August 2013 by Southwest: The Magazine

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES A SYMBOL OF FREEDOM速

New School How the digital revolution is turning learning upside down.

AUGUST 2013

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Contents August 2013

62 The Greatest

Show on Turf

Jesse Plunkett had his parents’ blessing when he left the family circus for college. But campus life delivered more spills than thrills for the deft acrobat, who got schooled in the meaning of love.

72 Flipped Out

In the war against waning attention spans, teachers have enlisted the unlikeliest of allies: their students’ once-distracting tablets and smartphones.

82 Your

Adventure In Grand Rapids

Everyone from beer buffs to beach bunnies will find loads to love in Michigan’s second-largest city. PLUS, LIFE ADVENTURE Residents weigh in on the many merits of Grand Rapids.

CIRCUS STAR

Every now and then, camels need preshow pep talks, too.

ON THE COVER / In a productive way, technology has had a chillin’ effect on students. PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM VOORHES

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN DONNELL

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Contents August 2013

Your Adventure In Grand Rapids

To-Do List Ten Action Items in This Issue 1 Cobble together a cocktail Page 31

2 Relax in Rancho Palos Verdes Page 34

3 See what a

quarter-million can buy Page 38

4 Blast back to the 5 Fend off writer’s block like a Poe Page 43

6 Figure out a

framework for innovation Page 46

7 Clear the air Page 52

8 Find hot spots in Fort Point Page 54

9 Join the circus

Front

12 Gary’s Greeting 14 Gary’s Greeting

16 18 20 22 24 27 31 37 43 51

en Español Star of the Month Freedom Story From the Editor Your Words Your Pictures Media Center Eat Drink Sleep The Numbers Wise Guide Business

Middle

62 The Greatest Show

on Turf

72 Flipped Out 82 Your Adventure

In Grand Rapids

92 Life Adventure

In Grand Rapids

Back

115 Calendar 121 Fun! 138 Spotlight 141 Community Outreach 142 Route Map 144 Rapid Rewards

Partners

147 Flight Service 148 The “If” List

Page 62

10 Get acquainted with Aubrey Plaza Page 148

PHOTOGRAPHY © DISNEY (INCREDIBLES), BY ADAM VOORHES (ASPARAGUS), FREDRIK BRODEN (ARROW); ILLUSTRATION BY ORLIN CULTURE SHOP (BOOKS)

beginnings of beer Page 40

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EDITORIAL EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jay Heinrichs CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kevin de Miranda EXECUTIVE EDITOR John McAlley ART DIRECTOR Emily Kimbro SENIOR EDITOR Alison Miller DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR Melanie Clancy TRAVEL EDITOR Amanda Gleason ASSISTANT ART DIRECTORS Britta Hazel, Stefanie Pepping ASSISTANT EDITORS Gabbi Chee, Austin W. G. Morton PROJECT DESIGNER Eric Thurstin ART INTERNS Leah Friedman, Jonathan Silverberg EDITORIAL INTERNS Bailey Berg, Annette Nevins CONTRIBUTORS Ryan Donnell, Jason Feifer, Jennifer Miller, Orlin Culture Shop, J. Rentilly, Jill Coody Smits, Adam Voorhes WEB DEVELOPMENT, PACE INTERACTIVE Dena Caulder, Jason Dalton, Chad Hayton EDITORIAL INQUIRIES Spirit Magazine 2811 McKinney Ave., Suite 360 Dallas, TX 75204-8600 Letters to the editor may be mailed to the address above or submitted via the website at spiritmag.com. SOUTHWEST INQUIRIES Comments directed at Southwest Airlines not pertaining to Spirit should be mailed to: Southwest Airlines Customer Relations P.O. Box 36647 Dallas, TX 75235-1647, or you can send comments via email by visiting the “Contact Us” page at southwest.com. PACE COMMUNICATIONS, INC. CEO & OWNER Bonnie McElveen-Hunter CHAIRMAN EMERITUS Eugene Johnston SECRETARY-TREASURER Patricia M. McConnell PRESIDENT Craig Waller CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER & CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Leigh Ann Klee EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Edward F. Calfo

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SOUTH FLORIDA ACCOUNT MANAGER Lisa Turner, 305.671.3763, lisaturner@lmtmedia.com CEO & OWNER Bonnie McElveen-Hunter PRESIDENT Craig Waller VICE PRESIDENT, PRODUCTION James A. DeCata PRODUCTION MANAGER Amy Zuker DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Emily Wright MEDIA ANALYST Brittany Dickinson © 2013 Pace Communications, Inc., 1301 Carolina St., Greensboro, NC 27401. Spirit magazine is published monthly by Pace Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of any material in this publication without written permission of Pace Communications, Inc., is expressly prohibited. Publisher reserves the right to accept or reject all advertising material.

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As summer draws to a close, one of my favorite seasons is upon us: football season! I know many of our Employees and Customers are passionate about sports, and football seems to rule this time of year, as teams wrap up training and prepare to take the field for preseason games. At Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways, we are a Team—and while

we don’t strap on helmets and pads, we are united, like all great Teams, by a singular Purpose. Our Purpose is to connect People to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and lowcost air travel, and our success is dependent on our ability to execute and fulfill that Purpose. The key to execution is Teamwork, and I am

Customer Service in Action I received a commendation recently from a Customer who traveled with us to Orlando. Her son was scheduled to pick her up, but he had a conflict and couldn’t make it. One of our Flight Attendants learned the Customer’s son lived in Satellite Beach—an hour-and-a-half drive from the airport. It just so happens that’s where our Flight Attendant was headed, and she insisted on taking the Customer to the son’s house. This kind of generosity and thoughtfulness is characteristic of Southwest Employees, and I could not be prouder or more appreciative of all they do every day to take care of our Customers.

so fortunate to be a part of the most successful Team in the history of commercial aviation. The numbers don’t lie: We have been profitable for 40 consecutive years—a record unmatched and unheard of in our industry; we consistently rank first in Customer Service according to U.S. Department of Transportation statistics; we’re an Employer of choice, and we’ve never reduced our Employees’ pay or benefits; and we consistently make Fortune magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies list, ranking tenth in 2012. I mention those accolades not to brag, but simply to show what can be accomplished when a Team of 46,000-plus Employees pulls together to deliver on a common Purpose. We will work to keep our costs low, thereby passing the savings on to our Customers in the form of low fares. We will not nickel-and-dime our Customers. We are committed to providing you the best Customer Experience in the business. We will do our best to make the airport experience smooth, convenient, and pleasant. And our Team is committed to getting you to your destination ontime, with your bag, and with a smile. I’ve been privileged to be part of the Southwest Team for 27 years. Southwest has the heart of a champion and a passion for Teamwork and serving you, our valued Customers. Here’s to another great season!

Gary Kelly

Chairman, President, and CEO Southwest Airlines

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAN SELLERS

Gary’s Greeting

The Power of Teamwork

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A medida que el verano se acerca a su fin, llega una de mis temporadas favoritas: ¡la temporada de fútbol americano! Sé que a muchos de nuestros Empleados y Clientes les apasionan los deportes, y parece que el fútbol es lo máximo en esta época del año, cuando los equipos terminan el entrenamiento y se preparan para salir al campo para los partidos de pretemporada. En Southwest Airlines y AirTran Airways somos un equipo, y mientras no nos ponemos cascos ni protectores, como todos los

grandes Equipos estamos unidos por un sólo Propósito. Nuestro Propósito es conectar nuestra Gente con lo que es importante en sus vidas a través de viajes aéreos amigables, confiables y de bajo costo. Nuestro éxito depende de nuestra habilidad de realizar y completar este Propósito y la clave de la realización es el Trabajo en Equipo. Tengo mucha suerte de formar parte del Equipo más exitoso de la historia de la aviación comercial, y los números no mienten: Hemos sido rentables

Servicio al Cliente en Acción Recientemente me han informado de un reconocimiento de una Cliente que viajó con nosotros a Orlando. Su hijo debía ir a buscarla, pero tuvo un conflicto y no pudo. Una de nuestras Sobrecargos se enteró que el hijo de la Cliente vivía en Satellite Beach, a una hora y media del aeropuerto. Resultó que nuestra Sobrecargo iba para allá, e insistió en llevar a la Cliente a la casa del hijo. Este tipo de generosidad y consideración es una característica de los Empleados de Southwest, y no podría estar más orgulloso ni apreciar más todo lo que hacen todos los días para cuidar de nuestros Clientes.

por 40 años consecutivos, un récord inigualable e inaudito en nuestra industria; las estadísticas del Departamento de Transporte de EE. UU. nos clasifican constantemente como primeros en Servicio al Cliente; somos una Empresa atractiva, nunca hemos reducido el pago ni los beneficios de nuestros Empleados; y figuramos consistentemente entre la lista de las “Compañías Más Admiradas del Mundo” de la revista Fortune, clasificada como la número 10 en 2012. No menciono estos elogios para presumir sino simplemente para demostrar lo que se puede lograr cuando un Equipo de más de 46,000 Empleados se apoya y se ayuda para realizar un Propósito en común. Trabajaremos para mantener los costos bajos y poder ofrecerles ahorros a nuestros Clientes con nuestras tarifas bajas. No les cobraremos cargos extras a nuestros Clientes. Nos comprometemos a brindarles la mejor Experiencia como Cliente de la industria. Nos esforzaremos por hacer que su experiencia en el aeropuerto vaya sobre ruedas y que sea conveniente y agradable. Y nuestro Equipo se compromete a llevarles a su destino a tiempo, con sus maletas más una sonrisa. Para mí, es un privilegio formar parte del Equipo de Southwest durante 27 años. Southwest tiene el corazón de un campeón, y una pasión por el Trabajo en Equipo y por servirles a ustedes, nuestros preciados Clientes. ¡Por otra gran temporada!

Gary Kelly

Presidente de la Junta Directiva, Director Ejecutivo y Presidente Southwest Airlines

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAN SELLERS

Gary’s Greeting En Español

El Poder del Trabajo en Grupo

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Star of the Month

Wendy Smith

C U S TO M ER S ER V I C E S U PER V I S O R , D E T RO I T

POP STAR

Wendy keeps her cool on warm days.

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A call to the Southwest Airlines reservation line changed Wendy Smith’s life. Yes, really. During her college years, Wendy would make the occasional weekend trip home to Detroit, taking advantage of Southwest’s great low-fare promotions. Before one of those trips, Wendy called 1-800-I-FLY-SWA to book her ticket. After an hourlong conversation with a Representative, Wendy was a changed woman. She knew that her Warrior Spirit, Servant’s Heart, and Fun-LUVing Attitude belonged at Southwest Airlines, and she was ready for the journey of a lifetime. The rest, as they say, is history. Wendy—a wife, mother, and jazz lover—celebrated her 16th anniversary with Southwest in June. She calls her fellow Employees her second Family. “Anytime we get a chance to goof off or to praise someone, we do,” she says. “We come together and help each other out.” Wendy and her Coworkers even have two “crazy cousins” (fellow Detroit Employees) who, she says, “make every day fun.” These jokesters have shown up to work in costumes and wigs and, on hot days, have served Popsicles on the ramp. Why? Because Southwest Employees work hard and take care of each other, but they don’t take themselves too seriously. All jokes aside, Wendy goes to work every day with a smile on her face. She has one goal: to make people happy. She says she knows that it’s hard to please everyone, but her job is to give each and every Customer, from seasoned road warriors to firsttime travelers, the best possible Southwest experience. Whether she’s singing and dancing through the airport or lending an ear when a Customer faces a long flight delay, Wendy is always up for the challenge of wowing Southwest Customers. So next time you call 1-800-I-FLY-SWA, pay close attention. You just might discover your calling. We’re sure glad that Wendy did! —Sarah Settele

Blue Man Group is proud to give Wendy Smith two tickets to a Blue Man Group show as a token of appreciation for her work and dedication. Congratulations, Wendy!

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Rapid Rewards Freedom Story

David Nevins FO U N D ER A N D PR E S I D EN T,

N E V I N S & A S S O C IAT E S , B A LT I M O R E

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Traveling SWA is always a win for David.

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As founder and president of Nevins & Associates, a strategic communications company, David Nevins knows the importance of time all too well, and that’s why he chooses Southwest Airlines when his travel needs take him to the sky. It’s an easy, four-hour door-to-door trip between David’s Maryland home and his second home in Florida. “I step off the plane relaxed and ready to work, play a round of golf, or enjoy dinner with my wife, Susie,” David says. He can’t help but attribute some of the ease of his trips to the fact that his A-List status in Southwest’s Rapid Rewards Frequent Flyer program lets him breeze through the security lines. And as his business has grown, so have the flights at his home airport, Baltimore-Washington International. In fact, the Airline’s extensive network is David’s No. 1 reason for choosing it. “Southwest goes where I need to be,” he says. “Southwest is the next best thing to having my own plane.” Like Southwest, David’s philosophy is to forge longterm relationships with his customers and not nickeland-dime them. “Southwest is the most profitable airline and the most generous, with benefits like Bags Fly Free, No Change Fees, and the Companion Pass,” he says. “It just works!” He often references Southwest during speaking engagements about customer service. When he’s not serving his customers, David can be found out in his community. He currently serves as the president of The Center Club, and he was formerly the chairman of the University System of Maryland. “Southwest Employees have the ability to put a smile on a Customer’s face,” David says. He recalls his New Orleans–to-Baltimore flight after Super Bowl XLVII, when the Flight Crew wore purple and sang the Ravens’ fight song with the entire plane. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that didn’t end when the game was over.” David, we know time is your most valuable resource. Thank you for choosing to spend it on Southwest! —Ana Schwager

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIEL BEDELL

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From the Editor

TEACHING AIDS

Dear Reader, A wise man once told me, “Welcome new ideas, but don’t let them all move in.” Those are good words to keep in mind when you read the story on page 72 about how technology is impacting education. Computers and the Internet are “flipping” classrooms: Students learn concepts at night and do “homework” at school, where teachers can aid the strugglers. That way, advocates say, kids can advance at their own speed and get help before they fall behind. The innovations excited me when I learned about them. Then again, I’m what they call an early adopter (industry-speak for “easy sale”). I can’t resist new gadgets. I don’t just welcome them, I let them move in. Ask my wife; she’ll be happy to tell you. But is the education story really about technology, or is it more about the teachers who use it? Ultimately, even the most advanced program or website can’t compete

with a skilled, dedicated educator. Know what would excite me even more than new education software? News that Americans have begun valuing teachers as much as they do any other professional. Still, technology can make a difference all its own. We should understand its potential power—and its perils. Not that long ago in human history, one of the most dangerous pieces of technology upended education. Some people welcomed it. Others, including very wise men and women, warned against letting it move in. And this innovation confirmed some of their worst fears, spreading radical ideas, sparking revolutions, and changing civilization forever. That new technology was the printed book. —Jay Heinrichs Editorial Director

PHOTOGRAPHY BY © OCEAN/CORBIS

Some advances in learning can be chalked up to new tech.

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Your Words EVEN BETTER THAN SKEETERS

Dear Spirit,

I love the incredibly positive energy of Spirit and have been profoundly touched by a few stories this year. Following This is a hard business trip, “This the Greatest Sports Tale is the Greatest Sports Tale Ever Told. Ever Told” [June 2013] brought joyful tears to my eyes and moved me to write to you. Writer Brad Herzog had me from the first paragraph. There are so many beautiful layers in this story: personal motivation regardless of the barriers; faith to trust someone else and to value their wisdom; deep friendship; actions surpassing words; kindness paid forward; and the extraordinary happening when you least expect it. Thank you for sharing this tale and for reminding us that, in life, there are opportunities at every turn. 1913

2 01 3

YOU MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH THE STORY. EVEN IF YOU ARE, THE DETAILS ARE PROBABLY FUZZY. IT HAPPENED LONG BEFORE THE AGE OF TWITTER, BEFORE TV, EVEN RADIO. BUT WE’LL JUST COME OUT AND SAY IT:

by Brad Herzog Illustration by Ben Kirchner

HIS MONTH , 156 of the world’s finest golfers will converge on Merion Golf Club in the Philadelphia suburb of Ardmore. One of them—almost certainly a highly touted, exorbitantly rewarded professional—will make history by winning the United States Open. Meanwhile, we will also be celebrating history—the 100th anniversary of one of golf’s seminal moments. Francis Ouimet’s 1913

86 SPIRIT JUNE 2013

U.S. Open triumph at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, will be remembered as an epic feat, a sport-altering event, a revelation. It might also be described as the perfect story. “It reads like a fairy tale. It really is hard to believe that it happened,” says Hall of Fame golfer Curtis Strange, who won the 1988 U.S. Open at The Country Club 75 years later. “It has the feel of a folk story or

a legend,” agrees author Mark Frost, who wrote the definitive book on the event, The Greatest Game Ever Played, which became a Disney film starring Shia LeBeouf in 2005. “It’s a story that’s sprinkled with magic, all of it true.” What are the ingredients for the ultimate American athletic tale? Surely, there should be a dollop of Horatio Alger, something reflecting our nation’s self-styled mythos

JUNE 2013 SPIRIT

—DENICE HINDEN SILVER SPRING, MARYL AND

Thanks, Denice. The story’s so moving they made a movie of it: The Greatest Game Ever Played. SEND ’EM IN Write to us at 2811 McKinney Ave., Suite 360, Dallas, TX 75204 or email letters@spiritmag.com. For comments or questions directed at Southwest Airlines that don’t pertain to Spirit, please visit the “Contact Us” page at southwest.com.

Our favorite letter each month wins a Spirit diner mug. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/spiritmag Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/spiritmagazine

I fly every week for work, and it’s a real treat the first of the month when there’s a new edition of Spirit in the seat pocket for me! Not only do I look forward to Gary’s message and your featured Star of the Month, but I also LUV the little fun facts you always include in The Numbers. Who knew a raindrop can weigh 50 times as much as a mosquito? But what I LUV most are your stories about people. Surely I can’t be the only Southwest passenger that tears up while I read your magazine. Brad Herzog’s “This is the Greatest Sports Tale Ever Told” was an amazing story to start my workweek. Thank you for sharing such wonderful history about the game of golf and an everlasting friendship. I actually took the magazine with me so I can share it with my children and friends. — CINDY CHIK AHIS A F U L L E R T O N , C A L I FO R N I A

You make us wish we were a weekly! REAL CONNECTIONS

I really liked your article “Inhuman Resources” [June 2013]. As an insurance broker, I make new contacts almost every day. As such, I’m often asked for help in making introductions to prospective employers, many of whom insist job applicants apply online. While I understand the need to help screen the sometimes thousands of résumés, one thing is certain: Few of these applicants make it to the next step without a connection within the organization. This was obvious in my daughter’s recent experience getting a coveted internship in Atlanta. She worked her tail off talking with people who know others in the organization. Had she not made several personal connections, she would not have that internship. Personal connections pay in just about everything we do! —KEVIN CUMMINGS PHOENIX

That’s so true, Kevin. “Friend” is still more than a verb.

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6/28/13 11:39 AM

PanamaCt

JUST FISHING

SKEE-BALL MEMORIES

Your story “Inhuman Resources” in the June issue is spot-on! I spent several months tailoring a résumé, navigating user-unfriendly career websites, and completing applications for position descriptions, only to be rejected in a matter of hours by a machine or, after several months, by a human via email! I only obtained the new position that I have through a referral—no posting, no website. I’ve been told by more than one recruiter that many posted positions are not available. Instead, many companies are fishing for talent with these listings or posting them because they are required to, despite their intention to fill them internally. Thank you for chronicling the fiasco that job seekers now face. Like your story says, let’s get the human back into Human Resources.

