Book Your Trip to Pittsburgh Now for Your Visit to the Fabulous... um... The Rivers Casino... Yeah...

Wow, the new casino owners really dug deep for this one. The former Majestic Star Casino has been renamed by it's new owners. Does the new name carry the parent company's name? Maybe some cool casino name like Caesar's Palace? How about a name fitting our region that, when emboldened by neon light will instill pride in our fair metropolis?
Nope. The new name is "The Rivers."
How original. How inspiring. How... unimaginative.
I always thought branding and marketing were paramount for any business. Where did The Rivers come from? It sounds like a restaurant for a marina or maybe a cool name for a 70's soul group... but a casino?
I thought this casino was supposed to bring prosperity back to the Burgh. They've promised us huge tax and economic boosts for our troubled budget. Who outside of the region will be enticed by "The Rivers."
Pittsburgh already has a spoiled image outside of the Western Pennsylvania area. Many outsiders think that the Burgh is still a smokey city filled with steel mills and abandoned warehouses. We've come along way, but getting tourists to come to a casino called The Rivers is going to be a hard sale.
Come on guys, get with the program! Slap a Steelers logo on the side and call it a day... that will bring in more people then some rinkey-dink sounding casino called "The Rivers..."

So long, PittGirl

I never understood the whole blog thing until yesterday. Before, I always thought bloggers were people who used the Internet to spread their thoughts or news, and readers of these blogs were people who were looking for a different outlook of the world. I never thought, except for maybe the occasional controversy, that blogs didn't really affect anyone outside their clique readership.
But yesterday, that view changed with the retirement of PittGirl, the famous Pittsburgh blogger whose irreverent humor and intelligent outlook on Pittsburgh was nearly equalled by her animosity. Sadly, PittGirl retired over the outting of her identity.
I don't think that even PittGirl understood the tremendous influence she had over Pittsburgh. When I got a haircut, the hairdressers discussed the latest Steelers post. At the bar, I'd over hear people debating PittGirl's identity. My friends in the media looked to her commentary on the latest politician for the pulse of what people were saying. Those who knew of PittGirl were huge, obsessed fans. Those who didn't know were soon finding themselves following every word. It was like a club, one of which had no obligation except to stay in the know. It was a community who knew they had something special, a precious thing that needed to be protected and shared.
What PittGirl embodied wasn't simply banter about Pittsburgh. It wasn't PittGirl's personal view of the world. What PittGirl represented was what everyone else was thinking. She was Pittsburgh, and no where has there ever been such an outlet in Pittsburgh, or anywhere else. PittGirl has come to embody the soul of our city. It's sad to see her go, but as she says, nothing lasts forever.
I hope that she finds a new outlet for her musings. We are worse off without her, and I sincerely hope we see her again in some form.
Good luck PittGirl- you will be missed. I'll kick a pgeon today in your honor...