Laura McCrystal knows what's going down downtown

Pay no attention to the man gesticulating wildly in the background; Laura McCrystal is your new City Hall reporter. Follow her on Twitter for breaking city news: @LMcCrystal.
Pay no attention to the man gesticulating wildly in the background; Laura McCrystal is your new City Hall reporter. Follow her on Twitter for breaking city news: @LMcCrystal.

Monitor reporter Ben Leubsdorf moved on from the City Hall beat to the State House, and who better to fill his stylish but sensible shoes than Laura McCrystal? She's taking over City Hall duties – and the Downtown column – and we've got the inside scoop! Learn all about your new favorite reporter right here.

What's your favorite news story you've ever written?

I don't have a favorite, but it was fun to watch first lady Michelle Obama crawl on the floor with kids at the Penacook Community Center. I also once wrote a story about a peacock on the loose in Belmont, on a street called Wildlife Boulevard. (“No pun intended,” the police officer told me.)

How do you unwind after a hard day at the office?

I can often be found doing yoga at the Concord YMCA or curled up on my couch at home with a good book.

True or false: You have Benjamin Button disease and are only a few short years away from being New Hampshire's only news-reporting baby.

False. While it would be great to stop getting older, it would be awful to need a diaper change while covering a city council meeting.

Describe the Monitor newsroom in a haiku:

I sit next to Ben/

Who used to cover Concord/

Now I'm the new Ben.

Which iconic figure do you relate to more: Dr. Laura Schlesinger or Laura Ingalls Wilder?

I've always wanted to ride in a covered wagon, so I'd have to say Laura Ingalls Wilder. Plus, I read every one of her books as a child. (Some of them more than once.)

What's one thing Concord doesn't have that it should?

As a native of the Cleveland area, I really miss the Yours Truly Restaurant in my hometown of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. I haven't found a place in Concord that makes milkshakes quite like Yours Truly, or “Natso Fries” – french fries with all the typical toppings of nachos.

As one of several Notre Dame alums to work at the Monitor recently, answer us this: How many times have you seen Rudy, and how many pictures of Sean Astin do you have pasted on your walls?

I do fit the stereotype and have seen Rudy more times than I can count. But I can't say I'm actually a huge Sean Astin fan.

Breaking Bad or Downton Abbey?

I'm counting down the days until the third season of Downton Abbey airs in the U.S. on Jan. 6, 2013.

Do you love or fear the Insider?

I used to love it. But after answering all these questions about myself, I'm beginning to feel some fear.

Hook Laura up with your news tips at 369-3312 or lmccrystal@cmonitor.com.

Author: Ben Conant

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