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Another Airport, A New City

I travel a lot. Some people tell me too much.

Years ago, I imagined that traveling for work would be glamorous. It didn’t take long to figure out that it’s been a long time since travel has been glamorous. (Have you been to an airport lately?)

It’s also a bit disappointing to fly into a great city, be so close to some amazing sights and experiences and know that there just isn’t time to explore when you’re there for work.

So earlier today, when I posted on Facebook that I was walking down Michigan Avenue in Chicago on my way to a meeting, and my niece responded that she wished she had my life, my first reaction was “if she only knew.”

Then I took a moment to reflect on the fact that I am, in fact, very lucky.

Though I rarely have the time to really explore and fully enjoy the cities I visit, I have gotten bite-sized moments allowing me to appreciate them. Though I yearned to stop to explore the Art Institute as I walked by it today and felt a little pang of disappointment as I looked out on the Field Museum from our meeting venue, I still felt gratitude for all I was able to see.

Walking down Michigan Avenue, I was able to stop and appreciate the beauty of both the Chicago Tribune and Wrigley buildings. I snapped a picture of the river. As we took off from O’Hare and climbed to 30,000 feet, I was treated to a fireworks display at one of the ballparks.

Now, I have just landed in Cincinnati. While it may not be at the top of my list of places I’d choose to travel to, people have been telling me great things about the city. Though I suspect I’ll be stuck inside the walls of the convention center during most of my stay, I want to find some bite-sized moments to help me appreciate all the city has to offer.

Any suggestions? Restaurants? Neighborhood to walk?

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Restarting

It’s been a long time since I last posted. Time to get back in the habit!

Today, I’m fascinated by the decision by the American Medical Association to declare obesity a disease.

I’m honestly of two minds about this:

By declaring obesity a disease, I believe that it will receive increased attention and focus from doctors — a much needed change. But I worry that declaring obesity a disease will stigmatize and alienate those most in need of support from the medical community.

What do you think?

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Building Brand Journalism Capabilities

March 6, 2013: PreCommerce Summit, Austin TX – 

Spoke about the development of share.kp.org and strategies for developing brand ambassadors, which requires understanding the interests and needs of each audience with whom you are trying to connect, and offering content for each.

Presentation:

http://www.slideshare.net/htpotter/brand-journalism-at-the-precommerce-summit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kqwlBUGuGA

Published on Apr 3, 2014

Austin, Texas — 2014
W2O Group’s 4th annual PreCommerce Summit. Insight and best practices delivered by thought leaders from the Fortune 500.

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Trendsetter America: The latest applications of social media for Hospital and Insurance

October 11-12, 2012: Europäischer Gesundheitskongress, Munich, Germany – 

Spoke to the European Healthcare Congress about strategies for using social media to engage health care consumers.

SPEAKING
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Week Thirteen: Rodeo Beach

On Sunday, April 1, Ethan and I were on our own. After a torrential downpour on Saturday, when I spotted blue sky on Sunday morning, I was anxious to get out and take advantage of the weather.

Ethan and I hopped into the car and drove over to the Marin Headlands. Fortunately the weather held and we were treated to a lovely morning out at Rodeo Beach. We wandered around Rodeo Lagoon, played on the beach for a bit and then checked out the Marin Headlands visitors center. Following the storm on Saturday, the surf at the beach was rough. You could see the waves breaking not just on shore, but out at sea. I was happy to be on the beach and not in the water.

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Week Twelve: Cal Campus

On Sunday, March 25 after spotting some blue sky, I rushed Jeff and Jane out of the house and we drove up to the Cal Campus to explore. I found a great little walking map (pdf) that provided a one-hour loop tour of some of the major spots on campus. I figured we could get a good walk in before the next downpour.

Since I had recently explored Cambridge and the Harvard campus, I figured it was worth spending some time to check out the campus in my backyard. It was a very pleasant walk and I’m always surprised by what can be found. As far as highlights go, I was excited that the Life Sciences Building was open and I got to show Jeff and Jane the T-Rex (picture below).

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Week Ten: Kennedy Grove Regional Recreation Area

So, on Sunday, March 11, the family got in the car, picked up sandwiches and headed out to El Sobrante to check out Kennedy Grove. We had a great picnic at the park and then embarked on our hike. Off we went onto the Laurel Loop trail, took a wrong turn, and managed to reach a dead end. Once we turned around and found the trail we had actually planned to take, we started up a beautifully wooded trail.

By that time we had reached that moment that all parents know too well. Both kids were as distracted as a cats playing with a ball of yarn. There was nothing we could do to get them focused on actually making it up the hill, so we gave up. Headed back to the picnic area and let them play on the playground. The kids were happy and our sanity restored.

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