Your June article about the original length of Skee-Ball lanes [The Numbers] brought back a lot of memories. My dad would take my younger brother and me to play Skee-Ball in Coney Island, New York, when we were kids. As a child, he worked on the boardwalk there near the original Nathan’s restaurant. My dad passed away late last year, but thank you for bringing back a happy memory of him I forgot I had.

—DOUG THROCKMORTON DALL AS

Congrats on the human-enabled job!

—MARK HAMMOND SUNRISE, FLORIDA

We’re glad you could find in us a way to remember him, Mark. HOT (ROD) TIP

In April, I happened to be flying to Delray Beach, Florida, when I read the cover story on Rod Stewart impersonator George “Hot Rod” Orr [“Almost Famous”]. Inspired by the article, I went to see him perform and had a great evening in the

process. Thanks for the tip. In looking at your May issue online, it made me wish I had flown someplace that month, so I could pick one up. —J O A N N E AV E R Y OSTERVILLE, MASSACHUSET TS

Wow, then this August issue will really make you want to read the magazine in flight! We hope you do.

EDITOR’S NOTE Lt. Col. Mark Weber turned his terminal cancer into a mission, writing a best-selling book, Tell My Sons, which Spirit excerpted in the May issue. In working closely with Mark over the course of several weeks—weeks, it turns out, that were among his last—he showed not a flicker of infirmity or weariness. The story touched a chord with most readers, who laughed and cried along with Mark and his extraordinary family. Mark’s mission ended on June 13, when he passed from this life, surrounded by his family, with a view of his beloved garden. Godspeed, Mark. CORRECTION In the June article “Eat Like A Chef,” we misspelled the name of Josh Keeler, chef/owner of Two Boroughs Larder, in Charleston, South Carolina. We’re not just sorry, we’re surprised. His name is way easier to spell than the restaurant’s.

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Your Pictures

Hey, I Took That! PIC OF THE MONTH Framed by natural sandstone, your window to the world awaits at Arches National Park in Utah. Photo by Kunal Mehra; Portland, Oregon

Spirit readers hit us with their best shots.

RAISED RIGHT Little Stella is already working on her A-List status. Photo by Jamie Grolle; Las Vegas

CASE CRACKED Bird’s the word for this speckled spectacle, discovered in Mill Creek Park in Youngstown, Ohio. Photo by Ted Kadivar; Bradenton, Florida

Send Us Your Snaps Care to share? Go to spiritmag.com to submit your photos. If we select your snapshot as our pic of the month, we’ll send you a Spirit diner mug.

DO THE WAVE A patriotic sight on Pennsylvania Avenue during this year’s inauguration. Photo by David White; Baltimore

24 SPIRIT AUGUST 2013

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7/1/13 2:38 PM

HOW FAR WOULD

YOU GO ? FOR AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS. FOR UNPARALLELED EXPERTISE. FOR GROUNDBREAKING TREATMENT.

YOUR LIFE IS WORTH THE TRIP.

When it comes to your life, distance should never be a factor. As soon as you know you need help, come to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been innovating patient care at every point of the journey for over a century. That includes making your journey to us as easy as possible. Let us help you plan your trip. The sooner, the better the outcome.

For appointments, trip planning and more

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Media Center

Magic Kingdom

Let’s be clear: In suggesting that your kid get completely lost in Disney World, we don’t mean that Disney World. We’re talking about an imagination-expanding video game where players romp freely in the open landscapes of Cars, Monsters University, The Incredibles, and Pirates of the Caribbean, using a toy box full of familiar characters—Jack Sparrow, “Sully” Sullivan, even the underhanded and violet Randy Boggs (right)—to make up game play as they go along. Its name? Disney Infinity. And it goes beyond.

VIDEO GAME Disney Infinity

DATE

August 18

IN SIX WORDS

[Cue music] “Anything your heart desires ...”

GOOGLE HITS 26,300,000 gH

Win One!

Scan this tag or visit spirit mag.com/disney for a chance to win one of 20 copies of the video game Disney Infinity.

AUGUST 2013 SPIRIT

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7/9/13 11:00 AM

Music

Movie

DVD

Book

The Civil Wars

Elysium

The Mindy Project

Night Film

August 6

August 9

August 13

August 20

Americana couple make love, not ... well

Remember District 9? Freakin’ awesome, right?

Multi-culti. Antic. Thoughtful. Edgy. Bold. Hilarious.

This summer’s Gone Girl, they say

THE CAST

The Civil Wars, on The Civil Wars

Matt Damon, Jodie Foster

Mindy Kaling, Chris Messina

Writer Marisha Pessl

THE GIST

The second album from Joy Williams and John Paul White is here—despite news of their squabbling.

In 2154, the 1% live on a paradise hovering over ravaged Earth, and that really irks the other 99%.

A highly competent young ob-gyn (Kaling) is utterly incompetent when it comes to love.

Ashley’s death: a suicide or the sinister doings of her filmmaker dad? Turn off the lights, and find out.

12,000,000

18,100,000

18,700,000

28,000

The duo’s 2011 debut, Barton Hollow, won Grammys for Best Folk Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

Writer-director Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 was a Best Picture Oscar nominee and an unforgettable sci-fi thrill ride.

Kaling’s strident Kelly Kapoor was the best kind of irritant on The Office. On this fab Fox show, Kaling’s earthier. And funnier.

This is Pessl’s followup to Special Topics in Calamity Physics, which the NYT named one of the 10 best books of 2006.

DATE IN SIX WORDS

GOOGLE HITS

SELLING POINT

TV Breaking Bad, Season Five (Pt. 2) DATE August 11 IN SIX WORDS It’s curtains for the AMC hit THE CAST Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul THE GIST Season Five (Pt. 1) wrapped with Walt (Cranston) and Jesse (Paul) calling it quits on their crystal meth dealing and murderous deeds. That leaves the series’ final eight episodes to explore what, Albuquerque’s many fine eateries? SELLING POINT The show’s creator, Vince Gilligan, said he cried when he wrote the finale. Masses of Breaking Bad fans will be in tears, too, when this great and searing series goes away.

F3_MEDIACENTER_AUG_JM.indd 28

PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK OCKENFELS/AMC

Media Center

7/9/13 11:01 AM

experience

ThAT wIll TAKe YOU plACes (no passport needed)

Alabama Arizona Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Illinois Kentucky Maryland Michigan Missouri North Carolina New Jersey New York Nevada Ohio Texas Utah Virginia

Visit us online for menus, location details and information about current specials.

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E LE VATE

Frankie Moreno

You r E n t er t ain m en t E x p er ience

800.99.TOWER StratosphereHotel.com

Claire Sinclair in PIN UP

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David Perrico-Pop Evolution

6/28/13 3:13 PM

Eat Drink Sleep

DR I N K I N N E W OR L E A NS

Sherry Cobbler

an avenue to build a cocktail program around them. Cobblers made sense, especially in New Orleans, because snowballs— crushed ice topped with flavored syrup—are so popular here. A cobbler is like an adult version of a snowball. It’s cooling and low in alcohol: perfect for summer.”

WHO Kirk Estopinal, owner/operator WHERE Bellocq WEB thehotelmodern.com

2 orange wheels 3 ounces amontillado sherry 2 teaspoons superfine sugar

1. Muddle orange wheels in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add sherry and sugar, then fill with ice. Shake, then strain over pebbled ice.

2. Stir briefly, then garnish with grapes, an orange wedge, a strawberry, and a sprig of mint.

STYLING BY ROBIN FINLAY

“The cobbler is a style of cocktail that was extremely popular from the 1850s to the 1870s. It’s fortified wine with fresh fruit, sometimes a little bit of fruit cordial or liqueur—in this case we use superfine sugar as the sweetener—and lots of ice. It seems ridiculous, but the idea that you could drink your sherry, Madeira, or port with ice and a straw was a whole new thing at the time. My business partners and I are really into fortified wines, and we were looking for

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM VOORHES

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AUGUST 2013 SPIRIT

7/3/13 12:17 PM

Eat Drink Sleep

½ loaf artisanal bread 4 tablespoons good olive oil sea salt freshly ground pepper ½ bunch asparagus ½ lemon ½ cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes, and toss with E AT I N P ORT L A N D, OR

Asparagus Bread Salad

3 tablespoons olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toast at 375 degrees for 5 minutes, until bread is crisp around the edges but soft in the middle. Set aside to cool.

2. Thinly shave asparagus, reserving the tips. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and add salt and pepper to taste. 3. Toss bread cubes with cheese and asparagus. Squeeze lemon over the top. Garnish with asparagus tips and fresh herbs.

“Beast, my restaurant, is about bringing people closer to what’s in season from local farms. To do this, we use a six-course prix-fixe menu. The staff uses their creative spirit to make the most delicious food possible, and the customers don’t have to make any choices. Beast is incorrectly known as being meat-centric, perhaps because we have always showcased sustainable, locally raised meat, but we actually serve more vegetables than meat. Bread salad is a great way to show off good produce. It can be adjusted for every season, and it’s quick and easy to prepare. Oftentimes you can throw one together using ingredients you have lying around. The most important thing is to use the best bread, the freshest vegetables, and really good olive oil.”

STYLING BY ROBIN FINLAY

WHO Naomi Pomeroy, chef/owner WHERE Beast WEB beastpdx.com

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM VOORHES

7/3/13 12:21 PM

Remembering

50 YEARS OF COURAGE WITH A YEAR YOU’LL NEVER FORGET

Join us this year as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham. FOR A COMPLETE CALENDAR OF EVENTS PLEASE VISIT 50YEARSFORWARD.COM

THROUGH

SEPT.

Race: Are We So Different? Interactive exhibits, historical artifacts, compelling photographs and multimedia presentations offer visitors an eye-opening look at this important subject matter. THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2 • MCWANE SCIENCE CENTER

BEGINS

To Kill a Mockingbird

The stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel will feature special guests Mary Badham (Scout in the 1962 film) and Doug Jones, prosecuting attorney of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombers.

SEPT.

SEPTEMBER 12 – 22 • VIRGINIA SAMFORD THEATRE

THROUGH

NOV.

Marching On: The Children’s Movement at 50 Sponsored by Birmingham Coca-Cola, this exhibit tells the story of The Children’s Crusade, when young black students of Birmingham took to the streets for the cause of civil rights. THROUGH NOVEMBER 30 • BIRMINGHAM CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE

SEPT.

50th Anniversary The official marking of the 50th anniversary of the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Major speakers of numerous denominations will pray for peace, understanding and tolerance. SEPTEMBER 15 • SIXTEENTH STREET BAPTIST CHURCH

BEGINS

Etched In Collective History

Etched in Collective History presents artists who interrogate, depict and memorialize the Civil Rights Movement, reflecting a multi-generational response to the Movement—particularly the horrific Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing.

AUG.

AUGUST 18 – NOVEMBER 17 • BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART

AUG.

SEPT.

Birmingham’s Sidewalk Film Festival hosts free simultaneous screenings of Spike Lee’s acclaimed film 4 Little Girls, a documentary about the notorious racially motivated bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.

BEGINS

OCT.

SEPTEMBER 8– DECEMBER 2 • BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART

Question Bridge: Black Males This trans-media art project counters established notions of Black masculinity in the U.S., tackling issues like race, class, and sexuality with humorous, painful and poignant results. Come experience the exchange among subjects of the project. OCTOBER 6 – DECEMBER 29 • BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART

Dawoud Bey: The Birmingham Project Acclaimed photographer Dawoud Bey presents an arresting exhibit of portraits that symbolically commemorates the victims of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing and the further violence it inspired.

A More Convenient Season: World Premiere of a New Work of Hope & Healing. This performance features the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Choir, incorporating historical sound recordings from the library of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. SEPTEMBER 21 • ALYS STEPHENS CENTER

4 Little Girls: We Reflect. We Respond.

AUGUST 21 • CITYWIDE

BEGINS

SEPT.

A More Convenient Season

BEGINS

OCT.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham –1963 The acclaimed theatre mounts the Birmingham premiere of Reginald Andre Jackson’s adaptation of Christopher Paul Curtis’s popular, award-winning young adult novel. OCTOBER 7 – 19 • BIRMINGHAM CHILDREN’S THEATRE AT THE BJCC

Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau • 800.458.8085 • inbirmingham.com

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Eat Drink Sleep

Terranea

While You’re There HOT SPOT

Terranea is home to 137 fire pits.

Situated on a peninsula 30 miles southwest of L.A., this Mediterranean-inspired escape is well on its way to grande dame status, despite its tender age of 4. Adventure-types can try their (gloved) hand at falconry or embark on an ocean kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding excursion; kids can careen down the 140-foot water slide or explore Pacific tide pools; and for solace-seekers, there are photography classes and plein air painting sessions. Unveiled this spring, The Bungalows at Terranea offer total Zen immersion: Reserve one of the sprawling oceanfront abodes, and enjoy unlimited access to the 50,000-square-foot spa, a 24-hour personal concierge, and freshly brewed tea at turndown. Still stressed out? Sign up for a multiday wellness retreat, complete with a customized schedule of spa and fitness experiences. Ahhh, yeah.

WATCH for whales from

atop the 67-foot-tall Point Vicente Lighthouse. Built in 1926, the landmark is still in service and open to the public on the second Saturday of each month. vicentelight.org

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF TERRANEA

S L E E P I N R A NC HO PA L O S V E R DE S, C A

STROLL the 87-acre Eden that is South Coast Botanic Garden, where you can admire 300 varieties of roses. southcoastbotanicgarden.org

TEE OFF at Terranea’s

par-3 course, or, if you’re hankering for a full 18, head down Palos Verdes Drive to the Pete Dye–designed Trump National Golf Club. trumpnationallosangeles.com

AIRPORT Los Angeles International (LAX) RATE From $385 WEB terranea.com

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Time for a wake-up call. We have the lowest hotel rates, guaranteed.

If you find a lower rate on the same room elsewhere, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll refund the difference! Plus, earn Rapid Rewards points and with many of our hotels, enjoy the flexibility to pay at hotel checkout. Rest easy when you book your next hotel at southwest.com.

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The Numbers

It cost Ray Bradbury

$9.80

to write Fahrenheit 451.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM VOORHES

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Apparently the price of success is just under $10—or 10 cents per half hour if you want to get technical. That’s how much the late author Ray Bradbury paid in 1951 to rent a typewriter in the basement of UCLA’s Powell Library, where, over the course of nine days, he shaped his masterwork of 20thcentury literature. “When the timer on the typewriter would end, he’d go upstairs and read Shakespeare, Poe, Dickens, Melville—all the classics,” says Bradbury’s biographer Sam Weller. “He’d read and read, then rush downstairs when inspiration struck.” Bradbury, who would’ve turned 93 this month, composed his acclaimed dystopian novel about book burning in just 49 hours. First published in 1953, it has been translated into 35 languages and sold tens of millions of copies. That’s quite the payout on an investment of less than a ten spot.

AUGUST 2013 SPIRIT

7/3/13 11:56 AM

The Numbers

The most expensive nail polish costs

$250,000 If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, this lustrous lacquer would have to be a close second. L.A.-based jeweler Azature Pogosian’s Azature Black Diamond nail polish contains 267 carats of powdered black diamonds, features a platinum cap bedazzled with 60 hand-set sparklers, and leaves behind the sort of sumptuous sheen only money can buy. On the

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chance that you don’t have a quarter of a million dollars at your fingertips, a $25 alternative is available in “seven opulent shades,” each bottle with its own black diamond carefully placed inside. Luxury and affordability in one pretty package? Nailed it.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS PLAVIDAL

7/3/13 12:13 PM

TODAY I AM... SENSUAL

EPIC

MYSTERIOUS WHIMSICAL

at New York-New York Hotel & Casino

at MGM Grand

at The Mirage

Luxor

at Bellagio

at ARIA Resort & Casino

at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino

at Treasure Island

SENSUAL

EPIC

GROOVY

MYSTERIOUS

AQUATIC

SURREAL

IMMERSIVE

WHIMSICAL

Summer of Cirque Tickets Starting From $50* cirquedusoleil.com/summer For tickets: 866-230-4394 Mention “Summer” *Offer valid for select performances through August 31, 2013. Subject to availability. Price does not include tax or fees. Valid for select seating areas. Cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. Offer is not valid for previously purchased tickets or gift certificates. Management reserves all rights. Certain blackout dates may apply which include holidays. Offer excludes "O" and Michael Jackson ONE.

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The Numbers

Beer was brewed as early as

12,000

years ago.

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And all these years later, we’re still buzzing. Recent archaeological digs in the eastern Mediterranean have turned up what appear to be primitive brewing tools, suggesting that people were sampling fermented fruit (or grain) as far back as the Epipaleolithic era. However, there is debate over whether grain was used for making beer before it was used for making bread. “I think it was being used for beer or, more appropriately, for feasting,” says archaeologist Brian Hayden, who has contributed to the knowledge in support of this theory. “Feasts were a means of organizing people, similar to a democratic congress. The addition of beer made them a much more effective tool.” Apparently, some things never change.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DARREN BRAUN

7/9/13 9:31 AM

TODAY I AM... GROOVY AQUATIC

Pl N o ay w in g

IMMERSIVE SURREAL

at New York-New York Hotel & Casino

at MGM Grand

at The Mirage

Luxor

at Bellagio

at ARIA Resort & Casino

at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino

at Treasure Island

SENSUAL

EPIC

GROOVY

MYSTERIOUS

AQUATIC

SURREAL

IMMERSIVE

WHIMSICAL

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Wise Guide

Wacky Wordsmiths In the case of four famed writers, peculiarity is the mother of invention. Match the author to the oddity. The Writers A. FRIEDRICH SCHILLER was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. Among his famous works are the play William Tell and the poem “Ode to Joy.” B. VICTOR HUGO, the French poet, playwright, and novelist, penned many pieces during the Romantic Movement that still resonate today. He is perhaps best known for The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Misérables. C. VIRGINIA WOOLF, a British modernist, wrote many groundbreaking pieces, from her famous novel Mrs. Dalloway to the pioneering essay “A Room of One’s Own.” D. EDGAR ALLAN POE, who is often credited with inventing the detective genre, produced major works of criticism, poetry, and prose during his brief lifetime.

Celia Johnson is the author of Odd Type Writers: ... the Obsessive Habits and Quirky Techniques of Great Authors.

The Quirks 1. ____ “With a sister who painted at an easel, this author believed the only way to ‘set matters on an equal footing’ was to work at a desk that was 3 ½ feet high,” Johnson says. “The novelist also preferred to write in purple ink rather than standard blue or black.”

2 . ____ “A beloved pet named Catterina climbed onto this author’s shoulders during long stretches of writing. The affectionate feline would sit there ‘purring as if in complacent approval of the work proceeding under its supervision,’ observed one visitor.”

3 . ____ “This author wrote mostly at night. After growing tired, the dedicated writer routinely plunged both feet into a bucket of cold water to stay awake. The author also kept a stash of rotten apples in a desk drawer, apparently unable to work without the foul aroma wafting through the study.”

