Hello From Chicago – Part 4 – Chinatown And Second City
Chicago, Arlington House, Sunday October 23,2005, 6:30 am
After thoroughly exploring the Pullman Historic District, we decided to check out Chinatown, one of the many ethnic neighbourhoods that Chicago has to offer. The weather had turned from cool and grey with the occasional peek of sunshine to dark, rainy and cold, so rather than walking around we decided to have an early dinner at a Chinatown restaurant called the Lobster King.
Both my friend Linda and I had ordered vegetarian dishes, but after taking our order the waiter returned and informed us that he was going to charge us $2 extra for each dish since vegetables are much more expensive during the winter months. I decided to have a look at their takeout menu and saw that the same low price was listed on the takeout menu as on the main menu. As a result I put forward an argument that if both the dine-in and the take-out menu are stating the same low price for both dishes, I would not agree with being charged an extra $2 for each dish based on a verbal announcement. Either change the menu to include the higher price or charge the prices that are shown on both menus. I am not usually a difficult, picky guest in any hospitality establishment, but to try to charge $2 more for a dish that is listed at a lower price on both menus did not seem a proper business practice to me.
The waiter / manager finally agreed to charge us the prices listed on the menu, and the food was indeed delicious. After exploring the Chicago Cultural Center and the Historic Pullman District we had gotten quite hungry and we really enjoyed our early dinner.
After reviving ourselves we hopped on the subway because we wanted to check out Little Italy. So we got on the Blue Line and were told to exit at the UIC (University of Illinois) Campus and walk southwards. By that time it was raining and it was a rather inhospitable clammy day. We actually never ended up finding Little Italy, but walked around for about 40 minutes in the rain and after this exercise of futility we decided to pursue our evening plans: to attend a live performance at Second City, Chicago’s famous comedy venue.
So we took the subway back downtown to Jackson and we waited for the Purple Line until we realized that this line only runs during rush hour on weekdays. So we inquired which line we had to take and we found out that the Brown Line (to Kimball) would take us to Second City. At that point we realized that we had also been waiting on the wrong side of the platform. I guess in the Loop el-trains only run in one direction and we had already been wondering why we had seen 3 brown line trains go by on the other side of the platform, but none of them had arrived on our side.
I’d say we spent a good 45 minutes waiting on the wrong side of the platform until we finally had enough and went downstairs to ask a CTA employee who directed us onto the correct platform. In the rainy clammy weather this wasn’t the most exciting part of our trip, but we managed to entertain ourselves with lots of insider jokes in our original Austrian dialects.
Finally we caught a brown line train and made our way up to North Wells Street, into the Old Town Neighbourhood, home of the Second City Comedy Club. Since 1959 Second City has established itself as a Chicago landmark and a national treasure. This theatre has launched the careers of such comic geniuses as John Belushi, Mike Myers, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, and others more. It offers nightly comedy shows, as well as a variety of other programs and services.
The theatre has two main stages, both of which were sold out yesterday, so we headed up onto the 4th floor of the building which houses Donny’s Skybox Studio Theatre which is affiliated with Second City. This theatre features an eclectic mix of student productions as well as other alternative shows and at $10.00 per person, the tickets were a steal.
The Outreach & Diversity Program produces two to three original shows each year that are performed at Second City’s studio theatre, Donny’s Skybox, on the fourth floor of Piper’s Alley. At least one of these productions is an original revue written and performed by the Outreach & Diversity ensemble, a group of African American, Latino or Asian actors cast through annual auditions.
We bought tickets for the 9 pm show: “Six Degrees of Reparation”, a hip comedy revue featuring improv, original material and Second City classic scenes with an urban multicultural twist which was put on by 6 young comedians which included 5 black and 1 oriental performers.
The show offered a lot of physical comedy and a variety of different sketches. One of the funniest ones was a sketch entitled “Osama bin Laden could be anywhere”, where one of the female comedians donned a big black beard and kept popping up in different everyday situations. The “superior Asian girl” sketch played with A, B, C (Asian, Black, Caucasian) stereotypes and demonstrated how we all have pre-conceived notions of one another. In the “Black Black Awards” sketch the troupe made fun of famous celebrities such as Whitney Houston, Maya Angelou and even Martha Stewart.
