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Breaking The Ice: DJ Platurn
A week in the Caribbean with the Tucker & Bloom Walden Laptop Backpack
I recently had the opportunity to board a seven day cruise in the Caribbean, traveling through 4 different countries on a photography assignment for a client. Knowing I didn't want to pack too much gear, I took one of Tucker & Bloom's super durable backpacks to be able to travel light and still carry the necessary equipment to get the job done. As a photographer who loves to travel, the Walden Laptop Backpack (in my favorite Camo print) turned out to have all the necessary space I needed for my camera body, 3 lenses, my batteries and memory cards, and even my tripod, as well as enough space to carry all of my personal belongings during my treks through Cayman Islands, Roatan off the coast Hunduras, Belize and Cozumel off the coast of Mexico. Check out some of the photos my buddy Rod Deal and I were able to capture on our adventure through these beautiful tropical landscapes.
Deyson Rodriguez is a photographer and creative based in Miami, FL.
For more of his travel and lifestyle images check out his Instagram and photography website.
Ask A Flight Attendant | Noel Dunlap
Last week as I was sitting window side in the exit row on a flight to Philadelphia I witnessed a seasoned flight attendant in a tough situation. The woman sitting in the isle seat my row had someone lift her bag into the overhead and mentioned she appreciated the help because she has "trouble lifting things after having shoulder surgery". The flight attendant, over hearing this, came over and asked the woman if she would change seats because sitting in the exit row required the ability to lift heavy objects. The woman objected profusely and essentially refused to move. This interaction kicked off a string of thoughts. How heavy is that door? How often does the emergency exit get used? Do those flotation devices save lives or are they the modern equivalent to duck and cover? It may sound naive but to me flight attendants have always felt like a secret society. After I landed I headed to social media to see if I could fine someone to ask all these burning questions. This is how I met flight attendant and DJ, Noel Dunlap. I caught up with her hanging out at a Hawaiian beach on a 30 hour layover...
How long have you been a flight attendant?
I started working for a mainline airline in the spring of 2006, 8 years ago. That is very junior in this company. I've worked with people that started in the mid 60's. Even if you've been with the company for 20 years, you're still considered junior.
What made you want to get into this line of work? What are the perks?
A long term relationship I was in had ended and I wanted a change. I decided I was going to get out of town for a while and try to figure out my next move. I spoke with some friends in NY that said i could stay with them while I looked for a job. I played a gig one night, came home toasted and started looking up flights. On an airline website, there was a link for employment opportunities. Flight attendant popped up and I answered a few questions from a quasi personality test. I woke up the next morning and had an email from them. They offered me an interview that following week in D.C. The perks for me, at that moment, were that I was going to be able to leave town with a job and have health and flying benefits.
Do you travel internationally?
I do travel internationally. The first 5 years I was on reserve. That means that I knew what days I was going to have off, but I didn't know when I was going to work and I never knew where I was going to be. Contractually, they have to give you 4 hours notice. So, I have at least 4 hours to prepare for going to Hong Kong or Boise. Reserves work trips that other FA's called off or misconnected or went illegal (there's a bunch of legalities because we are union and covered under the department of transportation. Someone could go illegal if they have a long duty time due to delays or their rest period goes under 9 hours...). Now, I'm on reserve every other month. Everything is seniority based. I bid for my schedule in the middle of the month for the following month.
Do you get to see the cities you fly to, or is the job mostly on and off of planes?
Internationally, you are usually given at least a day or more, depending on how long the flight is. Domestically, you are given anything from a minimum legal rest to over 20 hours. Longer layovers (anything over 20 hours) have to be in a downtown area with access to food and shopping. If I've never been somewhere before, I try to do all of the touristy things first (The Great Wall Of China, Liberty Bell, museums, etc) then I look for record stores and thrift shops.
How does lodging work? Do you have shared living spaces on the road or does the airline put you up in hotels?
We are given our own rooms and they provide transportation to and from the airport. The union has a hotel standards board for safety, quality and access to food.
What are your favorite routes to fly? Any particular cities you enjoy visiting?
I don't really have a favorite route. I like laying over in places where I can see friends I probably wouldn't have much contact with otherwise. Hawaii is nice and relaxing. Working the flight is amusing. The passengers are known as "breast fed, just wed or nearly dead". Beijing and Shanghai are good for getting clothes altered or made. The massages there are awesome and ridiculously cheap, $10 for a 2 hour massage and you don't even leave your room. Europe is cool for digging and thrifting. Sydney is beautiful, but probably my least favorite layover and definitely my least favorite flight to work, next to China. I could write a book about working the China routes.
You are a DJ as well, are you able to take gigs while on the road? Ever find time to look for records while traveling?