4 . ____ “Under contract to produce a novel, this writer was threatened by the publisher with hefty late fines. The author locked up all clothing so that leaving the house was not an option. Wrapped in a large, gray shawl, the novelist completed the final pages just in time.” Answers: 1. C, 2. D, 3. A, 4. B ILLUSTRATION BY FRANCESCO POROLI

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AUGUST 2013 SPIRIT

6/25/13 4:36 PM

Wise Guide

Swatch & Learn Home style expert Emily Henderson shares her tips for achieving color palette perfection. 4 3

with 1 Start What You Love

“The easiest way to choose a base color, which anchors your palette, is to think about your wardrobe,” Henderson says. “What’s the most prevalent shade in your closet? What hue are you drawn to when shopping? If you’re still stumped, look at recent pictures of yourself to see if you notice a pattern. Once you determine your base color, work it into the room with wall paint, area rugs, or a large piece of furniture, like a sofa or an armchair.”

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Highlights 2 Add and Lowlights

“These are lighter and darker shades of your base color that can be added in the form of rugs, curtains, throw pillows, artwork, accessories, or some combination of these. The most naturallooking rooms don’t have palettes that precisely mimic the color cards you find at home improvement stores. As long as your highlights and lowlights are in the same color family, you’re all set.”

3 Combine Warm and Cool

“Blues, greens, purples, and silver metallics are cool tones, while oranges, yellows, reds, pinks, gold metallics, and browns—including wood— are warm. An inviting space has a combination of both, but not necessarily in equal amounts. As a general rule, cool tones are more calming, and warm tones are more exciting. Too much of either will make a room feel offkilter, so it’s important to create a good mix.”

4 Introduce an Accent

“This is a hue you can change out depending on your mood or the season. As long as it’s in the opposite spectrum of your main color it will work. Think hot pink with navy or yellow with purple. Adding color increases busyness, so if your space feels too chaotic with an accent, remove it.” Emily Henderson is the host of HGTV’s Secrets From A Stylist and the writer of the blog stylebyemily henderson.com.

ILLUSTRATION BY ARTHUR MOUNT

6/25/13 4:25 PM

SANTA FE’S PLAYGROUND

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Wise Guide

Square Routes Think inside the box, not out. Innovation guru Drew Boyd offers five ways to find big ideas right under your nose. Eliminate the Essential “Think of

a product,” Boyd says. “Now, imagine it without its core component. This forces you to examine what’s left and see if it provides some new benefit. For example, when Sony removed the speakers and recording function of a cassette deck, they created the Walkman.”

Make a Copy “Another strategy for summoning creativity is to duplicate part of a product, then qualitatively change it. Ben Franklin created bifocals by copying an optical lens suited for distance, then modifying it so that one could see up close when looking through the bottom of it.”

Unify Tasks “You can give a product

an additional function by stealing the job of something external. The PlayPump, a sustainable water-pumping system used in Africa, is disguised as a playground fixture: the roundabout. As children spin it, they’re also pumping water out of a well and into a holding tank for their village.”

Dare to Rearrange “Reorganizing

the parts of a product or the steps of a process is another way to innovate. Think about the control buttons on a television. When you remove them from the TV and put them elsewhere in the room, you create a remote control.”

Create Dependency “This involves forming correlations between product attributes. The key phrase is, ‘As one thing changes, another thing changes.’ Smartphones are equipped with many such dependencies: the ringtone changes based on who’s calling, apps function differently based on a user’s geolocation, etc.”

Drew Boyd is the co-author of Inside the Box: A Proven System of Creativity for Breakthrough Results.

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ILLUSTRATION BY THE WORKS

6/26/13 12:09 PM

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Up Close and

PER SONA L



TIPS FROM IJL DATING EXPERT

elieve it or not, your computer screen may be getting in the way of your dating life. While we may use technology to stay “connected” to friends and family, when it comes to meeting potential partners, the digital world obscures the thing that matters most: chemistry.

To get a pulse on today’s dating scene, we talked to Cindy Herington, one of the many dating experts at It’s Just Lunch, the world’s largest personalized matchmaking service. Here she explains why you should ditch the laptop for the tabletop.

Ditch the Laptop

The premise of It’s Just Lunch is simple: a lunch date or drink after work is the ideal first date. It’s a no pressure, relaxed setting where you can actually talk face-to-face. “Real chemistry happens in person,” Herington says. “You may be having a great online relationship, but when you finally meet, you discover that the person you’ve spent so much time

The online buzz about It’s Just Lunch:

Favorite part of air travel is reading the ad for @Its_Just_Lunch, —@ponybear, via Twitter

“I joined … because I just didn’t have enough time to go out and meet people and I wanted a fun way to meet like minded professionals in a relaxed setting on my time frame. I’m hundred percent satisfied so far...” —Justin, on consumeraffairs.com

Promotion

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5 TIPS FOR MODERN DATING with in cyberspace is nothing like what you imagined.” Replace those digital emoticons with a no pressure, casual lunch date and you’ll know immediately if you should take it to the next level.

Get a Wingman (or Wingwoman)

It’s Just Lunch’s clients often refer to their matchmakers as their “dating wingmen” (or wingwomen) because they handle all of the dating logistics. Herington describes her role, saying, “We’re genuinely interested in understanding our clients. We listen. We really get to know your personality and what you’re looking for in that significant other.” Every IJL match is hand-selected. There’s no online profile for the world to see and it’s all confidential. After the date, It’s Just Lunch matchmakers receive feedback from each client in order to fine-tune their next match. “We offer something online services don’t: someone to talk to,” Herington says. Imagine having a full-time dating wingwoman who really understands you, working for you while you’re focusing on your career and personal obligations.

“IT’S JUST LUNCH HELPS YOU MAKE TIME FOR THE THINGS THAT MATTER...”

Boost Your Dating ROI

Who wants to spend hours sifting through online profiles and trying to connect via email, pokes and winks? You don’t have time to waste playing digital guessing games and meeting the wrong people. When you’re investing your time and energy in something important, you deserve a strong return. With IJL’s personalized match selection

and date coordination, clients are able to save valuable time and energy. “After we select your match, we’ll describe the person to you and confirm a convenient time and place for you to meet. All you have to do is show up and have fun meeting someone new,” Herington says. Less time searching equals more time dating. That’s realized ROI.

Date Smarter

Herington reminds singles who contact her that they can have a career and a relationship. They just have to “date smarter.” “If finding someone to share your life with is important to you, you can make time and have it all,” she says. “If you don’t have time to do your taxes, you hire a CPA. If you don’t have time to manage your investments, you hire a financial planner. It’s Just Lunch helps you make time for the things that matter. IJL helps you date smarter.” Since It’s Just Lunch matchmakers take care of all the matching and logistics, you can focus on finding that elusive chemistry in the offline world. IJL is a better, smarter way to date and increase your odds of finding that someone special.

MIXING BUSINESS AND DATING? Does the time that a potential partner travels for business affect your willingness to pursue a relationship? Yes, I prefer potential partners

16% to be more accessible.

No, a partner on frequent business

27% related trips does not bother me.

busy myself, so if a partner is gone 32% Iforama week at a time, I am okay with that! busy, but expect a potential partner 25% Itoam be local more often than traveling.

Do you prefer to date someone in the same industry as you or in a different profession altogether? Similar line of work and position Same industry 10%

Different industry

10% 10%

70%

Similar line of work but different position

Would you date one of your company’s clients or potential clients? No. It’s unprofessional. Yes. But I would keep work and play separate.

Connect

Herington says that her clients often wished they had contacted her sooner. “Most of them didn’t realize how easy and enjoyable It’s Just Lunch dating can be,” she says. All it takes is a simple phone call and a conversation with an IJL Dating Specialist to jump start your dating life. Over the past 21 years, It’s Just Lunch has been creating exciting connections (arranging more than two million first dates) in over 150 cities around the world. What are you waiting for? Get in touch with It’s Just Lunch at 1-800-858-6526 or visit www. ItsJustLunch.com.

30.9% 38.9% 26.1% 18.5% Men

Yes. And I would 1.6% give them add’l business if helped seal the deal. 0.3% Yes. I would consider if the situation felt appropriate, but not exchange for any business favors.

Women 41.4% 42.3%

10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

It’s Just Lunch Dating Specialists:

Amy Brinkman

Betty Sinclair

Sara Darling

Source: IJL Survey of 4400 singles

800.858.6526 · ItsJustLunch.com FIND 150 cities · 21 years experience IJL

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Business

L E S S ON

Marty Sklar, Walt Disney’s legendary creative director

Is taking risks worth risking failure? “The only people who don’t fail are the people who aren’t doing anything. Those who make the giant leaps in business are the ones willing to try something new. Disneyland, which opened in 1955, was probably the biggest risk anybody had ever taken in the entertainment business. In the 1950s, amusement parks were a dying industry. When Walt told his wife what he was planning to do, even she said, ‘Why would you want to do that? Those places are so dirty, and the people in them are so nasty.’ And Walt said, ‘Well, mine’s not going to be that way.’ He made that promise come true.” After 50-plus years of turning dreams into reality at Disney, Marty Sklar works as a consultant in the themed-entertainment industry. His memoir, Dream It! Do It!: My Half-Century Creating Disney’s Magic Kingdoms, is being published this month. ILLUSTRATION BY MELINDA JOSIE

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Eater, a mobile companion to the popular foodie website,

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Business

I T I N E R A RY

Fort Point This emerging Boston enclave is situated a stone’s throw from the convention center.

6 PM CHECK-IN

8 AM PICK-ME-UP

12 PM SOUVENIR

7 PM EVENING EATS

9 PM NIGHTCAP

Housed in a centuryold warehouse, the just-opened Marriott Residence Inn Seaport feels like anything but a chain hotel. Rooms sport soaring ceilings, exposed brick, and clean-lined kitchens, and the glassy atrium exudes an industrial feel. Take advantage of the free breakfast and evening social hour. If you’re staying awhile, ask to have your kitchen stocked with groceries. From $399; marriott.com

Beans from a rotating roster of independent suppliers are ground to order at Flour Bakery + Cafe, where you can pair your joe with a fresh croissant or sticky bun. Next door, gourmet grocer Bee’s Knees Supply Company opens at 7 and offers a sweet selection of fresh-squeezed juices and smoothies. flourbakery.com, beeskneessupply.com

Run by volunteers, Made in Fort Point sells and exhibits the wares of more than 75 neighborhood artists. The collection spans from photographs and prints to clothing and furniture. Don’t miss Nicole Aquillano’s porcelain dishes, hand-painted with images of local architecture, and Carol Bugarin’s intricate jewelry (she shapes each glass bead by hand). fortpointarts.org

Sportello is the Italian word for counter service. But don’t let the name fool you—the trattoriastyle fare at Barbara Lynch’s modern diner is rungs above standard luncheonette grub. (Think duck rillettes and tagliatelle Bolognese.) Arrive early for a tipple at Drink. Located downstairs, it’s one of Beantown’s best craft-cocktail spots. barbaralynch.com

There’s no sign outside for Lucky’s Lounge. Enter at the corner of Congress and A Street, and descend the stairs into the lowlit, subterranean space, known for comfort food and classic drinks. Local musicians cover Sinatra tunes two nights a week (and during Sunday brunch). Step up to the brick-backed bar, order an Old Fashioned, and party like it’s 1959. luckyslounge.com

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ILLUSTRATION BY KELLI ANDERSON

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Business SCHOOL

Striking Out A field of dreams beckons to entrepreneurs. The question is, are you game? BY JILL COODY SMITS

ACK IN THE 1990s, you totally invented Tae Bo in the backyard of your frat house. Since then, you’ve mentally launched reality television, ginormous foil-wrapped burritos, and a photo-sharing app you dubbed ClickaPicAndSendItQuick. In fact, you’ve had enough billion-dollar ideas to headline five years’ worth of TED Talks. So how is it that some other joker brought your brainchildren to the market first? While it’s possible those other guys stole your ideas and robbed you of your birthright, it may also be attributable to a personality

POINT TAKEN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY FREDRIK BRODÉN

There are several keys to being a successful entrepreneur.

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Business that’s more “idea man” than entrepreneur. “Some people are action-oriented while others are thought-oriented. For thought-oriented people, it can be difficult to switch into the mode of doing something,” says Art Markman, professor of psychology and marketing at The University of Texas at Austin and author of Habits of Leadership.

The ability to recognize personal weakness is key to successful entrepreneurs. In addition to being a “doer,” Markman says traits like risk tolerance, extraversion, and openness to experience are key to the successful entrepreneur’s person-

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ality because they “must be willing to step out and evangelize for a new venture knowing it might fail.” So what does an adventurous, thrill-seeking evangelist look like in real life? What tools do they use to liberate their bright ideas from the shadow of self-doubt? Here’s a hint: Rose-colored glasses come in handy; harebrained dreams to be the solitary and supreme commander of your own empire, not so much. THE POSTER CHILD Harvard- and Yale-educated lawyer Mee-Jung Jang says she dreamed up wedding-planning site Voncierge.com while planning her own big day. “I couldn’t understand why I could only get in touch with vendors over the phone during work hours when I was used to booking online on my own time,” she says. But rather than just griping to friends about inconvenient florist appointments like other frustrated brides-to-be, Jang quit her Manhattan law firm job to focus on bringing high tech to the wedding industry. Sound risky? “It was a huge step to leave a well-paying job,” Jang admits, “but I’ve always been driven to follow my interests. I envisioned a world where planning a wedding would be easy and decided I would regret it if I didn’t try.” Markman says that while motivations vary, Jang’s impulse is a common characteristic of successful entrepreneurs because they often “believe they can see the future more clearly and desire to change people’s lives.” In addition to having some traits that fall right in line with

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Markman’s vision of the successful entrepreneur, Jang lacks others that might hinder her. For example, Markman says entrepreneurs are better off being a tad laid-back because “highly conscientious people dislike breaking the mold and tend to hew closely to the rules. Managers are usually high in conscientiousness.” While Jang says her law firm job demanded attention to minutiae, she has become much more open to imperfection during her experience with Voncierge. “It was difficult in the beginning because I wanted things to be perfect, but I’ve learned to focus on the big picture and go with it.” TURNING TO TECH WILDCATTERS Of course, even if you’re lucky enough to be action-oriented, expert in openness, just right in conscientiousness, and have a great idea, it’s also helpful to have financial backing, skills, and training. So Jang did another thing successful entrepreneurs do—she turned to others when she needed help. Specifically, she turned to Dallasbased Tech Wildcatters, a businessto-business seed accelerator that has invested in and mentored 34 startups over the past five years. And while its daunting 4- to 6percent acceptance rate might dissuade many from even applying, Jang says she went for it because she knew it could provide things she couldn’t do on her own. “I’m not someone who thinks she has to get it all done on her own. I definitely work hard, but I know when I need to ask others for help.” Markman says that ability to recognize personal weakness is key to successful entrepreneurs. “In business, you need people who complement rather than magnify your strengths. You can try to retrain yourself, but that’s a long

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Business process, and in a startup your clock is running.” THE ENTREPRENEUR’S ENTREPRENEUR If anyone understands what makes an entrepreneur tick, it’s Tech Wildcatters co-founder and managing partner Gabriella Draney. At 35 years old, she’s made a successful career of starting businesses, and now she’s helping others start successful businesses. That’s a lot of success, and a lot of people with big ideas and high hopes. So just how important does a person who spawns entrepreneurs for a living think personality is to success? Draney says, “The whole CEO thing is about 90 percent mental and managed from your own crazy psyche. The rest is execution.” In Draney’s opinion, the primary attribute successful entrepreneurs need to have is optimism, and they need it in spades. “More often than

There is a tremendous difference between being risk-tolerant and being unreservedly risky. not, entrepreneurs are going to get kicked down rather than held up, so you have to have crazy optimism, a huge belief in yourself, and be able to change easily.” She has seen the value of a positive outlook in Tech Wildcatters participants as well as her own numerous startup ventures. She says, “Even when things aren’t so great, I believe it will eventually turn around, and it usually does.” Optimism is an approach to work and success Jang understands as well. “Sometimes what I think is achievable is different from what other people think. I’ve always considered myself a lucky person, but maybe that’s because hard work makes it seem like a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Draney also says resourcefulness, resilience, and the ability to stay ahead of things is key to being a successful wildcatter. Traits that aren’t helpful? “Expecting a six-figure salary, playing the blame game, and negativity. As CEO, everything falls on your shoulders, good or bad.” THE RICHARD BRANSON EFFECT Who doesn’t love a brash entrepreneur story? Richard Branson ballooning across the Atlantic, Larry Ellison obsessing over the America’s Cup, Tom Cruise breaking pretty much all the rules in Risky Business. Even the name Tech Wildcatters implies thrill seeking and audacity. But there is a tremendous difference between being risk-tolerant and

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being unreservedly risky. A 2010 study found that while a propensity for risk-taking is associated with entrepreneurial intentions, it is not necessarily related to performance. It may seem sort of “duh” that you’d have to be willing to take a risk to leave a steady job and bank on so many unknowns, but once you’ve made that first move, being risky doesn’t necessarily ensure success. For example, though Draney does have the extreme hobby of kiteboarding, she views her approach to business as a very calculated risk. “If I worked for one company, I’d feel like all my eggs were in one basket. If I got fired, I’d have to build a whole new network; now I know many people who appreciate my skills.” KNOW THYSELF So you have a great idea. Do Billy Blanks, Steve Ells, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger and MeeJung Jang have something you don’t have but need? Only you can know the answer to that question, and if you don’t already, Markman says it’s important that you try and figure it out. “I’m a big believer in getting to know yourself and assessing your strengths and weaknesses. The line between success and failure is rarely ‘the technology doesn’t work as advertised.’ It’s almost always about the person.” If you do think you have “it” and think the entrepreneurial life is for you, take heed of Gabriella Draney’s Yoda-like words of wisdom about entrepreneurship: “It’s a journey all its own. When someone sees that anything is possible and they find out their true power, it kind of scares them.” May the force be with you. Jill Coody Smits is a Dallas-based journalist. Find her online at blueseedcommunications.com.

