Friday, June 19, 2009
jesus is the reason!
I'm spending the next nine days in Tahoe, one of my favorite places on Earth! While I'm gone, check out this photo I took in Santa Fe ... I'm obsessed with it.
no love for barnes & noble here!
David Sedaris is one of my favorite authors/writers to ever grace this Earth. I have read all of his books and listen to him on NPR. I tried to get tickets to see him at UCLA's Royce Hall, but they sold out so I was estatic when I saw that he was going to be appearing at a local Barnes & Noble this month.
I should have known it wasn't that easy. Nothing is that easy. Behold my complaint letter to the evil corporate monster that is Barnes & Noble @ the Grove:
Barnes & Noble – Farmers Market
189 Grove Drive
Suite K 30Los Angeles, CA 90036
June 18, 2009
To Whom It May Concern:
On Wednesday, June 17 I planned to attend the David Sedaris author event and signing at your store. After hearing about the event a few months prior, I checked your website for more information and the following information was all that was given:
David SedarisWhen You Are Engulfed in Flames
Author Event
Wednesday June 17, 2009 7:00 PMThe Grove at Farmers Market189 Grove Drive Suite K 30, Los Angeles, CA 90036, 323-525-0270
Wanting to make sure additional information had not been posted to the event, I checked back repeatedly, but no information was added.
The day of the event I left my office in Fullerton and drove two hours in rush-hour traffic to make the event and arrived at 6:30pm. Upon my entrance into the store, I was handed a flyer and told I had to buy a copy When You are Engulfed in Flames if I wanted to receive an event wristband.
I bought a copy of the book, even though I already had a copy, and was then told Mr. Sedaris would not sign the books I had brought with me unless I had proof of purchase, which I did not. I then proceeded to the second floor where I waited in line for over 1 ½ hours without moving. While waiting line, several patrons took the escalator to the third floor, where the reading was set to take place, without anyone stopping them.
Finally at 8pm, a Barnes & Noble employee came down to inform us that the reading would be over in less than five minutes, which surprised those of us in line as we did not know the reading had already started. We were told the line we were waiting in was the line for the reading. The employee, who stated he is charge of event relations, then told us that we could have gone up to the third floor for the reading and that the line we were standing in was in fact the line for the book signing and had we gone to the third floor, we would have lost our place in line for the signing. You can only imagine our frustration when we learned that we missed out on the reading due to a total and complete lack of communication on the store’s part.
After waiting in line another 30 minutes – after being told it would be five – we were allowed make our way up to the third floor. We expected to be first in line for the signing, which helped ease our frustration a bit – only to be greeted by a long, Disneyland-style queue filled with patrons who had just finished listening to Mr. Sedaris’ reading.
Nearing the end of my patience, I waited in line for 30 minutes, only to move three spots. A nearby employee told me it would most likely take another two hours to reach the front of the line. After a long day at work, a two-hour drive, and nearly three hours at your store, I rode the escalators down to the first floor and returned my book.
As a nearly 10-year event planning and media relations veteran, the planning and communication associated with this event is deplorable. No information was included on your website regarding the early availability of wristbands, the reading start time, specific book purchasing requirements, or prior proof of purchase. I am an extremely loyal David Sedaris reader/listener and a frequent Barnes & Noble customer so to be treated like this without even the slightest of an apology is distressing.
While I will not hold this against Mr. Sedaris, I will most likely frequent other bookstores, who communicate proactively with potential customers and author event participants. I hope you can learn from this situation so that others do not have to experience the frustration I did.
Sincerely,
Andrea M. Hanstein
Cc: Steven Barclay Agency
I should have known it wasn't that easy. Nothing is that easy. Behold my complaint letter to the evil corporate monster that is Barnes & Noble @ the Grove:
Barnes & Noble – Farmers Market
189 Grove Drive
Suite K 30Los Angeles, CA 90036
June 18, 2009
To Whom It May Concern:
On Wednesday, June 17 I planned to attend the David Sedaris author event and signing at your store. After hearing about the event a few months prior, I checked your website for more information and the following information was all that was given:
David SedarisWhen You Are Engulfed in Flames
Author Event
Wednesday June 17, 2009 7:00 PMThe Grove at Farmers Market189 Grove Drive Suite K 30, Los Angeles, CA 90036, 323-525-0270
Wanting to make sure additional information had not been posted to the event, I checked back repeatedly, but no information was added.
