Mormons, Beer, Sundance and Snow

Many know Utah only as the mountainous area you cross to get to California. Others know it merely as “that place with all the Mormons.” In the days after my Utah trip a half-dozen otherwise sophisticated friends asked me if “the Mormons” (gasp!) had managed to convert me. Their eyebrows crawled heaven-ward when I said the subject never even came up. So prevalent are the misconceptions of this place that when I mentioned I was attending the Sundance Film Festival, few could believe it was actually held in Utah, convinced that the world’s top indie film showcase must surely be held someplace more hip, like Colorado or New Mexico, right? ... [Read More]

Pensacola: Where New Energy is More Than Rhetoric

Spend enough time doing community tours for an economic development publication, and you will have a tendency to become a bit jaded. You will hear every marketing slogan under the sun. You will see every form of “brand building,” logo designing and advertising jargon imaginable. Every state claims, for example, that it offers “the perfect climate for business.” Every city boasts that it provides “the best quality of life.” And every rural area brags that it has “the best work ethic you’ll find anywhere in America." Of course not all of this is true. In fact, most of it isn’t. It’s just sloganeering, and after a while every ... [Read More]

Cruising Into Another World

Scenes like this are quite common at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

Somewhere between the $14.3-million Hargrave custom yacht and the 200-foot Diamonds are Forever, it hit me: this must be how the one-tenth of one-tenth of one percent live. If you’ve never attended the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in South Florida, then you might not appreciate the parade of wealth on display at the Las Olas Marina. Within a mile-long strip of dock frontage on the southeast coast of Florida, about $3 billion worth of exotic boats, cars and other merchandise converge in late October to attract more than 130,000 visitors from around the world. From Oct. 25 to 28, I had the privilege to attend the 53rd ... [Read More]

Chicago Wins

Sarah Bernhardt referred to Chicago as the “pulse of America.” Frank Lloyd Wright mused that “eventually Chicago will be the most beautiful great city left in the world.” And Dan Quayle once called Chicago one of America’s “greatest states” (really). Whatever your take, it’s clear the metropolis anointed “the most livable big city in the US” may also be the most likeable. Unless, of course, you’re a Braves fan. Go Cubs Go, the official “Cubs Victory Song” written by Chicago folk legend Steve Goodman, includes the lines “They got the power, they got the speed, to be the best in the National League!” Well, not so much. But they ... [Read More]

Shagging Fly Balls for the Red Sox

My New York friends and family will be terribly disappointed to learn I wound up with the Red Sox. During the Bio 2012 Conference in Boston last week I had the experience of a lifetime, even for a life-long NY fan. On Sunday night (Father’s Day) I joined the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development and Manitoba Economic Development for a great reception in the State Street Suites at Fenway Park. The suite overlooked home plate and had everything a baseball fan could want; Great views, amazing seats, cold beer, Fenway Franks, sliders and the obligatory peanuts, popcorn and Cracker Jacks stacked on every table. That’s my ... [Read More]

The Beach I Overlooked for Almost Five Decades

Have you ever waited too long to visit someplace for the first time? After spending three days at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in the Florida Panhandle, that is exactly how I feel about the sands and surf of this stretch of seaside in the Sunshine State. Tucked in between the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay in the Destin area of Northwest Florida, Sandestin is an award-winning luxury resort community that passes every eyeball test. But its greatest allure is its chief natural amenity – the sugary white sand and crystal clear water of the Gulf Coast. Having lived in Florida for most of my 48 ... [Read More]

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Point Day

I’ve visited the Steel City many times, and even attended school in the rural area outside the city at California University. Yep, you read it right. It is a state university I chose to matriculate when I was a teenager. I picked the school for several reasons. One, I wanted to go somewhere far enough away from my home town of Philly so I could “start over” with a new identity (which essentially means I could get away with telling people I was a famous comedian, as well as a black belt in Tae Kwan Do karate.) I had learned enough moves and kicks while getting ... [Read More]

Bottom’s Up…

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Don't let the title fool you, this blog has absolutely nothing to do with tilting back a cold one. In fact, I never thought that I'd once again get myself in a situation where I'd have to duct-tape my butt cheeks together. Enter Jackson, Mississippi. Our journey began when my friend and video DJ, Huda Hudia, invited me to come along with him to a gig at Club Bottoms Up. It was about 2 a.m. at the time, I had consumed several cocktails, so naturally a spur-of-the-moment trip to a place I'd never been & had no desire to go seemed akin to being invited to Disneyland. So, bright & early Friday ... [Read More]

Legs & Legos

Just returned from a Memorial Day holiday in San Diego with the family. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to appeal to all the ages of our sons, who are 13, 7 and 2. Even on the drive down from LA, it was tough choosing the appropriate music for all to hear. The teen likes hip-hop, and the youngest is requesting “Baby Beluga.” It got to the point where I was hoping to find a combo CD of “Rug Rat Rap,” where Snoop Dogg bangs out nursery rhymes. “Mary had a little scam, fleeced her man, now she’s on the lam." Or… “Ole McDonald bought the farm, capped by the high-heeled ho. ... [Read More]