october-2010

DRAKES: GARY ERSKINE
E. L. Butterworth
HISTORIC RICHMOND TOURS
AND SEGWAY OF RICHMOND
Richmond, VA
WHAT MAKES SOMEONE A
GOOD TOUR GUIDE? “A good
tour guide has to love research.
You’re not teaching, though.
You’ve got to have commentary,
but you have to be able
to really gear it toward the
specific dynamic that exists
in the group that you’re
working with.”
WHAT MAKES RICHMOND A
GOOD PLACE FOR HISTORICAL
TOURS? “This is a very historic
city. Probably the most in the
country—there are more than
400 years of it here. People
say, ‘You folks don’t want to
tear anything down, do you?’
And they’re right, we don’t. Our
state Capitol alone is worth the
trip. It’s the oldest public building
in the Western Hemisphere
in the form of a classical
temple. It’s fully restored, and
it’s a magnificent place.”
YOU MUST GET A LOT OF AMA-
TEUR HISTORIANS. “I tell you,
when I’m giving a tour and a
lady turns to me and says, ‘You
know, my husband’s a Civil War
buff,’ right away, my antenna
goes up. Look out!”
richmondhistorycenter.com;
segwayofrichmond.biz
Elham Jazab
STARLINE TOURS
Los Angeles
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE
BUSINESS? “The owner of
the company saw me doing
standup and asked, ‘What
do you do when you’re not
doing comedy?’”
HAS THIS JOB MADE YOU
A BETTER ACTRESS AND
COMEDIENNE? “Sure. It’s
good practice. You have to be
able to perform under difficult
circumstances. Sometimes
you’re stuck in traffic, there
might be a screaming baby on
board and the weather might
be bad. You’ve got to be able
to maintain your aplomb,
entertain people, keep them
safe and show them what they
came to see.”
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE
PLACE ON THE MOVIE STARS’
HOMES TOUR? “Peter Sellers’
old house is stunning. He’s also
one of my favorite actors—a
master of subtle comedy.”
WHAT’S THE CROWD
FAVORITE? “Simon Cowell’s
house always gets a nice
‘Oh my goodness!’ That’s
a beautiful house. It’s very
dramatic.” starlinetours.com
Danielle A. Drakes
A FREE BLACK WOMAN:
ELIZABETH KECKLY,
A FORD’S THEATRE “HISTORY
ON FOOT” WALKING TOUR
Washington, DC
WHO WAS ELIZABETH KECKLY?
“Elizabeth Keckly was born into
slavery, learned to sew and
convinced her owner to allow
her to purchase her freedom.
She moved to Washington, DC,
and eventually worked for and
became very close friends with
Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham
Lincoln’s wife, when she was in
the White House.”
DO YOU CONSIDER WHAT
YOU DO ACTING? “Yes. I
actually don’t consider it tour
guiding because there is a
script and I am in character the
whole time.”
WHAT MAKES WASHINGTON,
DC, SUCH A GREAT PLACE FOR
THIS KIND OF TOUR? “At one
point, the audience is sitting
on the steps of Freedom Plaza,
with the Willard InterContinental
hotel and the National
Theatre in the background, and
they can see the Capitol behind
me. It’s probably one of the
most incredible sets for a piece
of theater that I’ve ever been
able to work with.” Through
Oct. 23; fordstheatre.org
Steve Schneiter
DENVER MICROBREW TOUR
Denver
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE
BEER TO TASTE ON THE
TOUR? “It changes a lot—
there are so many beers—but
my all-time favorite would
probably be Hibernation
Ale, Great Divide Brewing
Company’s winter seasonal.
It’s delicious. Great Divide is
my favorite stop on the tour.”
WHAT MAKES DENVER
A GOOD SPOT FOR A
MICROBREW TOUR? “The
weather is awesome all the
time, which makes it really
good for a walking tour.
Besides that, Denver itself
is a pretty beer-centric city.
The microbrewery culture has
been growing—it’s been kind
of under the radar and now it’s
getting out there.”
WHAT SORT OF RESPONSES
DO YOU GET? “People are
just psyched and say they
like the stories I tell. That
happens quite a bit. But
that could be because the
altitude makes the beer go to
their heads a little quicker.”
denvermicrobrewtour.com
OCTOBER 2010 GO MAGAZINE
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