Pride in their guide: business and lifepartners Jane Pirone and Diana Pizzari talk about their travel guides" designedfor residents too - Brief Article
Advocate,The, March 5, 2002 by Derrick Mathis
"I'm a member of the gay and lesbian community, and I'm also one of thebest consumers on the planet," says Jane Pirone, creator, publisher, andexecutive editor of the Not for Tourists Guide series. "I figured if itwas the perfect book for me, then it would be probably pretty good for a lot ofother people."
On its debut two years ago, Pirone's Not for Tourists Guide to Manhattanproved a godsend not just for lost tourism but also for on-the-go New York Cityresidents. Now Pirone, along with her partner of two years, Diana Pizzari, isdemystifying Los Angeles as well with the Not for Tourists Guide to LosAngeles, coming out in March.
Asked to describe the majordifference between the Los Angeles and New York books, Pirone is typicallydown-to-earth. "Things like bagels aren't an essential in L.A., but theyare in New York," Pirone says, laughing. "But the L.A. book has alisting for a 24-hour place for head shots. Now, that's an L.A.essential."
Pirone's idea of the essentials is exactly what sets her nifty guides apart.Forget the tourist traps. Neighborhood by neighborhood, the guides cover thethings we really need to know about--restaurants, bookstores, pet stores, videorental outlets, hardware stores, coffeehouses, hospitals, club events--even thelighting schedule for the Empire State Building.
The guides get the essentials right when it comes to packaging too: NewYork's guide is pocket-size for pedestrians; Los Angeles's driver-friendlyedition is more like a Day-Timer.Pirone got the idea for the guides while she was working in film productionin 1990. But it wasn't until 1998, after starting her own multimedia company,that she began the two years of legwork that made the Manhattan guide areality.
Now, working with a full-time staff of five, including editor Pizzari,Pirone plans to cover all of the major U.S. cities--a Chicago guide is due outin September--and eventually go global. For gay and lesbian users, Pirone andcompany include an exclusive section on queer interests and resources--butwithin a comprehensive whole.
Pirone and Pizzari plan to follow that formula with future guides,concentrating on major U.S. cities with a gay and lesbian presence that maybenefit from their work. "The cities that really need the gay and lesbiancoverage aren't New York, San Francisco, and L.A., but the cities where thatcommunity is not as prominent," says Pizzari. "So when we startcovering cities like Boston, Houston, Philadelphia, and Dallas, that's where Iwant to see the best gay and lesbian coverage. We want to definitely put thosecommunities on the map."
Mathis also writes for L.A. Weekly.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2002_March_5/ai_83246772
Advocate,The, March 5, 2002 by Derrick Mathis
"I'm a member of the gay and lesbian community, and I'm also one of thebest consumers on the planet," says Jane Pirone, creator, publisher, andexecutive editor of the Not for Tourists Guide series. "I figured if itwas the perfect book for me, then it would be probably pretty good for a lot ofother people."
On its debut two years ago, Pirone's Not for Tourists Guide to Manhattanproved a godsend not just for lost tourism but also for on-the-go New York Cityresidents. Now Pirone, along with her partner of two years, Diana Pizzari, isdemystifying Los Angeles as well with the Not for Tourists Guide to LosAngeles, coming out in March.
Asked to describe the majordifference between the Los Angeles and New York books, Pirone is typicallydown-to-earth. "Things like bagels aren't an essential in L.A., but theyare in New York," Pirone says, laughing. "But the L.A. book has alisting for a 24-hour place for head shots. Now, that's an L.A.essential."
Pirone's idea of the essentials is exactly what sets her nifty guides apart.Forget the tourist traps. Neighborhood by neighborhood, the guides cover thethings we really need to know about--restaurants, bookstores, pet stores, videorental outlets, hardware stores, coffeehouses, hospitals, club events--even thelighting schedule for the Empire State Building.
The guides get the essentials right when it comes to packaging too: NewYork's guide is pocket-size for pedestrians; Los Angeles's driver-friendlyedition is more like a Day-Timer.Pirone got the idea for the guides while she was working in film productionin 1990. But it wasn't until 1998, after starting her own multimedia company,that she began the two years of legwork that made the Manhattan guide areality.
Now, working with a full-time staff of five, including editor Pizzari,Pirone plans to cover all of the major U.S. cities--a Chicago guide is due outin September--and eventually go global. For gay and lesbian users, Pirone andcompany include an exclusive section on queer interests and resources--butwithin a comprehensive whole.
Pirone and Pizzari plan to follow that formula with future guides,concentrating on major U.S. cities with a gay and lesbian presence that maybenefit from their work. "The cities that really need the gay and lesbiancoverage aren't New York, San Francisco, and L.A., but the cities where thatcommunity is not as prominent," says Pizzari. "So when we startcovering cities like Boston, Houston, Philadelphia, and Dallas, that's where Iwant to see the best gay and lesbian coverage. We want to definitely put thosecommunities on the map."
Mathis also writes for L.A. Weekly.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2002_March_5/ai_83246772