The day of the event I left my office in Fullerton and drove two hours in rush-hour traffic to make the event and arrived at 6:30pm. Upon my entrance into the store, I was handed a flyer and told I had to buy a copy When You are Engulfed in Flames if I wanted to receive an event wristband.
I bought a copy of the book, even though I already had a copy, and was then told Mr. Sedaris would not sign the books I had brought with me unless I had proof of purchase, which I did not. I then proceeded to the second floor where I waited in line for over 1 ½ hours without moving. While waiting line, several patrons took the escalator to the third floor, where the reading was set to take place, without anyone stopping them.
Finally at 8pm, a Barnes & Noble employee came down to inform us that the reading would be over in less than five minutes, which surprised those of us in line as we did not know the reading had already started. We were told the line we were waiting in was the line for the reading. The employee, who stated he is charge of event relations, then told us that we could have gone up to the third floor for the reading and that the line we were standing in was in fact the line for the book signing and had we gone to the third floor, we would have lost our place in line for the signing. You can only imagine our frustration when we learned that we missed out on the reading due to a total and complete lack of communication on the store’s part.
After waiting in line another 30 minutes – after being told it would be five – we were allowed make our way up to the third floor. We expected to be first in line for the signing, which helped ease our frustration a bit – only to be greeted by a long, Disneyland-style queue filled with patrons who had just finished listening to Mr. Sedaris’ reading.
Nearing the end of my patience, I waited in line for 30 minutes, only to move three spots. A nearby employee told me it would most likely take another two hours to reach the front of the line. After a long day at work, a two-hour drive, and nearly three hours at your store, I rode the escalators down to the first floor and returned my book.
As a nearly 10-year event planning and media relations veteran, the planning and communication associated with this event is deplorable. No information was included on your website regarding the early availability of wristbands, the reading start time, specific book purchasing requirements, or prior proof of purchase. I am an extremely loyal David Sedaris reader/listener and a frequent Barnes & Noble customer so to be treated like this without even the slightest of an apology is distressing.
While I will not hold this against Mr. Sedaris, I will most likely frequent other bookstores, who communicate proactively with potential customers and author event participants. I hope you can learn from this situation so that others do not have to experience the frustration I did.
Sincerely,
Andrea M. Hanstein
Cc: Steven Barclay Agency
Thursday, June 18, 2009
albuquerque + santa fe
This year, my NCMPR Summer Board Meeting was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I didn't have any expectations, good or bad, and was just curious to visit a part of the country I have never experienced. And okay, I was a little worried about the extreme heat!
The trip started off on a bumpy note as my descent into Albuquerque literally made me nauseous. Apparently, strong canyon winds in the Rio Grande Valley, coupled with the warm air, create a lot of bumps on your landing. I am used to turbulence, but this literally made me nauseous. Unlike anything I have experienced in my prior travels.
Once my feet were on solid ground, I picked up my luggage and headed to my hotel, the Hyatt, which was located in downtown Albuquerque. Downtown Albuquerque isn't much to speak of as it is primarily a business downtown and is deserted on weekends and after 5pm. I witnessed this first-hand my first night there when Melinda and I went to get water at the local 7-11 and saw two people casually smoking crack outside our hotel. A little local flavor!
The trip started off on a bumpy note as my descent into Albuquerque literally made me nauseous. Apparently, strong canyon winds in the Rio Grande Valley, coupled with the warm air, create a lot of bumps on your landing. I am used to turbulence, but this literally made me nauseous. Unlike anything I have experienced in my prior travels.
Once my feet were on solid ground, I picked up my luggage and headed to my hotel, the Hyatt, which was located in downtown Albuquerque. Downtown Albuquerque isn't much to speak of as it is primarily a business downtown and is deserted on weekends and after 5pm. I witnessed this first-hand my first night there when Melinda and I went to get water at the local 7-11 and saw two people casually smoking crack outside our hotel. A little local flavor!
