with the bold text in the example below: The Skychi Travel Guide : November 2012

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

We Blog the World Re-Launches Online Travel Magazine




Video of Renee Blodgett & Janice Temple interviewing Four Seasons Vancouver Hotel Food & Beverage Director Stephane Castera


We Blog the World, an online culture and travel magazine that focuses on off-the-beaten path cultural events and unique adventure and high-end travel experiences for discerning travelers, re-launched its new travel site today.

A global travel blog network made up of independent voices from around the world, the new travel magazine will add in-depth coverage of cultural events, including festivals.  Geographically, We Blog the World has coverage on every continent in the world, including the best U.S. travel destinations, the top U.S. cities to travel to, the top European destinations, the best places to go in Asia, where to go in Australia and the Pacific, tips on traveling to South America, top things to do in Canada, hot spots in the Caribbean and where to go in Central America, Africa and the Middle East.

Focused on the human side of travel and storytelling, We Blog the World has added four new sections: Travel Products, LIFE, Style and Spas & Retreats, and has expanded its coverage of Hotels & Resorts in its Lodging Section.

“The new site focused on global travel and culture, will capture ideas from untold and told travel stories for the discerning and well-traveled globetrotter who has already been to many of the most popular destinations in the world,” said Renee Blodgett, founder and editor of We Blog the World.

Events and Festivals:

While there are sites that list cultural events for a particular region, We Blog the World covers events on every continent. The expanded focus on Events and Festivals will include topics We Blog the World readers value, such as Arts, Culture, Music, Food & Wine, Entertainment, Green, Technology, Style and Women.

“Coverage of international events and festivals from a global perspective is fragmented and limited,” said Blodgett. “We provide comprehensive and in-depth coverage of unique global cultural events, as well as other things important to a successful travel experience.”



Products:

The Products section will cover in-depth reviews as short pieces on products writers discover that will help travelers on and off-the-road. Travel products can range from clothing, bags and shoes to camera equipment, mobile devices and mobile apps, net books, laptops and social media apps that focus on food and wine or help travelers navigate their way to and around a new destination.



LIFE:

We Blog the World explores the human side of travel, from storytelling, human interest stories and unique experiences that shape the world today. Inspirational and life-changing stories will be told in the LIFE section through feature stories and a Q&A format.

“The site incorporates a community of independent voices from around the world who discover remarkable people and experiences and then share their unique perspective with readers,” said Blodgett.



Food & Wine:

For foodies and wine lovers, We Blog the World will continue to run fun and creative stories about food and wine, including events and festivals. Content will come in the form of restaurant reviews, farm-to-table experiences, interviews with chefs, unique recipes and food photography.



Lodging and Spas/Retreats:

The new We Blog the World will expand its global coverage of hotels, lodging, and resorts and has added a new section dedicated to retreats and spas. Independent voices will bring a human side to travel accommodation which may include an inside peak at the people who own the hotel or resort or those who make it tick.



Style:

The Fashion section has been merged with the new Style section, which will not only include creative and interesting fashion from different cultures around the world, but also style, which includes great design of products, places and things.



Women:

The Women section will feature women who are leading projects and building products and services for positive social change.

“It’s no secret that women are doing remarkable things and working in important initiatives across the world and so we want to highlight them – the untold unknown stories and some of the known ones,” added Blodgett. “As a woman entrepreneur and founder, I think it’s important to support other women who are spearheading projects and trying to get groundbreaking projects off the ground.”

This year, We Blog the World was a media partner of GigaOm’s Mobilize, Idea Festival, Tech4Africa, Mobile Loco, and the DEMO Conference. We Blog the World is also now hosting their site with Rackspace, a leader in enterprise-level hosting services for businesses of all sizes and kinds around the world. A very special thanks and kudos to the support, creativity and technical wizardry of those who helped with the relaunch of the site and kept things smoothly running along the way: Sky Schuyler, David Yip, Sonya Gey, Kelli Mutchler and Nathan Miller.