One of the most poignant sketches was set in an imaginary Office Depot store, where the black and Asian store employees were giving very shoddy and unfriendly service to a variety of customers. At the end, the young black shopkeeper explained that with a wage of $6.50 an hour, after all her costs (food, rent, bus passes, doing her nails, etc.), she was $189 in the hole, and at that price a smile would not be included in the service.
We both enjoyed the live performance of these gifted comedians immensely as we both love live theatre and comedy performances. As far as culture is concerned, Chicago has something to offer to everyone.
Well, today is our last day here in Chicago, and the weather is forecast to be quite cold with a 60% chance of rain. Fortunately Chicago has many indoor venues to choose from so I am sure we won’t get bored.
Susanne Pacher
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/hello-from-chicago-part-4-chinatown-and-second-city-98527.html
Benefits = Money
Mention the feature but sell the benefits is an age-old maxim of sales. What your products are made from is a feature; what they do for you is a benefit. It is benefits that make the sale and puts money in your pocket.
Consider providing the obvious benefits of your products and also the not so obvious ones. Look through your entire product line and determine as many benefits as possible for as many products as you can. Write them down, don’t prejudge them as being far-fetched, simply list them.
Take into consideration the top two reasons people book a party-plan presentation. The first is to learn something and the second is to have fun. This doesn’t mean you need to become a stand-up comic to get bookings. It does mean that by providing variations in uses of your products the far-fetched ones provide the humor while the others provide the learning.
The obvious benefit of booking a presentation is the hostess package your company provides. Most consultants hammer away at the free and reduced products people receive by booking. This is provides information to the potential hostess as to what she will receive if she books. But, if most people book to learn something or to have fun, what other benefits are the potential hostesses receiving by booking? Can they experience exactly how something will look on their wall by booking? Are they able to match your product to what is already hanging in their closet? These benefits, that are obvious to the consultant, are not necessarily obvious to the consumer.
What are the benefits of buying your products instead of going to a store to buy similar items? Does your company provide a warranty on the products? How does the warranty provide a benefit over and above what they would receive by purchasing a similar product in a store? Can they try make-up on and see exactly what that eye shadow will look like on them before they purchase it? Do they get your one-on-one attention after the show? These are benefits of booking. What are the benefits of someone booking a presentation with you?
By focusing on the benefits of your products and reasons for booking, your sales and presentations will dramatically increase. This in turn will increase your income, the incentives you earn from your company, and the number of recruits you have.
Ruth Fuersten
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/benefits-money-127975.html
3 hot girls go into a comic store – Damsels of Dorkington
The Damsels of Dorkington visit a comic store! Behold as the girls play and generally geek out, while Jeff rants to no one about Sabretooth.
Music: Monster Promenade by Kevin MacLeod www.incompetech.com
Duration : 0:2:0
Comic book collectors: What is the best way to store comics to keep them in good condition?
I am attempting to keep them in good condition while being able to access and read them on occasion. I have them in a binder in clear plastic sleeves right now, is this the best solution?
Okay first off the binder sounds like a decent idea but I would be worried about the metal rings or something getting caught and basically bye bye comics. As for me I got to a comic book store and for about $20 I can get a 100 cardboard backings and 50 sleeves. With these the backing goes into the sleeve followed by the comic book so that it stays flat. As for the storage method I personally use an extra dresser in my room that as of right now houses over 300 comics. However if you have ever been into a comic book store the big white storage boxes are sometimes sold and are really useful for keeping them straight up and in order. The boxes usually run about $20-$30, a little expensive but worth it. Hope I helped.
Simon is letting a young one have it.Do you have a local comic store by your house?
I have a local comic store that I walk to by my house. My friends say that I’m lucky to be able to buy manga and other stuff right by my house. So I’m basically asking if real comic book stores are really RARE..or if you have ones by your house???