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REARING UP

Plunkett family matriarch, Cristine, comes from generations of circus performers. 62 SPIRIT AUGUST 2013

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THE GREATEST SHOW ON TURF There’s clowning around, of course. But keeping a small family circus thriving in America is a high-wire act of faith and will. BY JASON FEIFER PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN DONNELL

AUGUST 2013 SPIRIT

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hundred years ago, the littlest circuses called themselves “mud shows.” Unlike the biggest of the big tops, which toured by railroad, these were the circuses that traveled by wagon into the great recesses of America, driving their stakes into the ground wherever they could. They called themselves mud shows because that’s often what they were. And on days like today—a wet June Saturday in Gretna, Nebraska—that’s what they still are. Which is why Jesse Plunkett is walking the perimeter of a high school football field without as much as a raincoat, as the open sky treats him like a crop. He’s a 19-year-old, fifth-generation circus performer. They didn’t get this far by hiding under umbrellas. “It’s a struggle,” he says. “Every day when you wake up, you don’t know what’s going to happen. Rain’s the one problem I can’t really fix.” Jesse moves with purpose—not the swagger of a teen marking his territory but the confidence of one who has territory. He’s the boss’ son, but he’s quickly becoming the boss himself, leading a team of 25 through two daily shows, about 20 weeks out of the year. He starts this Saturday by helping to unload hay from a truck and move it beneath a tarp where eleven ponies await their breakfast. From there, he wends his way through

the circus’s cluster of trailers—there’s one with eight tigers, another with two bears—and out to review the equipment his modest crew has already set up. The James Cristy Cole Circus looks nothing like Ringling Bros.; it shape-shifts, hiring performers and animals to fill whateversize gigs it can find in heartland America. Today it’s looking rather dinky: just three traditional circus rings sans tent, a tiger cage, an angular rig for the aerialist, and a handful of other props spread out on Gretna High’s characterless practice field. Directly across the street is a row of suburban homes. Jesse once fostered plans for ambitiously remaking the family business. In a closed universe where most circus kids are home-schooled, it was a rare achievement when, last year, he enrolled at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and took freshman classes in economics. Among his aspirations were to become a mar-

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STEP RIGHT UP

On the grass in Nebraska, Jesse Plunkett is a natural. AUGUST 2013 SPIRIT

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keting expert and to use that knowledge to book more shows, eventually earning enough money to buy a tent and put to an end the rain cancellations that cripple his family’s bottom line. Even Business 101 principles began to pay dividends. A lesson in supply and demand was quickly relayed to his dad, James, whose stock of cotton candy was running low. James raised the price to $4 from its usual $3—and the sweets sold out. “Supply and demand, man,” he told his son. But after a semester and a half on SMU’s leafy, urban campus, Jesse felt overwhelmed and out of place, and decided he didn’t need a college degree to help his family. So he quit school in April and rejoined his circus. Today, the unrelenting rain will take away what he loves most: the show. With no performance left to prepare for, Jesse trudges through the thick, wet grass, past an attentive camel, and toward the semi that holds props and then some. “This is the man cave,” he

James says with a wheezy laugh, the mark of guy who has spent his life as a garrulous showman. They wed in 1991, after failed first marriages to other people. He was 35, and she was 28—so a union, James jokes, was “more respectable.” “We decided that we had everything in common,” Cristine remembers. “We both wanted children very bad, so we didn’t waste time.” Three babies later—Jesse’s sister, Star, is the firstborn, Jesse is the middle child, and Cole is the youngest—the couple did what came naturally and started a circus of their own. In need of a name, they stitched together the James Cristy Cole Circus and put in place a rule that most of their peers do not: The children would go to school full-time in their rural home of Mabank, Texas, and only join the circus during vacations. “It’s very addicting,” James says. “When you go in front of 6,000 people, and they give you a big round of applause, that’s instant gratification.”

“The circus life is a hard life—well, it’s a good life,” says family patriarch James Plunkett. “Who said a hard life isn’t a good life?” says, swinging open the truck door and revealing a living space of maybe 100 square feet. The walls and floor are faded to a dull gray, and the only food in sight is a value-size box of Apple Jacks. Jesse’s 14-year-old brother, Cole, is planted in the middle of the tight space, playing Mortal Kombat on a small television that rests next to the kitchen sink. Jesse sleeps on a tattered couch embroidered with cheesy palm trees; Cole’s mattress is jammed into a loft above the bathroom. “We don’t live glamorously,” Jesse says. “I live in the front end of a semi, which for me is perfect.” “Yeah,” says Cole, who, in four years, will face the same decision Jesse just had to make about his future. “It’s perfect.”

HE PLUNKETTS TRACE their performing roots to the late 1800s. At that time there were more than 100 small circuses trawling the country. Now there are maybe 25, the survivors of changing times, mostly serving the parts of America that Cirque du Soleil won’t bother with. James and Cristine, Jesse’s parents, met when they were 11 and 4, respectively. They both came from circus families. “It was love at first sight,”

This is James’ own adolescence talking: Long before he grew a belly, he toured the world performing a popular tightrope act in which he’d appear to drunkenly stumble from perilous heights. “I knew that once they got a taste of that, it was over.” It’s not that James and Cristine wanted their children banished from circus life. They encour-

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IT’S SHOWTIME!

The Plunketts (and Rascal) always aim to please. So does Tebor the bear.

aged them to perfect their own acts: acrobatics for Jesse and Cole, dog-training and Hula-Hooping for Star. But they wanted their kids to see the world, too, and to choose a path that could take them beyond the big top. “The circus is a hard life—well, it’s a good life,” James says. “Who said a hard life isn’t a good life?” However, that life now comes with skyrocketing insurance and gasoline costs and an increasingly fierce struggle to find paying gigs. James figured the Plunkett circus legacy would end with him. Star was the first to prove him wrong. She took little interest in academics but turned out to be a natural with ponies. Jesse was different. He had extracurricular interests and was a born athlete.

At age 7, when he asked his mother if he could take karate lessons, she hadn’t any idea that kids could do such a thing. Jesse went on to become the captain of his high school football team, the prom king, and the fifth-ranked academic in his graduating class of 250. Harvard wait-listed him. When Jesse entered SMU, his entire extended family cheered. He was the Plunkett finally meant to break away. Until he wasn’t. For Jesse, SMU was less about finding a new future and more about comparison shopping. Back in the man cave, he puts it this way: “If you manage to find something you love more, then that thing has gotta be pretty good. Because this life I have is already great.” He tried. He pictured himself as a doctor, a lawyer, an architect. He sat imagining new lives because he believed his family expected it of him. But that word love was a bar he had already hurdled. All that was left for him to do was make peace with the idea that the circus’s three rings suit him best. He’s still working on it. “By taking the one option I’ve always had,” he says, “I kind of feel like I’ve let my parents down.” Cole, who’s been discreetly listening, puts his game of Mortal Kombat on pause. “Mom always talks about you,” he says to his older brother. “How she’s proud of you—about all the work you’re doing.” “She just never tells me to my face,” Jesse snaps. It’s a rare moment in which he very much seems the 19-year-old he is—one under uncommon pressure. Catching himself, he goes on softly. “She’s been the most wonderful mom anyone can ask for. It really makes it where I want to be around my family a lot.” AUGUST 2013 SPIRIT

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He tells a story of how, just a few days before, in the middle of a 4 p.m. show, he ran into his parents’ trailer to make a costume change. “They were in there napping on the couch—in the middle of the pony act!” he says and laughs. Careful not to wake them, he quietly lifted his costume and raced back out to the show. That catnap would have been unimaginable a few years ago, but Jesse’s now there to ease his parents’ burden. “It’s good to be able to give them that,” he says, “because they’ve given me so much.”

HE WORD “TRADITION” is spoken regularly by the Plunkett family. It isn’t used in a stuffy way, like old-money types gassing on about decorum. It’s shorthand for the circus, the itinerant lifestyle, the craft, the heritage—all of which are sources of great pride for them. “I’m thrilled to death that Jesse wants to carry on the tradition,” Cristine says, even though she dearly wanted her son to finish his schooling. This is the weight of carrying forward a family legacy, the fine line between inherited responsibility and personal sacrifice. The Plunketts’ ancestors traveled by wagon. They entered the circus by accident—one was a dishwasher working for Buffalo Bill, the other a velvet-voiced panhandler literally kidnapped and forced to sing on the road. Each had children who grew up knowing little else but the circus life. And how carefree that once must have been, back when clowns and jugglers were in demand because mass entertainment was harder to come by. The Plunketts’ ancestors lived in a younger country, one with less upward mobility. Their roles were clear; their paths fixed. Jesse’s challenge is more complex: In going to college, he was encouraged to step beyond a community in which he already knew his place. “All of a sudden you’ve got to rebuild, you know? And find your identity,” he says. In high school, he was a big man on campus—the star jock, a promising scholar, the circus kid, a rural success story. At SMU, among the children of Dallas’ elite? “It seemed like the kids there were entitled to be there. One’s mom is the CEO of Victoria’s Secret. He lived in my dorm. I was like, ‘Your mom owns Victoria’s Secret?’ It’s heavy-duty; heavy-duty people. And I was like, ‘My dad owns a circus.’” Plenty of college kids plow through these crises of self and set a course for their adult lives. If Jesse were just another boy shocked to discover that his strutting high school persona amounted to nothing in college, he might have toughed

it out. But the circus offered an escape from the disorientation SMU stirred in him; it gave him a purpose. In bailing, Jesse wasn’t running away to join the circus, he was running home to it. Now he’ll have to pull off the same tricks his forebears did. Despite its robust past, the circus has repeatedly had to evolve to avoid extinction. Although today’s audiences are harder to come by, the circus arts have become popular among kids. More than 350 instructional youth circuses operate in America, a quarter of them having emerged in the past 10 years. “The challenge for Jesse’s generation,” says author and circus historian Janet M. Davis, “is to bring all of these young people into the broader circus fold.” That’s his task, town by town, wherever roads will reach: to make others feel his passion and

make the same investment in traditions—even the everyday ones. “What’s he doing?” Jesse’s father, James, says, sitting up in the RV he and Cristine share on the road. It’s late Saturday afternoon, and crowded around him are his wife, the children, and a few extended family members: James’ ex-sister-inlaw Wendy, who serves as the circus treasurer, and Niche, a lion tamer whom Jesse calls his best friend. Jesse looks out the window, following his dad’s gaze. There’s a small break in the rain, and the camels have been let loose to graze on the grass next to the football field parking lot. But one of the wranglers isn’t paying attention and has wandered too close to the animal’s backside. Jesse knows what’ll happen next. “Oh, just kick him!” he yells. The camel halfheartedly obliges, but only after the wrangler jumps out of the way.

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STANDING O

When Niche puts his cats through their paces, it’s the crowd that goes wild.

How carefree the circus life once must have been, back when clowns and jugglers were in demand because mass entertainment was harder to come by.

“Awwww!” the Plunkett men groan in unison, as if watching a dropped pass in a football game. It would have been the day’s high point. The American circus began traveling in the early 1800s, and no doubt this is what it has been like every day since: family and adopted family far away from home, bonded together, spreading and unearthing joy wherever they can find it.

OOD MORNING, Mr. Steeples!” Jesse yells across the field. “Can you perform in the rain?” “Yes, indeed. I’ve done a hundred like this,” shouts back Ari Steeples, the bear guy, who doubles as ringmaster. It’s 11 a.m. on Sunday, and the skies are still threatening. A 63-degree wind churns as steady as a ceiling fan, and the ground is soft enough to sink into. But the Plunketts will touch down in this town for just two days. Yesterday was a washout, so they perform today at 3 p.m., rain or shine. This mud show will earn its name. Jesse and Cole roll out a trampoline to warm up. They’re wearing their stage getups—shimmering green-and-black zebra-print vests over shirtless arms and torsos; matching fabric cuffs; and black, stretchy pants adorned with green curlicues. Like so much of circus life, the outfits—reminiscent of a bygone era—seem to make more sense in front of an audience. After a few somersaults and half-twists, the boys work on a new trick in which Cole does a back-handspring while skipping a jump rope. “Ahh! Face!” Cole shouts, as the rope catches him AUGUST 2013 SPIRIT

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HUMPDAY

At show’s ends, it’s off to the next town for Jesse and Cleo the camel.

on the noggin. Jesse can’t help laughing, because that’s what brothers do. But when Cole bounds to his feet, holding his cheek, Jesse assumes the posture of a concerned coach. “You let it get under you,” he says of the rope. This is how Jesse works—at once total goofball and pro, a balance that suits the circus well. Setup soon begins; eight caged tigers are rolled out onto the field. Everyone who isn’t moving equipment is readying his or her act: brothers Matthew and Fenix Dresdner do test runs on their motorcycles; Uncle Willy, the clown, juggles bowling pins. At one point, Jesse play-tackles a crew member, and from the ground they spot someone slacking. “Get to work, Zack!” Jesse’s wrestling partner half-mockingly hollers. “Dude,” Jesse blurts, suddenly serious. “Let me do the yelling. Let them be annoyed at me, not you.” The hours move quickly. At 3 p.m., the skies are still dark, and the wind is still steady, but 75 people have assembled in the bleachers, as the speakers are pumping out a stately oompah-pah called “Shangri-La,” from the album Sounds of the

Circus, Volume 16. A modest wooden frame decorated with two rearing horses and the James Cristy Cole Circus logo has been erected at midfield. In scale, it looks a little ridiculous, but ringmaster Ari Steeples glides through it as if he were entering a grand arena. “There’s one thing I have to know: Are you ready for the circus to begin?” he rumbles. The crowd responds in kind. “Then it’s on with our show!” Jesse’s 21-year-old sister, Star, gets things moving with her hyper-gyrating Hula Hoop act. Next up are the tigers, put through their paces by whipwielding Niche. James Plunkett stands about 15 feet away, in the shadow of the bleachers. He’s watching tricks he’s seen all his life and thinking about ones still left to see. “Jesse’s good here,” he says, out of nowhere. “He’s good for morale.” As the minutes pass, he doesn’t take his eyes off the majestic, striped wildlife. “This is a good trick here,” he says. “Watch this.” One tiger lies on the ground, while another climbs on his back. It’s a vintage circus bit called “Over the Garden Wall.” The kids in the crowd roar. And the show goes on. Jason Feifer is a senior editor at Fast Company. He lives in Brooklyn and tweets at @heyfeifer.

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Flipped

Out

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In the Digital Age, learning is no longer fundamental— at least as it was defined by the old school. Now, some basics of education are being rethought, and the meaning of “homeroom” has changed forever.

BY JENNIFER MILLER ILLUSTRATION BY ORLIN CULTURE SHOP

SEPTEMBER 2010, Marc Seigel, a chemistry teacher at Middletown High School South, in a middle-class enclave of northern New Jersey, thought he’d found a way to engage students who’d rather text under their desks than pay attention to him. In a publication from the National Science Teachers Association, Seigel read about the so-called flipped classroom, a forward-thinking educational model that inverts the norm: What would customarily be defined as homework (problem sets, essay writing, etc.) is done by students during class hours, with a teacher’s supervision and handson input; and what was once the core of the classroom experience (teacher lectures, delineated lesson plans) is now absorbed at home via video tutorials. After teaching in the traditional way for 10 years, Seigel had grown bored. The 35-year-old is short, stocky, and balding, but far less nebbishy than he appears. In front of a group of kids, he’s a fast-talking fireball, not unlike the famously motormouthed Micro Machines pitchman from the ’80s; he’s even got the guy’s mustache. AUGUST 2013 SPIRIT

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Of course, Seigel’s students wouldn’t get the reference. Their generation grew up playing multimedia digital games. So Seigel got hold of screencasting software called Camtasia Studio and turned each of his lessons into a video podcast that incorporated his voice-over, graphics, some basic animation, and a calculator that solved sample problems in real time. Then he uploaded the videos to YouTube and iTunes and instructed his students to study them each night. The kids loved the novelty of plugging in for their at-home work. They appreciated the flexibility of stopping and/or rewinding the lesson at any point. Meanwhile, in the classroom, Seigel was free to give his students

significantly more personal attention. “In the past, I couldn’t get to every kid, so the quiet ones slipped through the cracks,” he says. “Now I was moving around the room like a hummingbird, checking students’ work on the spot. It made for a more meaningful interaction because immediately I could make them aware of what they were doing right and wrong.” But the enthusiasm lasted only a few weeks. It’s true that Seigel was spending more time with individual students, but he wasn’t sufficiently challenging them. “I got bored real fast, and my kids started to slack off,” he says. He’d run into a common problem for first-time flippers: the mistaken belief that technology is a silver bullet.

USTIN REICH is a fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, and the founder of EdTechTeacher, a professional development consultancy that trains teachers to use tech effectively. The goal of flipping a classroom, he says, is not to bend education to the digital proclivities of kids, but to maximize studentteacher interaction during the most demanding lessons. “It’s about how we use our time more than how we use our technology,” Reich says. Educators like Reich, who advocate for tech in the classroom, say that the first step in rethinking how we teach should be a renewed examination of how kids learn. Before we fall down the techno–rabbit hole and demand tablets in every classroom,

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the school doesn’t change,” he says. Many teachers want to emphasize independent thinking, but primaryschool curriculums are still largely geared toward “teaching to the test.” According to Dr. Gary Small, a neuroscientist at UCLA and author of iBrain: Surviving the Technological

Say you’re teaching the Pythagorean theorem. To make the lesson stick, you would instruct students to snap pictures of right angles.

we need to seriously reconsider, for example, whether teaching content, as opposed to cognitive skills, can adequately prepare our children for 21st-century professions. In other words, our nation’s educational mindset—one that traditionally uses fact-regurgitation as a marker of success—desperately requires a reboot. “Before, you could say to a kid, ‘You can be a lawyer or a doctor.’ The kinds of jobs available were finite,” explains Seigel. “This isn’t true anymore. Rapid technological development means that many students”—as opposed to seasoned professionals—“will be at the forefront of innovation in their fields.” He finds the current state of publicschool education distressing. “Kids see the world changing, but

Alteration of the Modern Mind, this model is long out-of-date. As a society, he says, “we’re no longer memorizers but gatherers.” Of course, students still need to learn the basics of math, reading, and science, but people at the helm of the flipping movement believe there’s so much more to education. “We need to create kids who are adaptable and who, when faced with a new problem, can solve it with whatever resources they have,” says Jon Bergmann, who helped pioneer the flipped classroom model and coauthored the book Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student, in Every Class, Every Day. Marc Seigel has become a disciple of Bergmann and his co-author, Aaron Sams. He calls their book his bible. “I carry it with me everywhere I go,” he says proudly. But he is just one of two teachers at Middletown South who have experimented with the flipped model. He fought to get his school’s cellphone ban overturned and requested that each student’s academic career be catalogued through Google Apps. Largely due to Seigel’s advocacy, every student in his school district—even

kindergartners—now gets a Google account in which to store their work and let parents and teachers follow their progress. Seigel is not modest about his accomplishments; he boasts that he is the only teacher at his school who has drastically rethought his pedagogical approach. But beyond flipping the home/schoolwork equation, what exactly is this new modus operandi that Bergmann and his followers espouse? Haven’t we always aspired to make our students adaptable, resourceful problem solvers? What’s so revolutionary about that? In the flipped philosophy, “problem solving” carries expansive new meaning. And to begin to understand it, it’s important to know some basics about how the brain learns, and about how our minds absorb, retain, process, and apply information. LESSON #1

The Brain Likes New Stuff

In part, Seigel decided to flip his classroom because his students weren’t paying close enough attention in school. “Our brains become accustomed to a certain level of stimulation,” says neuroscientist Small. “If [media- and technologyimmersed] kids are multitasking and stimulated in a certain way outside of school, it’s hard for traditional learning models to compete.” LESSON #2

Use It or Lose It

The more crunches we do, the stronger our abs get, but once we quit doing them our muscles atrophy. The brain is similar. “If you spend a lot of time with a particular mental experience,” Small says, “the neurocircuits that control the experience will strengthen. But if you don’t continue to exercise those circuits, they become rusty.” Dr. Judy Willis, a neurologist and adjunct professor at the University of AUGUST 2013 SPIRIT

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California, Santa Barbara, who has also taught elementary and middle school, says that knowledge learned via memorization is particularly susceptible to the “use it or lose it” phenomenon. “The brain’s procedural memory will only be activated in the way that memory was first learned,” she says. Translation: We learn to play a musical instrument, speak a language, or sail a boat by actively practicing these skills. In contrast, students who absorb information specifically for a test can usually only recall that information for the test. The trick, Willis says, is to “connect students’ memory of a lesson to another set of circuits that get activated more frequently.” Say you’re teaching the Pythagorean theorem. Willis would instruct students to walk around their bedrooms and snap pictures of right angles. In class, they’d use these images, along with their textbooks, to solve for the hypotenuse. Then, every time the kids see the objects they photographed—or even similar objects— outside the classroom, their brains will recall the Pythagorean theorem. LESSON #3

