She was here to see for herself if our sleepy little town really was a bad place for singles or if perhaps we have been given a bad rap.
The Fred Hotline would like to complete this story by revealing the true local hero that may have "single"-handedly changed Lacey Rose's mind.
FH-How did you first come in contact with Lacey Rose?
Daniel Richardson-Lacey found my speed dating website,http://www.pre-dating.com/speeddating/GRN.php,
FH-Was the purpose of her visit really to see just how bad the single scene is here in Greensboro?
The purpose of Lacey's visit was to prove the Forbes rankings right OR prove the rankings wrong in terms of the singles scene here in Greensboro. Please remember that Greensboro finished dead last in the 2005 Forbes rankings (40th out of 40 large metro areas) of the best cities to live in if you are single.
FH-It has been suggested that her view of Greensboro may have been different if she "had been left to her own devices". What's your take on this?
Who can say what Lacey's experience would have been under those conditions? The exciting news is that Lacey got to see some of the best singles venues and activities that Greensboro has to offer, and she had a GREAT, GREAT time. I think it is worth mentioning too that Lacey lives and works in Manhatten, has lived in Paris and Madrid, and still thought Greensboro has a vibrant and rocking singles scene.
FH-"Leaving people to their own devices", Is that any way to treat a guest?
Yes, spending all that time with me and my friends and the Mayor would take its toll on anyone! ;>)
FH-You did Greensboro a big favor,acting as ambassador, yet you got little credit. Please define your role in this visit.
I crafted almost all of Lacey's itinerary (except for the blind date with the Match.com guy), acted as her driver and tour guide, and made sure that she met the people she needed to meet - the Mayor for example.
FH-How did your company help promote Greensboring?
Actually, my company - Piedmont Triad Concierge - helped drive the stake in the heart of GREENSBORING and fuel the subsequent rise from the ashes of GREENSBOOMING at least with respect to Lacey's experience.
FH-Please tell our Hotline readers about the many different events you attended in the two days of Lacey's visit.
Lacey and I attended the Grasshoppers game on Thursday night, which is where I introduced her to Mayor Keith Holliday. He spent the first 5 innings of the game talking with her about the city. We then left Lacey and her blind date from Match.com alone to enjoy the rest of the game. Afterwards, Lacey, her date, and I finished the evening at Solaris Restaurant in downtown Greensboro before I dropped Lacey off at her hotel.
I picked up Lacey on Friday and took her to Pyramids for a morning work-out. She loved Pyramids and especially impressed that they offer Pilates Performer classes as part of their regular work-out schedule. Then, she and I toured UNCG and the Tate Street area before heading downtown to meet-up with Mayor Holliday.
Lacey and I spent the entire afternoon with the Mayor as he gave us a walking tour of central downtown and then the three of us piled into the Cadillac Sedan DeVille I had rented to see the rest of downtown and other some areas of the city. We said good-bye to the Mayor circa 6pm, and I dropped Lacey back at her hotel to get ready for our evening out in the 'Boro. I have to add here that Mayor Holliday was just terrific and represented Greensboro extraordinarily well during the entire time that he was with Lacey and I.
Our evening out consisted of dinner with friends (the vaunted "posse of 8") at MUCH in downtown Greensboro, after dinner drinks at Hemingway's Martini Bar, a foray into the loft at Natty Greene's, and a trip to Heaven (the rooftop section of MUCH) to end the evening with dancing and drinks in a great friend's VIP area. I would add also that Joey Medaloni treated us like kings while we at MUCH and then in Heaven. John and Jeff over at Hemingway's were fabulous as well.
FH- The Hotline staff heard you on the 101.1 Brad and Britt show. What was that like?
Brad and Britt are great. BIG thanks to them for putting me on the air and giving me a chance to offer some thoughts and insights on Lacey's visit to our community at large.
FH- Do you feel that the local media has done enough to tell your side of this story?
I had a great interview with Melissa Turner of the News & Record, and I think that Melissa is a good reporter and that she saw value in writing about the story so to speak. The News & Record seems to have chosen not to run that story, but I hope that it gets told some day in one local media outlet or another.
FH- It seems like Action Greensboro may be getting some credit. Is that fair?
I disagree that Action Greensboro is getting credit for the absolutely fantastic article that Lacey wrote for Forbes.
I think that Jenny Stokes was asked for her opinion on the story and on the rankings vis-a-vis her role with the Young Professionals side of Action Greensboro and that her quote has appeared in print.
Jenny has worked very hard over the years to accomplish some great results with the Young Professionals group, and I am happy to see her being recognized as a community leader.
FH- Is there anything else you'd like to add?
As for what I would add, I would emphasize Lacey's comments about Greensboro proving the Forbes rankings wrong and that we should say good-bye to Greensboring and hello to Greensbooming. Lacey is a representative of Forbes Magazine and - in my opinion - IS Forbes Magazine with respect to this story, and I am taking her words as a retraction of all the negative stuff Forbes has said about our singles scene over the last 5 years.
THAT'S THE STORY HERE and what our media should be talking about in my opinion. Forget the rankings and forget about improving our numerical position next year. We have our breakthrough moment! Let's accept it, embrace it, celebrate it! ROCK ON, GREENSBOOMING!
No comments:
Post a Comment