No, I have to travel an hour and a half to get to my closest comic store, then there is another 15 minutes of walking to get the from the parking station because you are not allowed to park on the block it is located (or the ones surrounding it). You should find yourself lucky.
Back in Time With Counter Clock Records
As we all enjoy the vinyl record revival, there is another aspect to this phenomenon that sometimes gets overlooked: the forgotten 45 rpm records from years past. Sure, there are some mainstream artists, punk rockers and indie musicians who have found this audio medium to their liking, it is a marvelous way to not only give their fans what they want (the music), but also create a collectible as well.
Another medium from the past has gone through some major changes in recent years. Remember when AM radio dominated the air waves? And then another format in the 70’s added even more alternatives for music lovers -FM radio. Now we have satellite radio and another inventive medium, the Internet radio station.
One Internet radio station in particular has been able to combine the aforementioned 45 rpm records and the Internet to form Counter Clock Radio (http://www.live365.com/stations/counter_clock?play) and Counter Clock Records (http://stores.ebay.com/Counter-Clock-Records). The business is the brainchild of the wife and husband team of Jane and Norm Geddis of Mission Viejo, California who have developed a ‘play what we find’ programming style that is very unique and allows their listeners an eclectic array of music genres to listen to. I had the opportunity to speak with the developers of this novel concept, let’s learn more about Counter Clock Records and Counter Clock Radio:
Obviously you have a love for vinyl- what is it about records that make them so appealing to you?
Norm: “They’re round, like wheels. It’s by far the best use of man’s first invention. CD’s never felt quite the same. Downloads are radio plus labor. I’m a decade past being impressed with myself for getting software to work after an evening playing around with my computer.”
Jane: “I like the built-in nostalgia value of vinyl – whether it’s a 1964 Top 40 one-hit wonder or a super rare Private Press Psych LP. It felt like a part of me died and was buried when CD’s became the standard. With downloads, it’s like the moss has grown over the headstones.”
How long have you been online/ selling on ebay and what are your thoughts about the fee changes and the overall operations of this online giant?
Norm: “We started Counter-Clock Records in July of ‘07. Or rather, I started selling on eBay about that time, just 45’s that I was done loving on, and then both us created the store and glued these other parts (blog and radio station) to it.”
“As far as those changes everyone talks about, I came into the middle of that and, speaking just for me, I’m a part of Counter-Clock Records. eBay is just the venue, the shopping center where our store is located. No matter where one has their store, there’s not a merchant on this planet, or likely any other, who isn’t complaining about the rents. It’s not a complaint I’m going to pass along to my customers.”
When did you decide to go ‘online’ with the Live365 radio station?
Norm: “The station has been running since March of ‘07 which was several months before we opened the store.”
What kind of fan base do you have, what kind of records/music do you play?
Jane: “Our base is our customers who have found our station. The station is very close to exactly how we want it to be, with short music news segments and trivia, so now we have something unique and something we’re proud of. It’s time to let everyone know. We play what we find. I call the programming style Accidental Nostalgia.”
My readers love the “Top 5 vinyl record sales” feature each week. How long have you been doing this? Have you noticed any specific patterns- what sells the best (and who) and what is the most expensive record that you have ever documented on the list?
Norm: “I began the blog about the same time I started the radio station. The “store” so to speak began when I put a few records up on my eBay account in July of last year.”
“The most expensive record I’ve documented was the White Album that sold last week for $30k, which is saying a lot for vinyl collectibles in this economy. Unfortunately I flubbed that one and it got left off that week’s list. The seller had listed it in “Music Memorabilia” and I keep my eyes on the “Record” category. I also didn’t keep an eye on your blog that week, Robert, or I would have caught it – the problem of selling records and writing about them during the holiday season. So I did a mea culpa entry on that one so it makes it on the Record Store Day year-end list.”
I love listening to the station- your format and genres of music are very eclectic. Where do you get the music and how do you decide what you want to play?
