around." This often strains the relationship with the monogamous reporter - or even kills it entirely.
  • Reporters can up and leave with no forewarning, even if you have a great relationship.
  • Uninterested reporters will not respond to your e-mails or calls, regardless of how many times you contact them.
  • Some of the tactics used in dating also apply to media relations, such as using a common interest as a conversation starter.
  • Just as the same pickup line doesn't work on every person, the same pitch won't fly with every reporter.
And lastly, the one that holds the most value in my book of PR golden rules:
  • One-time story placement may provide instant gratification, but true relationships with reporters are often built over time and require honest and constant communication. That type of relationship is mutually beneficial.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Chile is That Long, Skinny Country, Right?
















**A few cities I visited while in Chile. Top, Mt. Villarrica in the city of Pucon. Bottom, the colorful houses in the city of Castro. 

One of my favorite life experiences was studying abroad in Valdivia, Chile and living with an amazing family for almost five months. I absolutely loved Chile and treasure the memories I created in those few short months. 

You wouldn't believe the reactions I got from people when I first delivered the news that I chose Chile as my study abroad destination. The responses ranged from "Isn't Chile a huge jungle?" to "Isn't Chile full of drug traffickers?" I realized how little we Americans know about this skinny coastal country. I hardly knew anything about Chile until I immersed myself in the culture. 

So imagine my surprise and excitement when I saw an entire article dedicated to exploring Chile smack dab on the front page of the Detroit Free Press travel section today. I have to give HUGE props to Ellen Creager for writing this amazing article and giving people a glimpse into what Chile is all about. The Freep only keeps articles posted for 14 days before they are archived, so although the article is lengthy, I am posting it here to preserve it! Trust me, it's well worth the read. 

Explore Chile's well-run cities and remote past

2,600 miles of contrasts

Story and Photos by ELLEN CREAGER
FREE PRESS TRAVEL WRITER

"And it was at that age...Poetry arrived
in search of me. I don't know, I don't know where
it came from, from winter or a river."

-- Chilean poet Pablo Neruda

SANTIAGO, Chile -- Name one thing you know about Chile.

Tango? That's Argentina.

Tortillas? Not here.

Carnival? Try Brazil.

Think. Think of a long, skinny South American country in the shape of a backward "J" hemmed in between the Andes and the blue Pacific. The one where a poet named Neruda and a dictator named Pinochet lived. The one where wine comes from, the one with alpacas in the north, with penguins in the south, with deserts, forests, beaches, mountains and a middle-class standard of living, yet which remains a 2,600-mile ribbon of mystery, often even to its citizens.

Si. Yes. You've got it now.

"People come here expecting to see something primitive," says Felipe Moreno, a Santiago painter and musician. "They're very surprised." 

Chile has one of Latin America's most stable democracies, its highest GDP per capita, safe streets and a reputation as one of the least corrupt nations in the world -- an amazing feat, considering its past of dictatorship and coups.

Its tourist infrastructure is very good, especially in the central valley and coast, where 80% of the population lives.

Yet even experienced American tourists who have visited Brazil, Columbia, Peru or Argentina usually miss Chile, a 9-hour plane ride from Dallas or Miami. The dilemma for travelers? In Chile, distances are so vast there is no way to see everything in one trip. 

The best one can hope for is to choose two drastically contrasting areas of the nation -- for instance, Arica, a small port town in far northern Chile; and Santiago/Valparaiso, big cities in the center -- and hope to get a larger feel for the place. 

Even then, Chile has a way of slipping out of your grasp. Like winter or a river. 

Soul of Santiago

To me, Santiago seems a solemn grownup. Skyscrapers loom over its 6 million scurrying citizens. Snowy peaks of the Andes loom vaguely in the distance behind a wafting veil of haze. Santiago has a haughty European atmosphere and an excellent metro system -- signaling an orderly lifestyle minus the wild eccentricities of other South American capitals.

But all is not as it appears. Santiago has a passionate past. 

Visit the La Moneda presidential palace on Santiago's main plaza, and see the spot where, on Sept. 11, 1973, elected socialist President Salvador Allende, power stripped by a coup and trapped in the palace, broadcast a radio announcement to the nation then took his own life as jet bombers soared overhead.

That started the iron rule of Gen. Augusto Pinochet, dictator from 1973 to 1988. 

Since then, four democratically elected presidents (the current one is Michelle Bachelet) have brought Chile into modern democracy.

Now, a statue of Allende stands near the palace. Friendly ceremonial palace guards in elaborate uniforms of creamy white pose with the tourists.  Yesterday's tears are today's stepping stones. Yesterday's passion is today's calm. 

Santiago also is party defined by one of its most famous citizens, Pablo Neruda, the lyrical poet, who died in 1973.

Never one of those poor, struggling poet types, Neruda loved the finer things in life, including women (he was married three times), nice digs (he had multiple houses in Chile), and traveling (he was a diplomat, sometimes in exile).

Track down his home in the restaurant-rich Bella Vista artists section of Santiago, and you will be delighted. Neruda's love nest, La Chascona, is a bright blue, funky abode with curved windows and one of his most famous love poems engraved on six pillars in front. The poem is "I Ask for Silence" ("and inside me I am dark: like a well whose water/night drops stars into/then moves on alone through the field").

