Turner PR Expands With New Chicago Office

Hello, Chicago! Joining our NYC and Denver locations, Turner PR opened a Second City office this week, led by the firm’s longtime director, Melanie Dennig. Located in Chicago’s stylish River North neighborhood – well known for its art galleries, culinary scene and trendsetting locals – the new office will expand Turner’s reach and effectiveness in an important market.  In honor of this auspicious occasion, we asked Melanie to give us her personal guide to Chicago’s best. Here’s what she came up with …

5 Reasons I Love Living in Chicago

1. The convergence of coasts. Chicago is home to staples from LA and New York with more on the way.

• Mario Batali’s Eataly opened second U.S. location here.
• Personal favorite New York’s Shake Shack opened this spring.
• LA’s Stan’s Donuts is opening a third location and tops best doughnuts lists in the city.
• The California-based Lagunitas Brewing Co. is now Chicago’s largest craft brewery since opening last summer. The founder is actually a Chicago-native.

2. Speaking of breweries, Chicago’s craft beer scene is incredible. From the aforementioned Lagunitas, add Goose Island, Atlas Beer Company, Revolution Brewing, Half Acre, 5 Rabbit Brewery to name a few favorites, plus 15 others.

3. Lake Michigan, the beaches and the 18-mile lakefront trail. Run, walk, bike along the path with the best views of the city. Being walking distance from a beach is also a bonus after the frigid winters.

4. It’s a bike-friendly city. The Divvy bike-sharing program and expanded protected bike lanes helped Chicago grab the No. 2 ranking in Bicycling magazine’s annual list of the Top 50 Most Bike-Friendly Cities in America in 2014.

5. A music festival for every fan. While most know of Lollapalooza and Pitchfork, there’s Riot Fest for punks; Spring Awakening or North Coast Music Festival for EDM heads and rockers; Windy City LakeShake, the first country music festival; Chicago Gospel Music Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, and the Chicago Jazz Festival.