When I think of New Jersey, I think of the string of gritty industrial scenes that flash on the TV screen during the opening of my favorite show, “The Sopranos.”
That’s why the entire special section that profiled South Jersey, featured in a recent issue of US Airways’ Attache magazine, was such a pleasant surprise.
“In the heart of the most densely populated state in the union, there are 1.1 million acres of pinelands, bogs, swamps and fresh water lakes and rivers,” the article stated.
Indeed, many of the other articles in the magazine could be filed under the category of “surprise:”
–The cover story titled “Hail to the Chief” explained in words and photos how U.S. presidents live on in books, paintings, photos and household products. The article featured John F. Kennedy salt and pepper shakers, a George Washington thimble, a Ulysses S. Grant pill box, and a Jimmy Carter bottle opener. The feature was a perfect tie-in, by the way, to the recent presidential election.
–Freelance writer Stephen Madden wrote a wonderful piece about his 32-mile bicycle ride around the perimeter of Manhattan, marveling at the sights, sounds and smells that few tourists in the Big Apple ever experience.
–An entire page of photos of Lucile Ball, Jay Leno, Elvis, Michael Jackson, Willie Nelson, Cher and Alice Cooper caught my eye. But wait! Those aren’t the real celebrities. They’re celebrity look-alikes featured in an article about the fourth annual Celebrity Impersonators Convention in Las Vegas.
If you have a story idea that’s a “surprise” and it ties in to one of the cities served by an airline, it might be a good candidate for that airlines’ in-flight magazine. “Special Report #29: Fly High with Publicity in In-flight Magazines” explains the kinds of articles and photos the editors want, and even gives you contact information for 30 in-flight magazines.