There was a section of downtown within walking distance on Central Avenue, which is part of Old Route 66. There were some fun bars and shops, but it could still use a bit of work. The history of it was fun to see though.
The main purpose of my visit was meetings, but we did have one free afternoon in Old Town Albuquerque, which reminds me of San Diego's Old Town. It was filled with a lot of gift shops and southwestern jewlery stores. We ate at the Church Street Cafe, where I sampled there Chili Cheese Frito Pie - YUM! Why can't more restaurants in California serve it? If you haven't tried it, you must!
My favorite part of the visit was the chapel located near the center of town. For those of you who do not know me, I am obsessed with visiting churches, which you may find odd because I do not attend church. However, I can't get enough of them and always feel at peace when I enter them.
On Sunday afternoon, the group caravaned up to Santa Fe, via the Turquoise Trail. It was a bit rainy that day, but even the dark, thundering clouds could not take away from how absolutely beautiful Santa Fe is. It was much more "authentic" than Santa Fe, and very green with the mountains towering over it. Like Old Town, the main part of the town was centered around a town square, complete with a gazebo. Toward the end of the afternoon, a group of us had drinks at a second-floor bar overlooking the town square. The rain had just stopped and as we looked out onto the gazebo, we could hear music playing and then saw couples taking ballroom dancing lessons inside the gazebo. It was almost magical.
Before we could shop or sightsee, we had to eat, of course! Debbie, a New Mexico native, took us to the Plaza Diner, where I had the most amazing burrito smothered in red and green chile - which the locals refer to as "Christmas-style." But the best part of the meal??? The HUGE sopapillas which you smother in honey. Literally to die for!
I spent the rest of the afternoon with Heather where we visited not one, but TWO, churches! The first was the Catholic Basilica and it took my breath away. I really liked it because it was named after St. Francis of Assisi, who happens to be my favorite saint.
After our stop at the basilica, we headed to the Loretto Chapel, home of the famous winding staircase (click here for the story). The chapel was much smaller, but still very beautiful.
My only regret was that I did not get to visit the Georgia O'Keefe museum as we arrived five minutes before closing. I hope to spend a weekend in Santa Fe when I return for the NCMPR conference this spring, so hopefully I will have a chance to explore it then!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
me? 31? no!
As if staring 30 in the face wasn't bad enough, this year I had to accept the fact that I was no longer just "30," but rather "in my 30s." Yuck! However, instead of dealing with this ugly, nonsensical fact, I chose to ignore it by escaping to San Diego with six of my girlfriends where we could dance the night away to 80s music. Soungs logical, no?
After arriving at our hotel, the lovely Embassy Suites San Diego, we walked to the Gaslamp District for lunch and then swam/laid in the sun for the afternoon. As the afternoon wore on, we took turns showering and then in a continued effort to deny our advanced age, we played a mature game of "I've Never," in which the punishment was drinking rum and coke out of a coffee carafe ... classy AND fun!
Finally around 10pm came the moment we, er I, had been waiting for - Tainted Love, aka the greatest 80s cover band EVER, took the stage. Oh wait, let me back up. I happen to have a very mature and understated crush on the band's guitarist, who goes by the stage-name Chi Chi. Since it was my birthday, I decided to live it up and ordered a custom "I *heart* Chi Chi" shirt to wear to the concert. While waiting for the band to take the stage, a security guard came up to me and handed me something ... and that something happened to be an autographed Tainted Love cd that stated "Nice Shirt! Chi Chi." *Swoon*
Once the show started, I recieved not only a happy birthday greeting from the band, but Chi Chi dedicated his (one and only) song "Sunglasses at Night" to me. I swear to god, I felt like I was 13 and at a New Kids on the Block Concert. Chi Chi really is the best!
But you know what, as cheesy as it seems, this birthday was one of my best because it involved some of my most-cherished girlfiends, laughter, good music, and dancing. So what if it was a little immature? Sometimes, I think we could all use a little more immaturity in our lives :)
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