As was said about Hemingway, Neruda didn't use many words -- he just used the right ones. 

"We have many things in front of us, but only a few people can see deeper than that," says Moreno.

Water and wine

Sixty miles west, Chile's second largest city, Valparaiso, is the refreshingly goofy sister to Santiago. Houses are a hodgepodge of bright blue, yellow and pink, roofed with shipping container metal and painted with nautical paint. They perch on the hillsides of the port city on the Pacific founded by the Spanish in 1536.

Valparaiso's claim to fame? Its creaky yet efficient funicular lift system, which transports citizens up steep hillsides.

Try one, and you'll see the ground through the floorboards, which don't quite meet.

Think of it as a metaphor for this slapdash port city.

Neruda also had a house in Valparaiso. The quirky four-story house, called La Samana, is topped by Neruda's writing study, which is paneled with bookshelves on two walls, has a giant photograph of Walt Whitman on the third and huge windows on the fourth. The panoramic view of the crescent-shaped Valparaiso harbor is enough to start anyone spouting poetry. 

Immediately north of Valparaiso? The town of Vina del Mar, the spoiled baby of the family. Rich Chileans vacation on its beaches. 

Between Santiago and Valparaiso you will drive through the Casablanca Valley, one of Chile's most trendy vineyard regions for white wine. As in California, you can do winery tours here -- but the cheapest prices for wine still seem to be in the grocery store in Santiago -- $2 - $4.

Exotic Arica

If you see only Santiago and the central coast of Chile, it's like seeing New York and thinking you know everything about the United States.

One spot to get out and see Chile's amazing geographical range is Arica and the nation's far north. Home to salt lakes and flamingos, llama and alpacas, mountains that soar to a literally breathtaking 15,000 feet and the world's oldest mummies, it's far different from the big cities. 

First cool thing: Just outside Arica in the Azapa Valley is a small museum that contains the 8,000-year-old Cinchorro Mummies. Boy, do they look their age. Lying beneath glass in the Museo Arqueologico, there are three of them, appearing to be dad, mom and baby (although that's just imagination; nobody knows who they were). Their arms and legs stick out like sticks of brown clay. Their faces are covered with masks. Shreds of linen strips wrap around their bodies. Remember, they're 2,000 years older than the oldest-known Egyptian mummies. 

Often called the driest place on Earth, the desert around Arica preserved these ancient remains, along with other prehistoric weavings, pottery, petroglyphs and more.

Second cool thing: Arica has a church designed by Gustav Eiffel -- yes, the designer of the Eiffel Tower.

He designed a church made of iron parts, which was shipped in pieces to Arica and constructed in 1876. While the exterior of the Church of San Marcos is cutely painted white and brown, the interior shows the flair that Eiffel had -- the graceful iron buttresses elegant and slim, the proportions, the charm. 

At this far northern end of Chile, too, you can see wonderful olive farms and a bounty of vegetables and fruits in the market. Many people here are from Peru or Bolivia -- and, in fact, this was part of Peru until Chile won it in a war in 1876. 

So spend some time here. Slowly, the picture of Chile fills in. Go 1,000 miles south to the lakes district or 2,500 miles south to the Chilean Patagonia with its penguins and fjords. If you have another year or two, you might start to understand this country in its totality. Or maybe not. Chile still feels like the end of the world, the kind of place where a clever poet might hang his feet over the edge and dangle his toes in unspoken words. 

Additional Facts

5 cool things about Chile

1. Besides wine, Chile has two intriguing beverages. Try Mote con Huesillo -- a popular summer nonalcoholic drink made with wheat, peaches and sugar water. Or try the national drink, the Pisco Sour, made with the local brandy, lime and egg white.

2. Divorce finally became legal in 2004 in heavily Catholic Chile.

3. Most beaches are too cold for swimming. The Humboldt Current, a stream of water from Antarctica, rushes up the coast to northern Chile before veering off to the west. People mostly just sit on the beaches, even on the hottest day. 

4. The blue stone lapis lazuli is mined in only two countries in the world -- Chile and Afghanistan. If you love lapis jewelry, Chile is the place to get it. 

5. You almost never hear Chileans call the Andes "the Andes." They just call the longest mountain range in the world "the cordillera" -- meaning mountains by the coast, or "little cord" in Spanish.


Michigan in Pictures














**Photo obtained from History.com

My very Web-savvy and native Michigander Aunt Lynette (who currently soaks up the sun in Florida) introduced me to this awesome photo blog, Michigan in Pictures

It's produced by the same guys who created Absolute Michigan. The purpose of the photo blog is "to showcase the state of Michigan through visual means." I've only been following this blog for about a week now, but I can already sense that the photographers seek to capture the unique and untold stories of Michigan. Many people don't have the first clue about how naturally beautiful Michigan is, so it's up to us natives to spread the word through visual blogs such as Michigan in Pictures. I'm not one to talk about not truly knowing the beauty of Michigan because I've yet to travel north of Petoskey. No worries, a trip to northern Michigan and the UP is at the top of mine and MAL's agenda this summer - now that we don't have to worry about five summer weddings like last year!

So check out the blog and give a shout out to these creative and talented photographers.