The Brain Gets High On Participation

The previous learning experiment works because it’s fun. And when we experience pleasure, our brains release a neurotransmitter called dopamine. “The brain is a dopamine junkie,” says Willis. “It wants to remember things that release it.” She says that active participation (for example, photographing those right angles) is by far the best way to encourage this. When students aren’t actively engaged, they’re more likely to tune out. That’s the problem with lecturebased teaching. It doesn’t matter whether students are watching a lecture in person or via video. Which is why Seigel’s first attempt at flipping his classroom failed. “Watching video is a passive experience,”

Small says. Instead, teachers should compel students to make decisions throughout every lesson. “That’s what activates the neurons,” he says. Willis thinks video games are addictive precisely because they force players into an active state of decision making, thereby fueling

Siegel doesn’t give specific due dates for assignments; he gives students guidelines and a final date by which all work must be turned in. At first, kids had trouble with the freedom. the constant release of dopamine. But making predictions—the phrase Willis uses to describe the strategicthinking process—isn’t just about chemical release. It encourages students to think about “what they can do with the information they’re presented and how they can use it beyond their school years,” she says. LESSON #4

The Brain Needs Feedback

“For the dopamine reward system to work, feedback needs to be immediate,” Willis says. In a video game you know right away if you’ve succeeded in beating a level. But even if you fail, you’ve come closer to understanding why. Conversely, students in traditional classroom settings often have to wait a day or two to receive feedback on their homework, and even longer on their tests. If, early on, they get stuck on a problem, they might

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never finish the assignment. Willis also talks about the importance of an “achievable challenge.” ost effective video games are subtly designed to reinforce a player’s confidence; they encourage you to play until you finally succeed. This is why Seigel allows his students to retake tests and why he emphasizes interactive labs over problem sets. It’s his adaptation of the achievable challenge model, and a sharp departure from traditional learning, which some say is homogenous in a way that undermines growth. “Some children are not challenged because they’ve already mastered the knowledge. Others are disengaged because they’ve failed previously in the subject and do not believe they can succeed,” Willis says. Consequences are becoming particularly dire for the latter type of student.

good-humored. Shaking his head as though to say, Kids these days!, he waves them off to work. In pairs, the students weigh the colored chalk and draw pictures on their lab tables—not in notebooks sitting on the tables, but on the tables themselves. This is standard practice for Seigel’s class, which is mostly paperless. The kids routinely use dry-erase

markers and white boards—or, again, the tables—to record their calculations. They then photograph the work with their smartphones and upload the images to their folders in Google Drive. This helps them organize their work and allows Seigel to check it anytime and anywhere. During the molecule lab, the teacher roams the room, observ-

VER THE PAST three years, Seigel has studied the neuroscience of learning and come to the same conclusions as Small and Willis. He believes that having his students learn through “a kinesthetic approach”—active participation, hands-on projects, etc.—is a better way to reach more students. On a Friday morning in January, he has prepared a chemistry lab for his college-prep students. It instructs them to, first, measure the number of molecules in a piece of chalk; then, to draw a picture with it; and, finally, to remeasure the chalk’s molecules and calculate the difference. Simple enough, but there’s a problem. Only one of Seigel’s 15 students has actually done the homework: watching the video podcast he had made explaining the equation. “Guys!” Seigel groans. “Seriously?” His frustration is remarkably

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ing. Flowers, abstract shapes, a cityscape, and something approximating the Death Star from Star Wars appear on the black tabletops. He lingers with a group of shaggy-haired boys, one of whom is listening to music piped through a single earbud. Music is kosher during labs, as long as one of the student’s ears is cocked to Seigel’s instructions.

“Take it seriously!” he intones. “These drawings should be tweetworthy.” Indeed, a few kids post them to Twitter with the hashtag #chemisawesome. In other classes, teachers might deem the drawing assignment a waste of time, but Seigel designs his labs to tap into the varied abilities of his students. “The activity covers visual, spatial, interperson-

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al, and mathematical skills," he says about the molecule lab. “Plus, worksheets are boring, and drawing with chalk is fun.” To complete the second phase of the assignment, the students have to digest the video lesson they’d neglected to watch the night before. They do this at their own pace—some before they’ve started their drawings, some after. Notably, they don’t look to Seigel for direction. Most of the kids huddle around desks—which their teacher has grouped in pods instead of rows—and watch on a laptop. Two girls pull out low-slung mesh chairs, the kind you’d expect to see in a teenager’s bedroom, and watch on a smartphone held between them, listening through one earbud apiece. “I want them to see the classroom as a collaborative environment,” Seigel says. Not unlike the kind they’ll encounter in the workplace. During the lab, he points to a chart on the wall outlining appropriate classroom usage for personal devices: yes to tweeting classwork or looking up questions on Google, no to checking Facebook. “They have a responsibility of policing themselves and policing each other. We’re seven weeks into the class, and I’ve told zero kids to put their phones away,” Seigel says with more than a hint of satisfaction. “This is my child now,” says Sammy, 17, gesturing to her new iPhone 5. “I get separation anxiety. I feel like I have my whole life on my phone.” She knows Seigel has given her a lot of responsibility, and she embraces it. He has instilled in his students a sense of ownership in the class. “It’s about trust,” Sammy says. “Last year in bio, I was constantly reading through books, making notes, and memorizing,” says Matt, 16, who takes Seigel’s honors

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chemistry course. “In this class you learn a set of skills, and you apply them.” Importantly, Seigel doesn’t mandate specific due dates for each assignment; he gives students suggested guidelines (which most of them follow) and a final date by which all work in the unit must be turned in. At first, kids had trouble with so much freedom. “I’m a really big procrastinator,” Sammy says, admitting that when she first encountered Seigel’s flipped style she was always rushing to catch up at the end of the unit. But once she learned to pace herself, the freedom lowered her stress level. Sammy, like most of her peers, has a full extracurricular schedule in addition to schoolwork. “Doing the work on my own time means I can schedule around conflicts,” she says. The experience has helped her to manage her time better in other classes, too. “It’s a lot of responsibility, but that helps you mature.” Three years into this experiment, Seigel is still adapting and revising. “School is designed around a kid who wants rules and formulas,” he admits. “You can’t just say, ‘Here’s everything you need to do. See you in three weeks.’ You need to provide [revolving] deadlines and checkins. This is a lot more work.”

T’S UNCLEAR how many teachers in America have introduced 21st-century tech into their curricula or flipped their classrooms, but both are becoming more pervasive. Currently, there are 8 million or so iPads in classrooms across the country, with 3.5 million of those purchased in the last year. Justin Reich, at Harvard, speculates that 2012 was the first time Khan Academy, a nonprofit that offers thousands of free instructional videos on a wide variety of sub-

jects, was widely used for summer homework. But not everyone believes that students need more technology in their lives. No long-term studies exist on the impact of digital multitasking on kids’ attention spans, but a recent Pew Research Center survey of more than 2,000 middle school and high school teachers found that 87 percent of

them agreed with the assertion that “today’s digital technologies are creating an easily distracted generation.” Sixty-four percent agreed that “today’s digital technologies do more to distract students than to help them academically.” Other concerns that teachers attributed to digital “overexposure” included weak time-management skills, a ten-

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dency toward procrastination, and the troublesome certitude that tasks can be finished “quickly and at the last minute.” Dr. Small, at UCLA, also wonders how this profligate screen time will affect students’ abilities to communicate face-to-face. “They don’t look you in the eye. They don’t notice verbal cues. Their uni-tasking and empathy

skills [are underdeveloped],” he says. Done right, the flipped model addresses all of these problem areas and works to enhance things like teamwork and personalized teacher-student interaction. With software like Explain Everything, Snagit, Evernote, even iMovie, students can turn assignments and long-term projects into multimedia triumphs.

They can receive faster and more direct feedback from their teachers. And they can share and discuss work with their peers more easily. A new digital platform developed at Harvard called Learning

On a national scale, many kids don’t have high-speed connectivity at home. The flipped model is impossible without reliable access to the Net. Catalytics helps teachers initiate dialogue between students with different points of view. Teachers pose a question to the class, receive their written responses in real time, and then pair up students who can challenge and engage each other. “Education should give kids the ability to express who they are,” says Seigel. “These new technologies let them do that.” In a way, this emphasis on selfexpression is about the democratization of education, something the Internet has helped make possible. Take the new trend of Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs. Many of these classes let students take free, online courses from major universities. Some of the programs offer certificates. And some, including a new initiative just launched by 40 state schools, will count toward college credit. Theoretically, you could earn a degree for the price of your cable bill. But this Internet accessibility should not be taken for granted. Some of the country’s top schools,

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including Stuyvesant High School in New York City, have slow, unreliable connections. Marc Seigel’s classroom only has a handful of laptops, most of them antiquated, and he is constantly sharing them with other teachers. On a national scale, roughly half of our high school students don’t own a smartphone. And many kids still don’t have high-speed connectivity at home. The flipped model is impossible without reliable access to the Net. Financial challenges aside, it also requires tremendous commitment, flexibility, and time to integrate new technologies and teaching practices into classrooms. Seigel finds it hard enough to provide personalized attention to a class of 15 students. But many schools have classes with 30 or more kids. Seigel is similarly lucky to have been supported by his school. He’s brash enough— and successful enough—to feel comfortable challenging the system. Many teachers aren’t. Still, the proponents of flipped learning will tell you that educators owe it to their students to find creative solutions to these obstacles. “If a kid can Google the questions on your test and get the answers, is that a valid measurement of learning? No,” Seigel says. “It’s a measurement of ‘I can Google something.’ Why does education have to change? Because teachers”—not smartphones— “once were, and should continue to be, the source of learning.” But if a vast universe of information is readily available in cyberspace, what use is today’s teacher to students? Seigel wastes no time in answering. “To teach them,” he says, “to think.”

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Home Care Assistance is the premier provider of in-home care for seniors. Headquartered in the Silicon Valley, we are the fastest growing, most innovative company in the exploding senior care market. Our mission is to change the way the world ages by enabling seniors to live happy and healthy lives at home. Not only are we changing the lives of seniors for the better, but we are also changing the lives of entrepreneurs like you for the better; just ask our happy franchise owners from across the United States. Every day, 4000 Americans turn 85. Of those, 70% will need daily care for an average of 3 years. It only takes 20 clients to operate a million dollar business. So what are you waiting for? Now is the time to seize this golden opportunity. We still have select territories available for you to make your mark. Just consider that: • *The average Home Care Assistance location earned $1,198,892 in annual revenue by year three • Our $12M pilot office has grown at least 25% every year over the past 5 years • The market for home care will double in the next 5 years Visit www.luvhca.com and take the first step toward rewarding, lucrative business ownership. Complete our online application to receive complimentary information and speak to our franchising team.

No Health Care Experience Needed

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Franchise 64% of Our Fees Starting Locations in the Million at $15,000 Dollar Club Down

702-204-1436 • www.luvhca.com

Home Care Assistance - Changing the way the world ages!

Jennifer Miller is a New York–based journalist and author. Her debut novel is The Year of the Gadfly. This advertisement is not an offering; an offering can only be made by a prospectus filed with the referenced state, which filing does not constitute approval. *See our Item 19 for more information.

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YOUR ADVENTURE IN

Grand Rapids

GO TO TOWN

Once used for trains, the iconic Blue Bridge is now a pedestrian walkway.

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The temps may be climbing, but this city is nothing but cool. From brewskis to beaches, our guide uncovers why in-theknow travelers are rushing to Michiganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s riverfront jewel. Ready to take the plunge? BY AMANDA GLE ASON

BEGIN YOUR ADVENTURE HERE

Which item is a necessity in your household?

AUGUST 2013 SPIRIT

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Adventure In Grand Rapids If you look around your household and see…

GETTING THERE Fly into Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR). grr.org

ALL BUSINESS

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF EXPERIENCEGR

The museum features a re-creation of Ford’s Oval Office.

SEE EVEN MORE PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY WHEN YOU…

Blast to the Past THEN YOUR MOST IDEAL HOTEL IS…

Amway Grand Plaza Hotel Frequented by both President Bushes, this historic spread’s lobby sports one of the world’s largest goldleaf ceilings.

CityFlatsHotel At this boutique getaway’s CitySēn Lounge, relax with a Ginger Mitten cocktail, made with rum, orange juice, and pineapple marinated in white honey– ginger balsamic vinegar.

PrairieSide Suites Each of the seven guest rooms at this B&B is equipped with a hot tub for two. For even more pampering, stop by the massage room for a couple’s treatment.

In the 1970s, platform shoes ruled—and political turmoil reined. In the wake of D.C.’s Watergate scandal, former Grand Rapids resident Gerald Ford took the highest oath of office, and you can explore his personal history and tumultuous White House tenure at downtown’s Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. Mosey through the exhibits and marvel at the artifacts, which include a 1975 diary detailing Ford’s active schedule, and a gold brooch given to First Lady Betty Ford by Queen Elizabeth. If you’re itching to play commander in chief, make your way to the Cabinet Room, where you’ll be presented, via flatscreen TV, with weighty issues faced by Ford and his staff, then prompted to choose your own course of action. If you disagreed with “Mr. Nice Guy” granting a pardon to Richard Nixon, now’s the time to change history. fordlibrarymuseum.gov Your adventure continues…

What might be involved in your ideal afternoon?

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Now Boarding for

GRAND RAPIDS Southwest Airlines速 newest destination welcomes you with world-class charms.

MICHIGAN

Milwaukee

Grand Rapids Detroit

Chicago

Craft Beer Lovers

Outdoor Explorers

Fresh Foodies

Art Enthusiasts Treasure Hunters

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Adventure In Grand Rapids If your favorite activities include…

THEN DON’T MISS…

Millennium Park Rent kayaks, paddleboards, and canoes from the boating center of this 1,500-acre urban oasis before venturing out on Lake Leota.

FILL YOUR LIFE WITH FLORA WHEN YOU…

Get Back to Nature

Make time to stop and smell the roses. And the plumbago. And the jasmine. These are just a few of the more than 3,000 flower species that thrive at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. You’ll find everything from Egyptian papyrus to silver torch cacti in this bastion of botany’s indoor and outdoor gardens, but plants aren’t the only treasure to behold: Upping the wow-factor is a sculpture park comprising 300 works. One can’t-miss piece? Scarlatti, a 25-foot-tall work created by Mark di Suvero, who designed the masterpiece’s suspended steel beams to move with the wind. As if your senses weren’t stimulated enough, there’s a summer concert series that runs through September in the Amphitheater Garden. That’s what we call being in tune with nature. meijergardens.org Your adventure continues…

Continued

GETTING AROUND If downtown is your destination, walking is a cinch. For further exploring, renting a car is your best bet. Check out the airport’s website for a complete list of transportation options. grr.org

Which form of liquid do you prefer to indulge in?

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF FREDERIK MEIJER GARDENS AND SCULPTURE PARK

WHAT A STEEL

Jaume Plensa’s I, you, she or he sculptures grace the permanent collection.

Yesterdog Hungry hordes flock to this legendary hole-in-the wall for six varieties of the cylindrical snack, including the namesake best seller covered in chili and all the fixin’s.

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Take the puzzle out of traveling. West Michigan Welcomes Southwest Airlines® offering nonstop flights to:  Baltimore/Washington  Denver

 Orlando  St. Louis

Service begins August 11, 2013

Gerald R. Ford International Airport

Grand Rapids, MI FlyFord.org

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book online at:

6/26/13 10:39 AM

Adventure In Grand Rapids Continued

If you’re drawn to…

ENJOY THE CITY WITH A MUG IN HAND AS YOU…

Toast the Town

In May, Grand Rapids won the esteemed Beer City USA poll for 2013. If that’s not enough to convince you that this locale is a “hopping” sensation, consider the nearly 100 unique brews crafted here. Your mission? Sample as many of them as you can. The perfect place to begin your assignment is the iconic Founders Brewing Co. Recently voted the third-best brewery in the world on ratebeer.com, this German beer hall–themed hangout offers more than a dozen of its creations on tap. (We recommend the Rübaeus raspberry ale.) Continue your quest at Grand Rapids Brewing Co., which debuted last year on the 79th anniversary of Repeal Day. End the tour by raising a glass of chocolatey Triple Crown Brown at the baseballinspired Mitten Brewing Company. Bottoms up! foundersbrewing.com, grbrewingcompany.com, mittenbrewing.com

THEN TREAT YOURSELF TO A STOP AT…

Van’s Pastry Shoppe Sprinkled, glazed, and cream-filled donuts fill this family-owned bakery. The best part? One of these tasty goodies will only set you back 50 cents.

Snug Harbor Soak up river views while digging into dishes like orange-ginger salmon at this seafood joint in Grand Haven, a beach town about 30 miles west of Grand Rapids.

GETTING OUT Flock to the American Quilter’s Society’s annual contest, held August 14-17, to browse booths filled with fancy fabrics and more. american quilter.com

POUR HOUSE

A devoted regular gifted this stained-glass sign to Founders Brewing Co.

Grove This hip eatery lures sweetslovers with desserts like the salted dark chocolate fudge, made with brown butter brioche, bourbon sauce, crème fraîche, and a peanut praline.

Your adventure continues...

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF FOUNDERS BREWING CO.

Which satisfies your sweet tooth?

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play

get out &

Downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan

A M W AY G R A N D . C O M

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I L O V E T H E J W. C O M

Welcome to a city bursting with possibilities. The home of three distinct hotels, Grand Rapids is a playground of a different kind. Offering the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest dining, cultural attractions, shopping and entertainment. No wonder the city is regarded as one of the Midwestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most desirable places to work, play, and not surprisingly, stay.

O U R C O U R T YA R D G R . C O M

7/1/13 2:45 PM

Adventure In Grand Rapids Continued

Which are you more likely to use?

Go Beach Hoppin’

HopCat Keep the rounds coming at this lively bar, which offers 48 taps and more than 200 bottles—and don’t forget the beer-battered “crack fries.”

If sandy beaches don’t spring to mind when you think of Michigan, it’s time to get to know it a little better. The state’s west coast is speckled with beach communities fronting Lake Michigan, each with its own personality. Take to the open water in Grand Haven, a port where you can embark on shipwreck dives and fishing excursions, or head 20 miles south to Holland, a historically Dutch town where windmills and a wooden-shoe factory prove the heritage is still intact. To spark your creativity, drive another 30 miles down the coast to the twin communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, both full of artists’ galleries. After browsing, choose your method of relaxation: unwinding on Saugatuck Dunes State Park’s calming beaches or exploring its 200-foottall dunes. visitgrandhaven.com, holland.org, saugatuck.com SHORE THING

About 1.5 million sunseekers visit Holland State Park annually.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF SHARON VANDERBOON

Karla’s Place Satiate your inner shopper at this charming boutique in Holland (30 miles southwest of Grand Rapids), which is filled with handmade pillows, picture frames, wine glasses, jewelry, and quirky gifts.

Continued

STILL EAGER TO GET YOUR FEET WET? THEN…

THEN YOU’LL LOVE…

Stella’s Lounge Sharpen your karaoke skills every Sunday night at this rousing hangout, or savor the awardwinning burger and 200 varieties of whiskeys while taking in the show.

Continued

WATCH THIS To see some of our adventures come to life, visit our YouTube channel, SWASpiritMagazine. And when youˇre done…

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You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need a passport!

