The Book Tour: Week 1

The first week of the tour is in the books – Cambridge, Chicago, and Kankakee, Illinois. Up this week: Dallas-Fort Worth, Seattle, Portland, and Berkeley, CA. The full schedule is here. In the meantime, here are a few highlights:

1. The tour actually started with a few out-of-town previews in Louisville and Atlanta. The latter was sponsored by the Jacoby Group, developers of Atlantic Station and “Aerotropolis Atlanta” – the remediation and replacement of a former Ford auto factory next to the airport with 5 million square feet of dense, mixed-use office and retail space. Green Building Chronicle’s Ken Edelstein covered the event, making the excellent point that Atlanta’s biggest problem is its connections on the ground – this is perhaps the most sprawling city in America we’re talking about. While I was in town, radio host David Lewis talked with me about the book. Our conversation is available here.

2. Harvard Book Store was kind enough to host me in Cambridge, where Sophie’s family – including her parents, sister, aunts, and cousins – made the schlep from across New England to cheer me on. I brought a special guest star in the form of Issa Baluch, the founder and former owner of Dubai’s Swift Freight, who pioneered the practice of shipping goods by boat from China to Dubai, then airlifting them to landlocked African cities – making the shipments both timely and affordable for African traders. One of the audience members recorded the talk on his iPad; a low-fidelity download is available here.

3. Upon arriving at O’Hare from Boston Logan on Tuesday, I proceeded immediately to the Vosges Chocolate boutique in Terminal 3 for what I’d like to think is the world’s first airport author tour stop. The boutique’s employees listened attentively while a few bewildered passengers staggered by. Par for the course in Airworld.

4. That night, at the Cliff Dwellers’ Club on Michigan Avenue, Studio Gang founder Jeanne Gang and I amiably discussed the future of cities for The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, focusing in turn on global, sustainable, and instant cities. A podcast of the event is available here.

5. On Wednesday night, my friends Samantha & Rory Nugent and Kelly & Andrew Haley hosted a book party at the Erie Café, inviting friends and family to hear me read a selection about the long-ago proposed third Chicago airport near Peotone. One of the attendees – Roosevelt University School of Policy Studies director Paul Green – was township supervisor of neighboring Monee when the airport plans were announced nearly 30 years ago. When they aren’t throwing parties for someone they haven’t seen since grade school, Samantha and Kelly help raise money for the Eleanor Foundation, which helps single working mothers achieve economic independence.

6. The party was followed by a reading at The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square, which was followed in turn by beer and bratwurst next door at the Brauhaus with friends – including poor Lisa, who had a lot of playing cards hidden behind her ears, courtesy of the roving table-side magician – the “world’s second-best,” according to his business cards.

7. Thursday morning, I drove down to Kankakee for two events hosted by the Kankakee Public Library and the Kankakee Chamber of Commerce. Sticking with the local angle, I read once again from the Peotone airport section, but the audience preferred to ask questions about my Jeopardy! experiences. Someday I’ll accomplish something that overshadows my game show appearance – maybe the next book. The after-party that evening was sponsored by my mother – who even baked an Aerotropolis cake! A podcast of the evening session is available here.

8. Friday, I attended my friend Bridget’s wedding. She’s leaving for her honeymoon Monday morning – naturally, we’re having breakfast at O’Hare before she’s off to Honolulu aboard United Airlines Flight 1, and I’m off to DFW aboard AA for Week 2 of the tour.