Follow WE Blog The World

Twitter: @weblogtheworld

Monday, November 19, 2012

St. Louis & Chicago "Kissing Cousins" through Black History

St. Louis Arch Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
St. Louis Arch Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Left Leg of Arch is the site of Black Settler Jeanette Fouche' Home


As I have visited St. Louis many times over the years from teenage years onward; I have noticed many similarities between the two cities in terms of architecture. I guess you could say Chicago and St. Louis are kissing cousins. The term "kissing cousins" is an old southern term which means to look alike or similar. The phrase Chicago and St. Louis are "kissing cousins" expresses my belief that  the two cities are similar.

The-Crown-Fountain-Chicago.jpeg
Photo: Chicago Millennium Park


For example on a recent visit in the summer, I learned that the Forest Park Area is considered one of the best areas in St. Louis. It is known for for beautiful architecture from the buildings during the World Exhibition.

DuSable Museum of African-American History
Photo: Chicago Du Sable Museum of African-American History


Chicago also has museums from the World Exhibition in the 1800's such as The DuSable Museum named for Chicago's first settler Jean Pointe Baptist DuSable.

St. Louis Black History Tour
Photo: Dred Scott Case Courthouse


I spend a great deal of my time as a flight attendant travel blogger during my layovers seeking out Black History. I guess it is because it is so hidden. For many years, African-Americans  did not exist in the history of America. I seek the truth of the validation of the Black Experience in our history which has lead me to many discoveries.

St. Louis Freedom Center
Photo: Mississippi River


One of my most recent revelations is that Jean Baptist DuSable arrived from Haiti on the Mississippi River with Jacque Clay Morgan who is one of the founders of St. Louis. There was a storm that struck the boat as they crossed from Haiti to America. DuSable and Morgan were the only two survivors from the shipwreck. It was a twist of fate that they were they only two survivors but they also founders of two cities, Chicago and St. Louis. It is remarkable that the founding of Chicago and St. Louis are connected from the arrival of Jean Baptist DuSable and Jacque Clay Morgan.

St. Louis Freedom Center
Photo: St. Freedom Visitor Center Mural


Sometimes you must go elsewhere to discover the history of your hometown. This was my experience during my visit to St. Louis. Angie da Silva, my host and tour guide of my St. Louis Black History Tour informed me that Jean Point Baptist DuSable was born to French Nobleman and a slave woman. Actually Jacque Clay Morgan had a the background of being born to a White French Nobleman father and a slave mother. This fact is missing from the history taught in Chicago Public Schools history lesson about Jean Baptist DuSable. Angie da Silva also told me about this wife Catherine who was a Potowatomie Indian whose father gifted the land which is now the city of Chicago to Jean and Catherine for their marriage.

St. Louis Black History Tour
Photo: St. John Nepomuk


After twenty-five years of marriage Jean and Catherine traveled to St. Louis to celebrate their anniversary with a Catholic Wedding in a church. During their return journey back to Chicago from St. Louis, Catherine dies of influenza. Jean Baptist DuSable was heart-broken. Next his daughter also dies. He returns to St. Charles, Mo. where he lives with his granddaughter. A man persuades the granddaugheter to steal Jean Baptist DuSable's money and leave him. She does just that and leaves her grandfather penniless.

While the state of Missouri is seeking a residence for the governor, they negotiate a deal to care for Jean Baptist DuSable until he dies in exchange for his home which becomes the first governor's mansion of the state of Missouri.

St. Louis Arch Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Photo: St. Louis Arch


As I embarked on the tour of St. Louis, I did not realize that I would learn so much about the history of the founder of Chicago, my hometown. Yes, St. Louis and Chicago are indeed "kissing cousins" due to being intertwined through history.






Thanks to St. Louis Slavery Teacher Angie da Silva and the St. Louis Convention & Visitor's Bureau

Heritage Tourism and Educational Travel Specialist
National Black Tourism Network
Angie Da Silva
3933 North 20th Street
St. Louis, MO  63107