Holland, MIâ&#x20AC;Ś

25 minutes and a world away. Holland

800.757.7552 | holland.org

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Life Adventure In Grand Rapids

CROWD PLEASER

Visitors to the annual ArtPrize event gather in downtown.

Life Adventure In

Grand Rapids Booming business. Sun-soaked beaches. Awesome events. It’s no wonder that Grand Rapids residents are so eager to share what they love about this vibrant community. We tracked down some of the area’s savviest locals—from CEOs to hotel managers and restaurant owners—for the inside scoop on what makes this friendly city a great place to live, work, and relax. (Hint: It’s not just the tasty beer selection.) Their insight sheds light on what life is really like in Michigan’s second-largest metropolis.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF EXPERIENCEGR

It’s time for the biggest adventure of all: living here.

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E TO S, M O C L E W D RAPTID GRANH ES SOUT NW S®! AIRLI E SM “LUV ”

An Enterprise That Travels Well

Amway – the company that started with two men in a basement in Grand Rapids – is now a global leader in direct sales, doing business in more than 100 countries and territories. Since 1959, we have helped people realize their potential by offering them a chance to own their own business. We provide Amway Business Owners with exclusive leading brands including NUTRILITE™ vitamin and mineral supplements, ARTISTRY™ beauty and skin care products, and innovative home care solutions. We also offer them the marketing support and training you would expect from a global leader. Great ideas – like great products – travel well.

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Life Adventure In Grand Rapids

ON THE FLY

The airport served more than 2 million passengers in 2012.

“The Gerald R. Ford International Airport turns 50 this year, and we are excited to celebrate its growth by welcoming Southwest Airlines to Grand Rapids. We have some exciting additions in our airport’s future, all of which will add comfort and convenience for passengers. West Michigan has so much to offer, and our airport makes it convenient to travel no matter where your final destination may be. Grand Rapids has a unique culture of people from all backgrounds, races, and ethnicities that make up a tremendous melting pot. Plus, you may think it’s awful to live here in the winter, but having four seasons with plenty of activities in each keeps us busy year-round.” —Brian Ryks Executive Director Gerald R. Ford International Airport

“At Meijer, we’re committed to strengthening the communities where our customers and team members work and live. We gladly welcome Southwest Airlines to Grand Rapids, a city comprised of local businesses that genuinely care and willingly support the community and its residents.” —Hank Meijer Co-Chairman Meijer

“Grand Rapids is a humble city full of passionate people who work hard to make their community and world a better place. It’s a city where you can dive in and make a difference and where leadership, creativity, and entrepreneurship are respected.” —Elissa Hillary Executive Director Local First

Facts of Life in Grand Rapids • The estimated population in 2012 was 190,411.

• According to the National Association of Realtors, the median home price in Grand Rapids is $115,000. • The average high in August is 80 degrees. • In April 2012, Grand Rapids topped Forbes’ list of “Best Places to Raise a Family.” • Grand Rapids’ Heritage Hill neighborhood was named one of the country’s “Great Neighborhoods” of 2012 by the American Planning Association.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF KENT COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICS

Live in Grand Rapids

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HELLO, YOU! Here’s a toast to new friends. Here’s to new adventures in a city that welcomes all and is always welcoming. To the pampering that envelops you at the JW Marriott, and the excitement that awaits you beyond our doors. Beginning with 75 restaurants, nightclubs, museums, theatres and shops all within a five-minute stroll. Which is why, whether you’re here for business, pleasure, or both, you’ll soon discover that our world-class amenities, and out-of-this-world city, offer ample reasons to raise your glass. Cheers!

ilovethejw.com 235 Louis Campau St. NW Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503 616.242.1500

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Life Adventure In Grand Rapids

Work in Grand Rapids

“In Grand Rapids, public-private partnerships really work. Philanthropists work with business and civic leaders in the spirit of community growth, and this has made the city a model of investment, transformation, and collaboration for the rest of the country. Our local municipalities understand the need for growth and work openly with businesses and the local community to build solutions that work to benefit both.” —Birgit Klohs President and CEO The Right Place, Inc.

HUSTLE & FLOW

Downtown Grand Rapids fronts the Grand River.

MEND ZONE

West Michigan’s first heart transplant was performed here in 2010.

Facts of Work in Grand Rapids • In April, Forbes ranked Grand Rapids No.4 on its list of the “10 Best Cities For Finding Employment.” • Top employers in the Grand Rapids area include Spectrum Health, Meijer, Amway, and Steelcase Inc.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE RIGHT PLACE, INC.

“The strong work ethic, commitment to helping others, and talent pool in Grand Rapids has helped fuel our growth over the decades. The business culture reflects the overall culture of West Michigan—people are passionate about their work and dedicated to making the community better. Amway employs about 5,000 people in West Michigan and more than 20,000 globally. [My father and President Doug DeVos’ father] were entrepreneurs who believed in the power of business ownership to change lives. They started this company right here in Grand Rapids. Today Amway has helped millions of people prosper through their own businesses, and we appreciate the role Grand Rapids has played in helping us be successful.” —Steve Van Andel Chairman Amway

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We work with the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading organizations to create places that amplify the performance of their people, teams and enterprise.

GLOBALLY FOCUSED. GRAND RAPIDS FOUNDED. For 100 years, Steelcase has brought human insight to business by studying how people work, wherever they work. Those insights can help organizations achieve a higher level of performance, by creating places that unlock the promise of their people. www.steelcase.com

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Life Adventure In Grand Rapids

FOCUS GROUP

Steelcase employees powwow in the company’s WorkCafe.

Facts of Work in Grand Rapids • Grand Rapids and West

WORK IN PROGRESS

Employees collaborate at Steelcase.

as around the globe. Meanwhile, Grand Rapids is really growing into its own urban center, celebrating the quaintness of a small town while welcoming the growing commotion of a big city.” —James P. Hackett CEO Steelcase Inc.

Michigan are home to the global office furniture industry—Steelcase, Herman Miller, and Haworth collectively account for half of the industry’s $10 billion market. • Grand Rapids was the first U.S. city recognized by the United Nations as a Regional Centre for Sustainable Development.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF STEELCASE

“Steelcase is fortunate to be based in an area with a long history of furniture making, but Grand Rapids is much more than that. This city has a diverse heritage that’s steeped in strong, hard-working values. It’s a wonderful example of a partnership between businesses and residents, who have joined forces in Grand Rapids’ focus to become more competitive in attracting other individuals to our wonderful city. It’s the kind of excellent, pro-business environment that has enabled Steelcase to continually succeed for more than 100 years. Our employees are our greatest asset, and living these values is at the core of all that we do, just as it was in the past. Our people continue to create a close-knit, familylike culture in Grand Rapids as well

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Autocam.i

WEST MICHIGAN

WHERE BIG IDEAS BECOME

BIG BUSINESS

West Michigan is where it all comes together for growing companies. A region where entrepreneurship is understood and big ideas become big business. The home of industry leaders like Amway, Herman Miller, Steelcase, Wolverine Worldwide, and more – it’s time to add your business to the list of successful companies that have discovered the advantages of West Michigan. Visit www.rightplace.org or call 616.771.0325 to learn more about doing business in West Michigan.

GRAND RAPIDS GROWN. GLOBAL FOOTPRINT.

Celebrating 25 years of rewarding careers

www.autocam.com

www.autocam-medical.com

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-Michigan Manufacturer of the Year -United Way Top Companies -Michigan’s Healthiest Employers Honor Roll

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Life Adventure In Grand Rapids

“West Michigan boasts a skilled workforce with an outstanding work ethic, as well as a diverse economic base that includes furniture, appliances, automotive, health care, life sciences, professional services, and agriculture. These strengths, combined with a community spirit of cooperation and business leaders who are committed to the success of the region, make for a great economic environment. The West Michigan region is the original furniture capital of America, and still is for the office furniture industry, with three major office furniture companies headquartered in the region. Herman Miller is the oldest of the office furniture makers, with its founding in 1905 as the Michigan Star Furniture Company. It’s widely credited as the industry’s design and innovation leader, having pioneered nearly every major design innovation since the ’30s.” —Brian Walker President and CEO Herman Miller

OFFICE SPACE

Autocam’s Grand Rapids facilities employ some 400 people.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF HERMAN MILLER AND AUTOCAM

“Grand Rapids is home to many family businesses that care deeply about investing in the community’s future through jobs, education, and broader philanthropic efforts. It’s also a beautiful area with a high quality of life, which helps us attract and retain talent. At Autocam, we offer clean, high-tech, and high-paying jobs. And for more than 20 years, we’ve offered earn-and-learn opportunities that give on-the-job, paid training and educational scholarships. You can earn a living while completing the education needed to become a machinist, technician, or engineer—and graduate without any educational debt.” —John C. Kennedy President and CEO Autocam

SITTING PRETTY

Herman Miller’s Aeron chair is 94 percent recyclable.

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Community Benefit Community Engagement

Education Employee Engagement Healthier Communities Innovation Regional Relationships Research Sustainability

Ways we are creating greater value

Our investment in West Michigan goes well beyond exceptional care. At Spectrum Health, our commitment to the communities we serve is impacting lives in ways people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always see. As a not-for-profit health system rooted in West Michigan, we invest in improving patient care, building and renovating facilities, providing health education and funding programs that proactively address disease and illness. All told, our efforts have brought hundreds of millions of dollars into our communities. To see the full value of a health system creating greater possibilities, visit spectrumhealth.org/csr.

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Life Adventure In Grand Rapids

Meet in Grand Rapids

“The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, JW Marriott, and Downtown Courtyard by Marriott each offer an abundance of meeting space, and our Midwest location makes these hotels an ideal choice to host conventions and meetings. Business and leisure travelers alike are drawn to Grand Rapids due to its affordability, variety of dining experiences, culture, nightlife, and the fact it’s a very walkable city.” —Ron Brondyke VP/Corporate Director of Sales Amway Hotel Corporation

“Not only is Grand Rapids a convenient location to travel to, but it’s also a thriving city offering an array of entertainment options all within walking distance to satisfy all who visit us. The Downtown Courtyard is located within the entertainment district, providing easy access to Van Andel Arena, DeVos Place Convention Center, and countless restaurants and nightclubs through the climatecontrolled skywalk.” —Jenifer Cutter General Manager Downtown Courtyard by Marriott

GOLD RUSH

The Pantlind Ballroom at Amway Grand Plaza Hotel can accommodate 350 guests.

TABLE TALK

The Perugia Boardroom at the JW Marriott accommodates up to 14.

ROOM FOR A CROWD

Downtown Courtyard by Marriott offers eight meeting rooms.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF AMWAY HOTEL CORPORATION

“Our three hotels offer distinct options for business and leisure travelers. Guests can experience the modern and hip JW Marriott; the timeless beauty of the historic Amway Grand Plaza; and the Downtown Courtyard is located in the heart of the arena and entertainment district. Grand Rapids has everything a big city has—arts, dining, leisure, sports—except for traffic, high crime, and pollution.” —George Aquino VP/Managing Director Amway Hotel Corporation

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More than rooms. Doors of opportunity.

“ I was so impressed with the city as a meetings destination. Everything exceeded my expectations—from the world class meeting and convention space to the endless dining and entertainment offerings—all within walking distance from my hotel. And now getting there is easier than ever with Southwest Airlines.” ®

Insert Your Name Here A Future Grand Rapids Meeting Attendee

1100rooms.com/gettoknow

1,100 rooms waiting just for you. From three exceptional hotels in one remarkable city, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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Life Adventure In Grand Rapids

AMAZING RACE

Grand Rapids hosted The Color Run for the first time in August 2012.

“As soon as you enter Gun Lake Casino, there’s an air of excitement—lots of action at the table games, a captivating allure from the latest slot machines, four distinctive places to eat, two bars, and a stage with every genre of live, daily entertainment. Serious and casual gamers of every age make Gun Lake Casino their ongoing casino of choice. From the moment they walk in the door until they leave, we’re always providing the friendliest service and doing the unexpected to make the visit a memorable one.” —Rob McDermott General Manager Gun Lake Casino

“We take great pride in promoting the area’s art and culture, local food, craft beer, family playcations, music, and the lakeshore; it is these experiences that create a Grand Rapids vibe that visitors and locals alike fall in love with. Grand Rapids also recently won the title of Beer City USA, an

annual public poll that recognizes the city with not only the best craft beer scene but also a passionate beer culture. The title has been instrumental in building local collaborations, luring visitors to the area, and attracting customers to local breweries.” —Doug Small President/CEO Experience Grand Rapids

“Grand Valley is home to 25,000 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide array of fields. The city is big enough to be exciting yet small enough for students to network with employers. Grand Rapids has more big-town amenities than you might expect. Symphony, museums, ballet— enhanced by national championship college athletics—make Grand Rapids a successful place.” —Matthew McLogan Vice President Grand Valley State University

Facts of Play in Grand Rapids • ArtPrize, the world’s largest art competition, takes place September 18 through October 6. More than 1,500 artists are expected to enter the open competition, and 500,000 guests are expected to attend. • At 1,500 acres, Millennium Park is one of the nation’s largest urban green spaces. • Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is one of the world’s 100 most visited art museums. • HopCat was named the thirdbest beer bar in the world for 2012 by beeradvocate.com.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF EXPERIENCEGR

Play in Grand Rapids

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ÂŠ 2013 Herman Miller, Inc.

Herman Millerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inspiring designs for life and work fit everywhere in your day.

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View our video to learn more at store.hermanmiller.com/everywhere-in-your-day

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Life Adventure In Grand Rapids

“Life in the Holland/Grand Rapids area is an eclectic mix of small town meets big city, with a Great Lake thrown in. Holland’s friendly, resort-town ambience is the perfect balance to the big-city amenities of Grand Rapids. Both communities are college towns, and with that comes the energy of young people eager to learn. Downtown Holland is filled with life-size bronze sculptures, Victorian park benches, and cobblestone sidewalks—the perfect backdrop to the historic buildings that place downtown on the National Register of Historic Places. Holland appeals to people of all interests, whether you prefer to shop downtown or climb to the top of a 250-year-old working Dutch windmill. An added bonus: Downtown Holland is snow-free in the winter, thanks to the largest municipally run snowmelt system in the country.” —Sally Laukitis Executive Director Holland Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

Sunseekers take to the open water in Holland.

DREAM TEAM

The Griffins celebrate their Calder Cup win.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF DAVID KENYON/MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS

“I love that Grand Rapids is big enough to offer great arts, entertainment, and sports, but not so big that you don’t know anyone. It’s a friendly city with a good business base, and our growing downtown is an active city center. Van Andel Arena is always filled with excitement during a Grand Rapids Griffins hockey game. We’re the top affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings, and Griffins fans get the chance to watch the hockey stars of tomorrow at a fraction of the price of going to an NHL game. After 17 years, winning the Calder Cup this year makes it all worthwhile. There is nothing like winning a championship; it’s something few cities can boast.” —Dan DeVos President & CEO Grand Rapids Griffins

CRUISE CONTROL

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“Best in the Midwest.” – The Princeton Review

AT THE TOP OF OUR CLASS. Grand Valley is leading the way with professionally relevant academic programs, real-world research opportunities, and outstanding campus facilities. Plus, our students benefit from personalized instruction made possible by small class sizes and dedicated professors. It’s all part of our liberal education foundation that provides a great return on investment and makes Grand Valley a top choice in the Midwest and beyond. gvsu.edu/GRAND | (800) 748-0246

Grand Rapids • Allendale • Holland • Muskegon • Traverse City

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Life Adventure In Grand Rapids

SUN AND GAMES

“Saugatuck and Douglas are known as the art coast of Michigan, so the vibe here is laid-back with a cosmopolitan interest in the arts. There’s a growing emphasis on fresh, local, and organic. This community has a multigenerational appeal, and everyone from fishermen and sailors to beach lovers and theater buffs are attracted to the area. This isn’t a cookie-cutter community. Our economic engine is fueled by mom-andpop businesses, and residents work hard to keep it that way.” —Felicia Fairchild Executive Director Saugatuck-Douglas Convention & Visitors Bureau

HIGH RISE

Muskegon North Pier Lighthouse towers over Lake Michigan.

“Muskegon is the largest urban area on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. In the fall and winter, outdoor recreation reigns supreme, with one of the only publicly accessible luge runs in the country at the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex. In the summer, you can find any beach “ArtPrize is an annual, open-call you like: quiet, packed—there are art competition where everything even dog beaches. If you’ve never from sculptures to videos is entered. been to Lake Michigan’s sunset side, Grand Rapids is big enough to have you’ve got to see it. It’s a great place influence and options for artists, for relaxing.” but it’s still easy for visitors to walk —Bob Lukens around and experience the city. The Community Development Director whole area gets behind the event, Muskegon County Convention & which makes it impossible to ignore.” Visitors Bureau —Rick DeVos Founder and Chairman ArtPrize

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF SAUGATUCK-DOUGLAS CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU AND © JOEGEEPHOTOGRAPHY.COM/MUSKEGON COUNTY CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

About 250,000 guests visit Saugatuck’s Oval Beach annually.

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Life Adventure In Grand Rapids

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Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is the state’s largest neonatal center.

“Grand Rapids’ growing Medical Mile is an impressive asset to the community. This emerging healthsciences corridor provides daily health care needs and research to combat our most debilitating conditions. It’s also a primary advancededucation hub for the future of our health system. Students, medical personnel, and medical conference attendees are coming to Grand Rapids from all over the country and the world, which adds economic strength and diversity to the community. Health care is thriving here due to the generous offerings of local private investors and a collaborative effort with the public sector. The Medical Mile, Mercy St. Mary’s, Mary Free Bed, and Metropolitan Hospital have allowed Grand Rapids to grow into one of the most impressive medical care and research

OFF WE GROW

Medical Mile is a hotbed of health care development.

centers in the country. The health care industry not only provides jobs, health, and economic well-being for the citizens of West Michigan, but is now a catalyst for future national and international conferences and conventions, while helping diversify the Grand Rapids demographic profile.” —Doug Small President & CEO Experience Grand Rapids

Facts of Health in Grand Rapids • Medical Mile refers to a life-science development area bordering both sides of Michigan Street and includes more than 10 health care facilities. • Spectrum Health is West Michigan’s largest employer with 20,000 employees. • Spectrum Health was recognized by U.S. News & World Report in its Best Hospitals 2012-13 rankings. • Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is a 212-bed referral center and teaching hospital that offers advanced pediatric specialty care from more than 200 physicians.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF SPECTRUM HEALTH AND THE RIGHT PLACE, INC.

Heal in Grand Rapids

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Daily arrivals.

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Happening in Grand Rapids

G R F

August 1–May 3 Growing Up Grand fordlibrary museum.gov

Tec dri live de tod

August 1– September 8 Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition grmuseum.org

Ge the we

August 1– November 30 Great Lakes Shipwrecks: Storms and Stories grmuseum.org August 15 Big Bad Voodoo Daddy: Summer Concert Series at Frederik Meijer Gardens meijergardens.org September 6–7 34th Annual Celebration on the Grand celebrationon thegrand.org September 13–15 10th Annual Grand Haven Salmon Festival visitgrandhaven. com September 18– October 6 ArtPrize 2013 artprize.org

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More than $560,000 in cash and prizes was awarded at ArtPrize 2012.