Jane: “We buy collections from individuals, closed record stores, from eBay as well. Mostly the 45’s speak to me. By that I mean that when I look through a stack of records I sense what’s interesting, unusual, weird . . . just enjoyable. Norm has an encyclopedia of music history in his head, but if we just went on that alone we’d sound like tons of other stations. So clairvoyance plays its part.”
Do you have any plans to add DJ’s to the mix?
Jane: “A podcast is in the works. But it may not happen unless the Earth starts spinning slower.”
What are the future plans for the station and Counter Clock Records?
Norm: “Next year is going to be about more of everything. We have lots of inventory to love on and get out there to the world. The backbone of vinyl records is the community record store. The Internet cannot deliver that. Counter Clock Records is something to come home to, but not to replace the chill up your spine dirty tile smell of your record store.”
What do you think of the ‘vinyl revival’ and where do you see vinyl in the next ten years?
Jane: “I think the vinyl revival is great! I also think it was inevitable. Tens of millions of us who love vinyl are either retiring or have more time on our hands, and whether you have a little or a lot of money, there’s something for everyone. Plus, it seems that even though they’re not buying “our music,” young adults and teens are discovering that there is something more to vinyl than the downloads. And getting squeezed in the middle are CD’s. It seemed only a matter of time before these two groups converged and the music market opened up to let us back in.”
Norm: “I’m not a money guru and this isn’t investment advice. However, as my grandmother used to say during tough times, “there’ll always be somebody with money.” And, like during the seventies and early nineties, traditional investments are not attractive. Comic book values skyrocketed in the seventies, as with sports cards in the early nineties. I think it’s about to be vinyl’s day in the sun.”
Do you have a Top Ten list of your favorite 45’s and or favorite recording artists?
Jane: “I’ll do artists-Etta James, Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, The Band, Bill Monroe, Renaissance, Mazzy Star, Opal, Joan Armatrading, CSNY.”
Norm: “45’s for me- Mixed Feelings “Sha La La”/”Love Will Find A Way,” Moody Blues “Go Now”/”Lose Your Money,” Small Faces “Itchycoo Park”/”I’m Only Dreaming,” Sandi Sheldon “You’re Gonna Make Me Love You”/”Baby You’re Mine,” Pink Floyd “Point Me At The Sky”/”Careful With That Axe Eugene,” Olivia Tremor Control “California Demise” EP, Hedgehoppers Anonymous “It’s Good News Week”/”Afraid Of Love,” Barbara Lewis “Baby I’m Yours”/”I Say Love,” Denny Laine “It’s So Easy”/Listen To Me”/”I’m Looking For Someone To Love,” The Intruders “Every Day Is A Holiday”/”Old Love” and probably a hundred others.”
So, if you are looking for some great old obscure rock and roll, one-hit wonders and soulful R&B, drop by Counter Clock Radio and Counter Clock Records and give them a spin. Your ears will love what you hear.
Robert Benson
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/back-in-time-with-counter-clock-records-706264.html
Quick tour of local comic book store Alternate Icons!
Last Saturday during a stormy afternoon I set about to infiltrate and annoy Dan Dan the comic man! I did so…oh yes yes.
Duration : 0:4:56
Where do I start to open a music, comic book, and software retail store?
To be honest I don’t where to start from opening a small music store but I do have the passion for music, comic books, and software games. So i wonder how is it possible for me to get started? Like if I wanted to hired people how to do the criminal background check? What is the average cost for a place to rent or how to get the materials? Is there any source of any information for any one like me who asked the same questions but no where to began. Thnx.
Sounds like a plan. You’re independently wealthy, aren’t you? No? Here’s the problem: Business is customers, and customers appear in high-traffic areas, which owners of retail space in such high-traffic areas charge an arm or two, and a leg, to rent. (Seriously, I heard that the Subway in Westwood, down the street from UCLA, pays $200,000/year for their dinky space . . . and make the money back selling sandwiches to students.) I’m unsure whether now is a good time to start any business, but it can succeed. What you need is a business model that includes expenses, how you’ll get customers, advertising models, what you expect to sell and how much, and much more. Years of research should precede the opening day.
Strange folks visit a comic book store.