Having lived in a few cities covered by Daily Candy and having regarded it as an invaluable resource for keeping in touch with all the cool things going on, I was amped to read this cursory reference on Cooltown Studios to Buffalo Rising Online as the model for urban lifestyle sites even when compared to Daily Candy.
Neil Takemoto who publishes Cooltown Studios is a leading new urbanist developer with a national audience. In addition to publishing a blog that’s a great resource for innovative ideas about what folks are doing to “attract creative, entrepreneurial markets that significantly increase quality of life and local economic development”, Cooltown (based in Washington, DC) designs and invests in next gen urban neighborhoods. They link 40$M in investment capital with proven, innovative developers who want to set a new standard for quality and innovation in real estate development. And now folks all over the country who follow Cooltown for ways to attract icreative, entrepreneurial marketsi now know Buffalo has an online model that equals, even bests other national and well-regarded online brands.
You know how you can count on your friends to tell you about, say, this great new affordable restaurant, or a must-go sale, or a free concert with a favorite band…? Well, if your city isn’t lucky enough to have a Buffalo Rising, then you should check out Daily Candy if you live in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, London, LA, SF, NY or DC. Think of it as a daily ‘experience tipster’ for the creative class.
Oebut itis not the first time Cooltown has given BRO the nod. Check out this one:
How to do a local blog for the creative class
Who are the hot new artists, bands, and merchants in the city? Which restaurants and bars should you definitely check out? Where are the cool new lofts, live-works and studios becoming available? What are the latest clothing styles you shouldn’t miss?
Sure, you can buy one of these stogdy city magazines, like The Washingtonian here in the DC area, but you probably have to own a BMW to relate to it. Or you can pick up one of those great alternative weekly newspapers, like Burlington, Vermont’s Seven Days, but like a newspaper, it covers everything and anything. However, if you want nice, brief, crisp profiles on the creative and progressive, then having it organized by food and drink; housing developments; free stuff; music; shopping etc. with compelling color photos to match, then Buffalo Rising is the model.
Think wikipedia + photo gallery + local entertainment guide.