September 19–22 Ringling Bros. presents: Dragons vanandel arena.com

October 1–6 Broadway Grand Rapids presents: Jersey Boys broadwaygrand rapids.com

September 20–22 GrandCon Gaming Convention grand-con.com

October 5–13 Rockford Harvest Fest 2013 therockford network.com

September 21 Iron Warrior Dash warriordash.com

October 10 Wine, Women & Chocolate grwrc.org

September 27–28 Professional Bull Rider’s “Built Ford Tough Series” Invitational vanandelarena. com

October 12 Grand Rapids Comic-Con grcomiccon.com

October 20 10th Annual Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon grandrapids marathon.com

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October 22 Josh Groban’s “In the Round” Tour vanandelarena. com October 25–27 Grand Rapids Ballet presents: Dracula grballet.com October 25–27 Zoo Goes Boo! johnballzoo society.org

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Calendar

Looking Ahead Mark your calendar for these fun-filled events held across the country in August and September.

JUN

FLY-TOWN

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CITY OF CHICAGO (AIR SHOW), PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAPT PRODUCTIONS (LIGHT SUITS)

In Chicago, jet-setters go topsy-turvy on Lake Michigan. SO YOU THINK YOU CAN...

At the Bay Area Tap Fest, dancers move at the speed of light.

SAN FRANCISCO

AUG

Bay Area Tap Festival

Tap dancing is a uniquely American art form, and there’s no better place to check in on your favorite hoofers than the 11th Annual Bay Area Tap Festival. Hosted by the nonprofit collective Stepology, BATF rounds up some of the world’s greatest tap dancers and choreographers—including Channing Cook Holmes (Riverdance), festival director John Kloss (Tap Heat), and the Barbary Coast Cloggers—to turn rapid-fire paradiddles, shuffle ball changes, cramp rolls, and shim sham shimmies into a joyful racket. The six-day event includes workshops open to the public and a culminating showcase performance of Bay Area Rhythm Exchange, at the Marines’ Memorial Theatre. Godfather of Soul James Brown once said

AUGUST 2013 SPIRIT

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Chicago Air and Water Show

It only makes sense that The Windy City would be the wind beneath the wings of one of the nation’s largest free shows of its kind, the 55th annual Chicago Air and Water Show. Despite U.S. Department of Defense budget cuts that have eliminated demonstration runs of military aircraft, this year’s two-day show promises to be one of the best ever, with city officials recruiting more amateur aerobats and top guns than ever before. Gaze skyward at the astonishing daredevilry of returning favorites Sean D. Tucker & Team Oracle, Firebirds Delta Team, and Red Bull Helicopter. Maybe you’ll bear witness to a Cuban Eight or Pugachev’s Cobra, two of the most death-defying aeronautic maneuvers. Chicago Fire Department’s Air-Sea Rescue Helicopter Unit will run laketop demonstrations from Fullerton to Oak Street in this family-friendly, white-knuckle event, while food trucks and live music will be in abundance. Free; chicagoairandwatershow.us KEY LARGO, FLORIDA

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Anything That Floats Race

When Ernest Hemingway penned The Old Man and the Sea, it’s unlikely he envisioned the Gulf Stream peppered with homemade vessels of cardboard, PVC, pool noodles, and milk jugs. Then again, participants in the Anything That Floats Race, an annual, two-day contest of barely seaworthy boats on Blackwater Sound, aren’t fishing for marlin. Rules are simple:

6/28/13 11:27 AM

Calendar no motors, inflatable rafts, or foam, but otherwise, as Cole Porter crooned, anything goes. The U.S. Navy doesn’t use Saran Wrap or old bicycles in the construction of their nautical beasts (we think), but contestants from around the country often do, huffing, puffing, pushing, shoving, and sometimes even sailing along the regatta’s half-mile waterfront course. Awards are presented to the fastest teams, the best-decorated boats, the best-costumed teams, and the best hard-luck story, but the real winners are the guests at this comical, aquatic affair. Live music and food from local eateries make this a perfect day at the beach. Free; keylargoanythingthatfloatsrace.com AUSTIN, TEXAS

AUG

Hot Sauce Festival

What happens when 15,000 hungry spectators descend on more than 100 gallons of hot sauce in the funky capital city

of Austin, Texas? The 23rd Annual Hot Sauce Festival, of course. And, presumably, a mad dash for public restrooms. This family-friendly event, sponsored by The Austin Chronicle and serving as a major fundraiser for Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, features live music, culinary exhibitions, and more than 350 hot-sauce competitors inviting guests to eat their heat. Beware condiments made with ghost and habanero peppers and especially those sauces featuring pure capsaicin, which threaten to torch the Scoville scale into oblivion. Additionally, local restaurants will present samples of their hot and spicy foods, while vendors from across Texas and the Southwest set up shop to sell cookbooks, fresh peppers, and chili pepper memorabilia. Held at the beautiful Fiesta Gardens, this is one way to make sure your summer’s extra hot. Free; austinchronicle.com/ hotsauce

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA

AUG

Minnesota Flatpicking Guitar & Duet Championships

With bands like Mumford & Sons, Of Monsters and Men, and The Civil Wars holding court on the national stage, roots music is more popular today than a century ago. The Minnesota Flatpicking Guitar & Duet Championships exist to honor musicians in such storied styles and traditions. A highlight of the Minnesota State Fair, the dynamic, two-day event features up to 20 contestants in far-ranging styles (bluegrass, folk, country) competing for cash and music equipment. Highlighted by close vocal harmonies and expert instrumental playing with plenty of drive, intensity, and character, this tour de force gathering is a can’tmiss for music lovers. If you want to see why beloved recording artist Dan Fogelberg said, “It seems like bluegrass people have more great

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INDOOR KART RACING

Calendar stories to tell than other musicians,” this is the place to be. Free with fair entry; minnesotabluegrass.org PIKEVILLE, KENTUCKY

AUG

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Hatfield-McCoy Heritage Days

With America’s most famous family feud as a point of reference, awkward reunions become so much easier to tolerate. The Hatfield-McCoy clash, vividly depicted in a recent History miniseries, started with a broken leg, at war. Many decades, deaths, and a forbidden love affair later, it’s time to kiss and make up. Heritage Days retells this West Virginia– Kentucky saga through guided tours, live music, and theatrical performances. For an even more action-packed adventure, make a splash in the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River, with a tube, kayak, or canoe—all available to rent. Once you’re thoroughly drenched, devour some homecooked grub at a legit country fish fry, and head to the Jenny Wiley Theatre for the debut of Feud, a play based on the tumultuous love story of Roseanna McCoy and Johnse Hatfield. The celebration culminates Monday at noon with a parade triggered by a gunfight on Main Street. Yeehaw! Free; tourpikecounty.com COCONUT GROVE, FLORIDA

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The Great Grove Bed Race

If the idea of watching flop-sweating teams of five race homemade beds through the streets of Coconut Grove isn’t enough pluck and nonsense to get you to The Great Grove Bed Race, maybe knowing who the event’s grand marshal is will make the difference. The creator of the fastest-selling hip-hop album of all time, Vanilla Ice, will flamboyantly oversee the tongue-incheek affair, bearing witness and bringing disorder to a contest in

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Calendar which gaudily decorated beds carrying pajama-clad riders are each shoved furiously through the Florida humidity by four teammates. The goal? A checkeredflag finish line, trophies, and the adoration of 30,000 fans. Cue the Chariots of Fire theme song! Benefitting Grove Charities, the free, one-day event also features kids’ storytelling time, an obstacle course for waiters and waitresses from local eateries, the Pit Row Parade of decorated beds, and plenty of good eats and live music. Free; thegreatgrovebedrace.com DETROIT

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The Fourth Guinness World Record Assembly Line Concert

Exactly a century ago, Henry Ford pioneered the moving assembly line for automobile production, putting the cherry atop the Industrial Revolution. Imagine how much faster those Model Ts could’ve been manufactured had Ford’s employees been serenaded by live rock ’n’ roll. Honoring the long tradition of American-made automobiles, the Fourth Guinness World Record Assembly Line Concert wrangles 400 live bands performing for 400 straight hours (until October 7) in the birthplace of industrial mass production. That’s almost 17 days of nonstop live music before an anticipated audience of 55,000 people. This year’s round-the-clock festivities will assist in the creation of an Automobile Heritage Welcome Center, which will celebrate the area’s rich history. The artist lineup is yet to be announced, but expect a joyful mash-up of local and national bands in a variety of styles, along with plenty of food and drinks from local vendors. The only question is: As the 400th hour of music nears, will you still be rolling down that assembly line? From $5; assemblyline2013.com

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Fun!

STEP 1 Fold and unfold along the vertical guide. Turn over.

STEP 4 Mountain-fold the corners as shown. Valley-fold the top layer along the dashed guides.

STEP 2 Valley-fold along the dashed guides.

STEP 5 Mountain-fold along the horizontal guide at the top. Valley-fold the top layer along the dashed guides at the bottom.

STEP 3 Valley-fold along the horizontal guide.

STEP 6 Mountain-fold along the vertical guide, and rotate to match the image in Step 7.

Above the Fold

Here’s a list of the guides and definitions you’ll need to know for this origami lesson. Now get folding! FOLD DIRECTION Bend paper this way.

VALLEY-FOLD Make a crevice.

FOLD AND UNFOLD This sets a crease you’ll use later.

MOUNTAIN-FOLD Form a peak.

Crimpfold

CRIMP-FOLD Fold paper over itself, like an accordion. STEP 7 Crimp-fold as indicated.

122 SPIRIT AUGUST 2013

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Across

A bunch Mexicali mister Filling point in a coffee cup 14 ____ code (phone number starter) 15 Rocky ridge 16 Helen’s mother 17 Shakespearean father of Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia 18 1976 Scorsese film 20 Frontier settlements 22 School assignment 23 Stimpy’s canine friend 24 Gilbert and Sullivan’s ____ Pinafore 25 Put-down 28 Classic catchphrase from Bob and Doug McKenzie of SCTV 34 Radio hobbyist 35 People of the Yucatán 1 5 10

Easy Crossword

60 Not the sailing

sort 62 Rainbow goddess 64 Natural balm 65 Native New Zealander 66 El ____ (cause of some storms) 67 Seeks gold in a stream 68 Primp 69 Slumber party participant

Down

Milk purchase: Abbr. 2 Cookie frequently twisted apart 1

happily ____ after” 40 Electrician’s concern 41 Tales and such 42 Video game heroine ____ Croft 43 Square corners 45 Mustachioed Simpsons character 46 110-pound pounder, e.g. 48 Lightbulb units 50 Monopoly token 51 “Whew!” 52 Pizzazz 55 Plum, cherry, and beefsteak

37 Itch 38 “... and they lived

A puzzle for starters. Answers on page 134

Steady Existentialist playwright Jean-Paul 5 Squelched 6 Important times 7 Barbershop call 8 Redding of R&B 9 Soccer penalty card color 10 Filled with happiness 11 Guns 12 Brainstorming result 13 ____ Poppins 19 San ____ (Italian resort) 21 Salon offering 24 Siddhartha writer Hermann 3 4

25 Part of a bookcase 26 Pertaining to

warships 27 It may be at your fingertips 28 Fixing one’s shoelaces 29 Exasperation exclamation 30 Prepared to propose 31 “Down in ____!” 32 White heron 33 Obeys 36 Hold on for 39 Some whip materials 44 Crushing blow

47 Countess’s

counterpart

49 Designate 51 County north of

San Francisco

52 Brouhaha 53 Refrain syllables 54 Presently 55 Skier’s aid 56 Melancholy

sounding woodwind 57 Just 58 Lake near Niagara Falls 59 Cosecant’s reciprocal 61 Referee 63 Daughter’s opposite

126 SPIRIT AUGUST 2013

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Hard Crossword A puzzle for experts. Answers on page 134

Across

Some sneaks Fasten Lou ____ Tonight Greek Muse of lyric poetry 15 Channel for a spree 16 Bay, say 17 Carrying 19 Auto insurance giant 20 Last of a cigar 21 Jeremy Piven, on Entourage 22 Donnie ____ (Pacino film) 23 1984 Rob Reiner rock music satire 1 6 9 14

27 Have a craving for 28 Information booth

47 Introduced 55 Let out, as an

29 Disavow formally 32 Tibetan show dogs 37 Take off like a

56 Prefix with posit 57 “Take ____” 58 Middle of a play,

38 Term of endear-

59 Bat from either

handout

rocket

ment, to a frat boy

39 ____ Pahlavi 40 Flawed

protagonist

43 Perk 45 Tuberous plant of

the Andes

46 Prefix with

dynamic

apartment

sometimes

side of the plate ... or an alternate title for this puzzle 62 Tired 63 Term of endearment, to a frat boy 64 “Just like me” 65 Had faith 66 Short reply? 67 Scale composition

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F1_FUN_kdm.indd 128 ElPasoCVB.indd 1

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S R A YE

Down

Not yet used to Lucky group? Blues singer McDonald 4 Eritrea’s neighbor: Abbr. 5 Liberal arts class, for short 6 What you slake 7 Long Island airport 8 Bring to a close 9 The “th” in “the,” e.g. 10 Little Darlings actress 11 Like lesser-known actors 12 Glee actress ____ Tobin 13 Small porch 18 Has not reduced? 22 ____ B’rith 24 Eastern mystic 25 The Vampire Diaries actor Somerhalder 26 Gchat shorthand 29 Rapper born Robert Diggs 30 L-o-n-g time period 31 Basic bed 32 Bway. sign 33 Scouts’ unit 34 End of a series, in Britain 35 Action film weapon 36 MS go-with 38 Little monster 41 Fettered in a way 42 Returned call 43 “Dig?” 44 Gold, to Guillermo 46 Blacksmith needs 47 Lacking restraint 48 Printer’s righthand page 49 Next 50 Worthwhile 51 John Wayne, by birth 52 Lindsay in persistent legal trouble 53 Imported film genre 54 Abominable snowmen 59 Spring for refreshments? 60 Ill. time 61 Bit of crying 1 2 3

F1_FUN_kdm.indd 129

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5 9 8

1 2 8 6 3 2 5 7

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7 1 3 7

6 7

7 4 9

2 1 6 9 5 8 3 6 1

8 8

6 1

Hard

4 1

7 1

6 4 2

5 2

6 8 5 3

5 7

6 9 2 7 9 1 6 8

1 5

7 3 4 4 3 8 7 5

How to Do a Sudoku Puzzle

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8 3 5 8 1

3 5 9

Easy

1 7 4

6 8 6 5

4 9

8 3

1 4 3

Medium

October 10-14

UNITED STATES SAILBOAT SHOW

4 1 4 5

7 2 8

8 1

Hard

4 7

1 3 7 5 6

5 7 1 8 6 9

4 1 2

2 7

5 8 9 6 9 3 4

3 7

1 8 4

5 1 6 9 2 4

3 1

2 5 2 6 9 3 1

How to Do a Sudoku Puzzle Fill in the blank squares so that the numbers 1 to 9 appear once in every row, column, and 3-by-3 box. There is only one solution per puzzle. Answers on page 134

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3 1 7 4 9 6 5 2 8

2 9 6 8 5 3 4 7 1

5 8 4 2 1 7 6 3 9

9 1 8 3 4 5 7 2 6

E G R E T

H E E D S

E R I E

S I S N O E N

I R I S H

K A T H I

R E C Z O O A N T B R A S H

R E C T O

O N T A P

E S T O H C H A S I S W A N A N T M I H E O C U G H T T O I I L E E D

T H I R S T

I S L I P

E N D

B I N M A S H I B R O R O G A A E T I N T O V I S W I T P A L A N S

D I G R A P H

O N E A L

T R O O R O O P

B L I S T

B E C C A

S T O O P

Z U S E Z A D I E

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A N I M E

Y E T I S

2 4 3 7 6 1 5 9 8

5 3 4 8 9 2 6 1 7

8 9 6 4 1 7 2 3 5

7 2 1 6 5 3 4 8 9

4 8 5 9 2 6 3 7 1

3 6 2 1 7 8 9 5 4

1 7 9 5 3 4 8 6 2

5 9 7 1 2 4 6 8 3

6 2 1 3 8 9 4 7 5

4 3 8 5 6 7 1 2 9

9 4 3 8 1 5 7 6 2

7 1 2 9 3 6 8 5 4

8 5 6 7 4 2 3 9 1

1 7 5 4 9 8 2 3 6

2 8 4 6 5 3 9 1 7

3 6 9 2 7 1 5 4 8

2 5 1 8 3 4 7 9 6

3 7 6 5 9 1 8 2 4

8 4 9 6 2 7 5 1 3

1 6 2 9 8 5 4 3 7

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7 2 8 1 4 3 6 5 9

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6 8 4 5 3 1 2 7 9

1 9 3 6 4 5 7 8 2

8 4 5 2 7 9 6 1 3

7 6 2 8 1 3 5 9 4

4 6 3 7 5 1 8 9 2

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6 2 8 9 3 7 4 1 5

9 3 4 2 1 5 7 8 6

3 4 6 1 9 8 2 5 7

1 9 5 3 7 2 6 4 8

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F R O N T

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8 9 1 7 3 4 5 2 6

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I D E A

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Spotlight MAKING CONNECTIONS Customers can combine Southwest and AirTran flights on a single reservation.

One Step Closer to One LUV At Southwest Airlines, we are always looking for opportunities to give our Customers more. The acquisition of AirTran Airways in 2011 has allowed us to do exactly that, and, thanks to the recent connection of the two airlines’ networks, we are pleased to offer more flights to more destinations. Full integration will be completed by the end of 2014. In the meantime, we are working hard to ensure that Customers don’t have to wait to enjoy the benefits of our extended route network. One of the most valuable results of the fully connected Southwest-AirTran network is that Customers now have the Freedom to Fly to 97 destinations in 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and six near-international countries. Additionally, Members of the airlines’ Frequent Flyer programs— Southwest’s Rapid Rewards and AirTran’s A+ Rewards—can currently transfer their points or credits between the two, allowing them to redeem for either Southwest or AirTran flights. “With a connected network, we can offer Customers more itineraries, more destinations, more low fares, and a taste of what’s to come once the integration is complete,” says Bob Jordan,

Southwest’s Chief Commercial Officer and the President of AirTran. Customers are now able to add one or more AirTran domestic flight segments to a Southwest itinerary, using Southwest booking channels such as southwest.com. Customers may also book Southwest flight segments connecting to an AirTran itinerary through AirTran channels like airtran.com. This means that for the first time Southwest Customers can connect international AirTran segments to Southwest segments in a single reservation purchased through AirTran. Wanna get away? We suggest Cancún, Los Cabos, Mexico City, Montego Bay, Nassau, or Punta Cana— international hot spots all made accessible through our newly connected route network. Eventually, all AirTran flights will be integrated into the Southwest brand within a single network, reservation system, and Frequent Flyer loyalty program. Until then, Southwest is delighted to continue to provide our Customers more itineraries, more destinations, and more low fares. —Liz Blumberg

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN M. KELLER

Connected route networks offer more options to travelers.

138 SPIRIT AUGUST 2013

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Let time fly with free live TV.

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Community Outreach

ALL-INCLUSIVE

Employees attend the annual Diversity Summit at Southwest headquarters.

All Are Welcome

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DONNA M C WILLIAM

Southwest Employee Melissa Chun shares how the Airline makes a daily practice of honoring diversity. After 20 years in Los Angeles Ground Operations at Southwest Airlines, I still feel very fortunate to have found my way to the LUV Airline. I was hired as a Customer Service Agent right out of college and now work as the Manager of Station Administration. Throughout the years, one thing has remained the same for both Employees and Customers: Everyone is welcome at Southwest. Embracing diversity resonated with me from the very beginning, and it later became a bright spot in my career when, in 2010, I was asked to be a member of our Company’s Diversity Council. A born-and-raised Hawaiian, I first became passionate about diversity and inclusion when I learned about all the different cultures from around the world that came to my home state and helped make it such a unique and interesting place. To not celebrate my culture or

heritage is to ignore a part of what makes me unique. My nationality is American, my race is Asian, my heritage is 50 percent Chinese and 50 percent Japanese, and I called Hawaii home. My culture is all of these combined. Southwest was founded on core values of mutual respect and The Golden Rule of treating others the way we want to be treated. Southwest’s Diversity Council, formed in 2007 and made up entirely of Employee volunteers, ensures that Employees are aware of the strength and diversity of our workforce. These Council Members share the importance of having a civil and inclusive work environment with their fellow Employees, which is why I’m so proud to be a part of this group. Today, our efforts continue to grow. Ellen Torbert is Southwest’s Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion, and her fulltime job is to champion diversity, inclusiveness, innovation, and acceptance within our Company. As Southwest works toward serving international destinations, our awareness of culture and diversity will continue to expand and strengthen. We understand the importance of ensuring that each Employee and Customer is treated as an individual. Because we value all that makes you unique, at Southwest Airlines, we welcome you. —Melissa Chun Manager of Station Administration Los Angeles AUGUST 2013 SPIRIT

f2_communityoutreach_gc.indd 141

141

7/9/13 9:08 AM

Get There With Southwest

PACIFIC TIME

MOUNTAIN TIME

SEATTLE/TACOMA

CENTRAL TIME

SPOKANE

EAST

Route Map

PORTLAND

BOISE

MINNEAPOLIS/ ST. PAUL

GRAND RAPIDS MILWAUKEE

RENO/TAHOE

DES MOINES

SALT LAKE CITY

SACRAMENTO OAKLAND SAN FRANCISCO (SFO) SAN JOSE

DET

AKRON/C

INDIANAPOLIS DENVER

DAYTON KANSAS CITY

LAS VEGAS

BURBANK LOS ANGELES (LAX)

CHICAGO (MIDWAY)

OMAHA

FLINT

ST. LOUIS

LOUISVILLE

WICHITA BRANSON ALBUQUERQUE

ONTARIO

NASHVILLE

ORANGE COUNTY

AMARILLO

SAN DIEGO

TULSA

MEMPHIS

OKLAHOMA CITY PHOENIX

LITTLE ROCK

LUBBOCK

TUCSON

BIRMINGHAM DALLAS (LOVE FIELD)

EL PASO JACKSON

MIDLAND/ODESSA AUSTIN HOUSTON (HOBBY)

For Southwest destinations, visit southwest.com. For AirTran destinations, visit airtran.com.

SAN ANTONIO

PENSACOLA NEW ORLEANS

CORPUS CHRISTI

FT. MYER

HARLINGEN/SOUTH PADRE ISLAND

CABO SAN LUCAS/LOS CABOS

We Get You There You can get to a number of other cities via Southwest destinations. Fly to Santa Fe via Albuquerque, Palm Springs via Ontario, and more. While we fly nationwide, service between some cities/airports is not offered. Be sure to check your flight schedule. service to Grand Rapids, • Southwest Michigan, begins August 11.

•

AirTran service to Grand Rapids ends August 11. AirTran service to San Juan, Puerto Rico, ends November 3.

service to Memphis, • Southwest Tennessee; Pensacola, Florida;

CANCÚN

MEXICO CITY

and Richmond, Virginia, begins November 3. AirTran service to Memphis and Pensacola ends November 3.

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FLINT DETROIT

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CLEVELAND

AGO AY)

POLIS

BOSTON LOGAN PROVIDENCE HARTFORD/SPRINGFIELD

PHILADELPHIA

AKRON/CANTON PITTSBURGH COLUMBUS

BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON (BWI) WASHINGTON, D.C. (DULLES) WASHINGTON, D.C. (REAGAN NATIONAL)

DAYTON

RICHMOND

UISVILLE

NORFOLK/VIRGINIA BEACH

RALEIGH/DURHAM LLE

CHARLOTTE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG BERMUDA

GHAM

COLA

ATLANTA

PANAMA CITY BEACH

CHARLESTON

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TAMPA BAY FT. MYERS/NAPLES

WEST PALM BEACH FT. LAUDERDALE (MIAMI AREA) NASSAU/PARADISE ISLAND

KEY WEST SAN JUAN PUNTA CANA CANCÚN

MONTEGO BAY

ARUBA

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Rapid Rewards Partners

Rewards you can really use. Rapid Rewards offers more ways to earn points to redeem for reward flights, and no restrictions to get between you and your favorite destinations. As a Member, you’ll enjoy these benefits:

UNLIMITED REWARD SEATS • NO BLACKOUT DATES • POINTS THAT DON’T EXPIRE* You’ll earn Rapid Rewards Points for every dollar you spend with Southwest Airlines®. Your points spend like cash, so lower fares require fewer points to fly. That means you can cash in for small trips or save your points for one big trip! With Rapid Rewards, it’s easy to fly to any of the over 80 destinations that Southwest Airlines serves.

Member tiers offer more benefits. • Priority boarding • Fly By® Priority Check-in and Security Lane access** • 25% point-earning bonus

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Receive all the benefits of A-List, plus: • Highest priority boarding • Free Inflight WiFi • 100% point-earning bonus

Sign up for Rapid Rewards now and receive up to 750 bonus points! Text SPIRIT and your e-mail address to 72743 to get started.

Message and Data Rates May Apply. Maximum of two enrollment communications. For more information on SMS service, text HELP to 72743. Text STOP to 72743 to cancel. Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions can be found on southwest.com/privacy. Offer is only valid for new-Member enrollment. Automatically receive 250 bonus points for enrolling in Rapid Rewards. Opt in to receive both Rapid Rewards e-mail communications, stay subscribed for at least three months, and then 500 bonus points will be deposited automatically into your account. *Points don’t expire as long as you have flight or Partner earning activity every 24 months. Benefits apply to points transactions. **For a complete list of available Fly By locations, visit southwest.com/flyby.

Earn Even Faster With Rapid Rewards Credit Cards! With the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Credit Cards from Chase, every purchase earns you points to redeem for flights and more. Each card has its own distinct benefits that can help you get to your favorite destination. Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers have the opportunity to turn points into International flights, hotel stays, rental cars, gift cards, and more!

Plus and Premier Card Exclusive Benefits: Redeem points for International flights, cruises, hotel stays, rental cars, gift cards, and access to exclusive events. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest Airlines and AirTran® Airways purchases made directly with the airlines. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on Rapid Rewards Hotel and Rental Car Partner purchases. Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. Earn bonus points after your Cardmember Anniversary every year. Visit southwest.com/applytoday to learn more. Accounts subject to credit approval. Restrictions and limitations apply. Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Credit Cards are issued by Chase Bank USA, N.A. See southwest.com/applytoday for pricing and rewards details. All Rapid Rewards rules and regulations apply. ©2013 Southwest Airlines Co.

144 SPIRIT AUGUST 2013

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More Partners. More points. More reward flights! Did you know that Rapid Rewards is more than a frequent flyer program? By utilizing our growing list of Partners, it’s easy to earn points just by doing the things you normally would. Visit southwest.com/RR-Partners and start earning even more points today! TRAVEL Hotels

Receive 600 points per qualifying stay. JW Marriott® EDITION SM Autograph Collection® Renaissance® Hotels Marriott® Hotels & Resorts Courtyard by Marriott® Gaylord Hotels® Marriott Executive Apartments®

SpringHill Suites by Marriott® Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott® Residence Inn by Marriott® TownePlace Suites by Marriott® Marriott Vacation Club®

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts® Wyndham Grand Collection® Wyndham Garden® TRYP by Wyndham™ Wingate® by Wyndham Hawthorn Suites® by Wyndham Dream® Hotels Night®

Ramada® Days Inn® Super 8® Baymont Inn & Suites® Microtel Inns & Suites® by Wyndham Howard Johnson® Travelodge® (U.S. Hotels only) Knights Inn®

Aloft® Element® Four Points by Sheraton® Le Meridien® Luxury Collection®

Sheraton® St. Regis® W Hotels® Westin®

Park Hyatt® Andaz® Grand Hyatt® Hyatt Regency®

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Radisson Blu Radisson® Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM

Park Inn by Radisson Park Plaza®

Ground Transportation

Rental Cars Receive 600 points per qualifying rental.

Receive up to 300 points for qualified travel to and from participating airports.

EVERYDAY EARNING Earn up to 7 points per $1 spent on workplace solutions with Regus. Visit southwest.com/regus to learn more.

Texas residents, earn up to 27,000 points with the Reliant Secure® 24 plan with Rapid Rewards. Visit reliant.com/southwestrapidrewards.

Earn points when you choose Energy Plus® to supply your electricity in participating states*. Learn more at southwest.com/energyplus.

• Join e-Miles® and view ads based on your interests. • Answer a few simple questions. • Get rewarded for your time and redeem e-Miles miles for Rapid Rewards Points. Visit e-miles.com/swapartner to get started!

New Rapid Rewards Partner: M life

Rapid Rewards has teamed up with M life, the rewards program of MGM Resorts International, to give you more options to earn Rapid Rewards Points when you visit Las Vegas! You can now earn 600 Rapid Rewards Points for every qualifying stay at an M life resort. That includes marquee destinations such as Bellagio®, ARIA™, Vdara™, MGM Grand®, The Signature at MGM Grand®, Mandalay Bay®, THEhotel at Mandalay Bay®, The Mirage®, Monte Carlo™, New York-New York®, Luxor®, and Excalibur®. This offer is also eligible for Southwest VacationsSM packages and Jackpot Deals® vacation packages that include an M life resort. To learn more, visit southwest.com/mgm.

Earn points on your new Chase mortgage! • 12,500 points for any new Chase mortgage under $250,000 • 25,000 points for any new Chase mortgage $250,000–$500,000 • 50,000 points for any new Chase mortgage over $500,000 For more information, visit chase.com/swa.

*Energy Plus services CT, IL, MD, NJ, NY, OH, PA, and TX.

SHOPPING Earn Rapid Rewards Points for shopping with many of your favorite online retailers! Visit rrshopping.southwest.com to learn more!

ENTERTAINMENT Earn 3 points per $1 spent. Join Rapid Rewards Dining for free today at rapidrewardsdining.com.

Rapid Rewards Members can earn 1,000 points on each order of $29.99 or more. Visit teleflora.com/rapidrewards.

AUGUST 2013 SPIRIT

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AS A SERVICE AND CONVENIENCE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES IS IMPLEMENTING A WIRELESS NETWORK ACROSS OUR FLEET.

WHAT IS IT? A wireless satellite–based network that allows you to connect to the Internet thousands of feet in the air!

WHEN CAN I USE IT? A Flight Attendant will alert you if the wireless network is available on your aircraft. As soon as the Flight Attendant says it is safe to turn on approved electronic devices, you are welcome to connect. The Flight Attendant will also announce when it is time to turn off and stow your device before landing. The network will be unavailable at that time.

WHAT KIND OF DEVICE DO I NEED? All you need is a WiFi-enabled device (802.11a/b/g or n) with an Internet browser. Please note that cellular devices without a WiFi component will not work with this system, and their use is restricted to game or airplane mode per current regulations.

HOW DO I CONNECT? Every device is different, but here are the basic steps: 1. Once the Flight Attendant has announced that it is safe to use approved portable electronics, turn on your WiFi-enabled device and set to airplane mode (if applicable). 2. View available wireless networks, select “Southwest WiFi,” and connect. 3. Launch your Internet browser for immediate access to the Southwest Airlines Hotspot portal and all it has to offer. 4. To purchase WiFi, click “Get Connected” and enter the requested information. 5. Enjoy surﬁng the web at 30,000 feet!

WHAT CAN I DO ON IT? The Southwest Airlines WiFi features a free entertainment portal that houses limited content including a flight tracker, shopping, games, and all that southwest.com has to offer at no charge to you! On our network, you can do just about anything you can do at work or at home. Due to the shared environment, we prohibit the use of voice applications (VoIP) and attempt to filter inappropriate content. Please note the speed for viewing and downloading high-bandwidth content, such as high-quality streaming media or large-file downloads will vary.

IS IT SECURE? The onboard wireless connection is similar to a WiFi service at a coffee shop, library, hotel, or airport. You should exercise the same precautions you would at one of these public locations.

TROUBLE CONNECTING? We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced. First, you should have conﬁrmed the aircraft and your device was indeed WiFi enabled, then try disconnecting and connecting again. If your problems connecting persist, we advise contacting your device manufacturer or your company’s network administrator for continued support.

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Please abide by public announcements from Flight Attendants concerning electronic devices. En todos los casos, por favor rígete por los anuncios públicos y las solicitudes de los Sobrecargos con respecto a todos los aparatos electrónicos.

Pacemakers Marcapasos

Hearing Aids Aparatos para sordos

Electronic Watches Relojes electrónicos

Flight Service

Always Permitted Pueden usarse en todo momento dentro del avión Also Permitted: Electronic nerve stimulators and other implanted medical devices También son permitidos: dispositivos de estimulación eléctrica de los nervios y otros aparatos médicos implantados

Noise-canceling Headphones Auriculares que aislan el ruido

Permitted Above 10,000 Feet Permitidos al volar a una altura mayor de 10,000 pies Only devices with transmitting capabilities disabled are permitted above 10,000 feet. Note that WiFi (802.11) devices may be used on aircraft equipped with our inflight Internet service when authorized. Sólo se permiten los dispositivos con la capacidad para transmitir datos desactivados cuando se vuele a una altura mayor de 10,000 pies. Nota que los dispositivos WiFi (802.11) pueden ser usados en los aviones equipados con nuestro servicio de Internet durante el vuelo, cuando sea autorizado.

Digital Cameras Cámaras digitales

Audio Players Aparatos de audio

Video Camcorders Videocámaras

GPS Receivers GPS

DVD/CD Players Reproductores de DVD/CD

Hand-held Electronic Games and Electronic Books Juegos electrónicos portátiles y libros electrónicos

Cellphones (in GAME or AIRPLANE mode) Teléfonos celulares en modo GAME o AIRPLANE

Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) or Handheld Computers Agendas electrónicas (“PDAs” o computadoras de mano)

Satellite Radio Radio por satélite

Laptop Computers Computadoras portátiles

Electronic Cigarettes and Smoking Devices Cigarrillos Electrónicos y Dispositivos para Fumar

Never Permitted Nunca pueden usarse dentro del avión Devices capable of transmitting data, unless otherwise noted, are never permitted. Nunca son permitidos los dispositivos con capacidad para transmitir datos, excepto que se especifique lo contrario.

Television or AM/FM Radio Receivers Televisión o Radios de AM/FM

Wireless Mouse or Joystick Ratón o control inalámbrico

Remote-controlled Toys Juguetes de control remoto

Two-way Radios (“Walkie-talkies”) or Scanners Radios emisores/receptores (walkie-talkies)

Cellphones and pagers may be used at the gate and after landing. Los teléfonos celulares y localizadores pueden ser usados en la puerta y después de aterrizar.

Please use headphones when using portable electronic devices. Por favor, usa auriculares al usar dispositivos electrónicos portátiles.

Lost an item onboard a flight? Visit the Customer Service page on southwest.com to report a lost item.

All pets must stay inside their carrier and under the seat for the duration of the flight. Todas las mascotas deben permanecer dentro de sus jaulas y debajo del asiento durante todo el vuelo. Customers are prohibited from consuming alcoholic beverages not purchased onboard. Alcoholic beverages will not be served to anyone under the age of 21. We reserve the right to refuse the sale of alcoholic beverages to anyone.

Remember Recuerda Federal law prohibits any passenger from assaulting, threatening, or intimidating a Crew Member or interfering with a Crew Member’s duties. La ley federal prohíbe que los pasajeros asalten, amenacen o intimiden a los Miembros de la Tripulación o que interfieran con los deberes de un Miembro de la Tripulación.

Southwest Airlines is proud to serve the following beverages: Where applicable, prices include sales tax. Beverages may be purchased with the Rapid Rewards Credit Card from Chase, other major credit or debit cards, or drink coupons. You must be 21 to drink alcoholic beverages. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant should not drink alcoholic beverages because of the risk of birth defects.

LIQUOR $5

• Dewar’s Scotch • Jack Daniel’s • Wild Turkey • Canadian Club Reserve • Tanqueray Gin

• Bacardi Rum • Baileys Irish Cream • Finlandia Vodka

PREMIUM BEVERAGES $3

BEER $5

WINE $5

• Michelob Ultra • Bud Light • Miller Lite • Coors Light • Heineken • Corona Extra

• Coastal Ridge Chardonnay • Coastal Ridge Merlot

• vitaminwater XXX (AçaiBlueberryPomegranate) • vitaminwater Squeezed (Lemonade)

• Tomato Juice • Mr & Mrs T Bloody Mary Mix • Minute Maid Cranberry Apple Cocktail

• Minute Maid Orange Juice • Minute Maid Apple Juice • LIFT Coffee • Decaf Coffee

• Tea • Hot Chocolate • Noncarbonated Purified Drinking Water

COMPLIMENTARY BEVERAGES

Southwest provides comingled onboard recycling for all your paper, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans, so thanks for helping us do our part for the environment by handing these items to a Flight Attendant.

• Coca-Cola • Coke Zero • Diet Coke • Sprite • Sprite Zero • Dr Pepper

• Diet Dr Pepper • Seagram’s Ginger Ale • Seagram’s Tonic Water • Seagram’s Seltzer Water

Valid Rapid Rewards® drink coupons, as shown here, are printed with expiration dates and the Member’s name (or issuing group). Business Select® drink coupons are valid for same day use only. Valid Rapid Rewards and Business Select drink coupons will be accepted onboard for beer, wine, and liquor.

AUGUST 2013 SPIRIT

147

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The “If” List

Aubrey Plaza, if you ruled the world, what’s the first thing you would change? Free underwear!

If this were a to-do list, what’s the first thing that would be on it? Put washer fluid in car. (But first, figure out what washer fluid is and where to get it.) If this were the last day of your life, what would you be doing? Standing on the side of a highway in a giant bear costume, waving. If you could rid yourself of one deeply personal fear, what would it be? Bananas. If you could be any fictional character, who would you be? Amelia Bedelia.

This month, the Parks and Recreation star appears in the big-screen comedy The To Do List.

If, in your dreams, you could have created any one great work of art— a song, a painting, a movie, etc.—by another artist, what would it be? The Bodyguard. I wish I had written that script, directed that movie, and birthed Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner to star in it. If you could have any other talent, what would it be? I wish I had Adele’s singing voice and Bieber’s body. If you could take back one sentence you’ve ever spoken, what would it be? “I’m more of a Charlotte kind of girl.” If you had a superpower, what would it be? Lasers. If you had coined a single phrase of wisdom, what would it be? Haste makes waste! If this interview was over, what would you be doing? Googling “washer fluid.”

If you could give your 10-year-old self one piece of advice, what would it be? Learn computers. Invent Facebook. Stop cutting your hair. Sorry, that’s three.

What About You? If you could be any fictional character, who would you be and why? Submit your answer at spiritmag.com/if. Our favorite responses will be published in an upcoming issue of Spirit. 148 SPIRIT AUGUST 2013

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