I've never played out on a layover. I suppose if I played Serato I might have. I also know that if I made plans like that, my flight would misconnect or my assignment would change some how and I would be on the opposite side of the planet. When at all possible, I make time for digging, thrifting and museums.
How do you deal with some of the more difficult passengers on a long flight?
Most difficult passengers don't start to become difficult in the air. Their first encounter is with customer service. CS usually let's us know, but we can usually pick them out. They are treated like an unruly child. Their rude or bad behavior is ignored and they are treated with politeness. Most of the time they just want some one to listen to them. Traveling is stressful. When you fly you give up most of your comforts and control. My favorite response is a compassionate stare followed by "that's unfortunate". From time to time you get those that just want to keep pushing. I have had people removed before takeoff and I have had the authorities meet a flight at arrival. Threats and not obeying a flight crews commands are not taken lightly (I'm not talking about fastening your seat belt or turning off your phone). The Captain has the final say and the Captain always has our back. He or she will assess the situation and try talking to the person themselves. This usually works.
Have you ever dealt with an emergency in the air? How did that go?
FA's go to recurrent training every year. For 2 days we are retrained in the worst case scenario of an event. Medical emergencies are quite common. I have dealt with someone appearing to be having a heart attack, appearing to be going through withdrawal, appearing to have alcohol poisoning. No one has ever appeared to have died on my flight (thank goodness). I use the word "appear" because I am not medically certified to know if these events are actually taking place (airline company language). There is almost always a doctor or some medical professional on board. We have oxygen tanks and medical kits available with everything needed to sustain someone until we can land. It's scary, but that training definitely kicks in like second nature.
How do you cope with long layovers? Do you have access to airport lounges or are you ruffing it fighting over outlets with the rest of us?
Long sits between flights are rough. It makes a long day even longer. I always have a book and there's always words with friends and shopping on my phone. We can fly about 9 hours of combined flight time before we time out. That's just flight time, our duty day can go up to 15 hours. If you see a FA on the ground, they are not getting paid. Our pay is strictly flight time. If a sit is scheduled over 4 hours, we get a hotel room. I said scheduled, this means a delay does not count. The airlines are smart and they schedule sits for 3hours and 50 minutes. We are pretty much roughing it. If the airport is at a base, there is usually a crew room for us to go to.
What is your favorite airport to fly in and out of? Favorite airport restaurant?
My favorite airport to fly into is SFO because that means I'm home. My favorite airport to fly out of is what ever airport is the last one before SFO. My favorite restaurant at an airport is McDonald's. It's my guilty pleasure. I order the #2 special with extra pickles. I won't eat it in front of anyone. I don't eat the bun, so I put the fries on the burger and use the bun like a wrapper to push the patty up.
Does it bother you when people tune out the emergency briefing? Anything we should not be ordering off the drink cart?
It's rude and it does bug me a bit. People don't pay attention because they don't want to think about it happening. Ordering drinks and food on the airplane is fine. The food is full of salt and preservatives, but there's nothing unsanitary about it.
How do you pack? Any tips for the common traveler?
I bring 1 pair of sneakers, 1 pair of flats, 1 pair of flip flops, loose comfy pants, 3 tank tops, a hoody, a pair of black jeans, 3 t shirts, a dress or a pencil skirt, a bikini, 7 pairs of underpants, 4 bras, 7 pairs of socks and pantyhose and a scarf. I use packing cubes for my clothes. I wrap my shoes in shower caps. I Clorox wipe everything in my hotel room: light switches, toilet seat, door handles and i put the tv remote in a plastic bag. If I have to deadhead (the company flies me to my next segment or home because of a cancellation) I wipe down everything around me on the plane: seats, tray table, armrest. I'm not a germaphobe. It's totally normal, right? I won't even break down my logic behind this, you can figure it out. Do not walk around the airplane barefoot or in socks, especially in the bathroom!!Do not talk to a flight attendant about a plane crash unless the plane you are on is crashing.Bring your own food. If you have food allergies, bring your own food.There is no microwave oven on the plane to heat up your soup.We do not provide diapers.Bring your own refillable water bottle, I'll gladly fill it up for you.
Do you work with the same people?
I rarely work with the same person twice. However, I have worked with the same personality several times. This can be both good and bad. It's a lonely job and working with the wrong personality can really bring it out. Looking at someone's photo album of their cats birthday party and that someone is your flying partner, makes for a depressing time. This could go on for days!
How often are you home? What does a normal day look like for you?
I'm home about 12 days a month. I usually work a 6 days on, 2-3days off schedule. It's all I can hold at my seniority. It's hard to maintain friendships when your gone so much. I have to make an effort to reach out to people when I'm home. Being around hundreds of people all day makes me want to isolate myself when I'm home. I want to go out and kick it, but I still have laundry to do and groceries to buy. I have people over for dinner a lot so I'm close to my bed. I usually cook and pack my own food. Everything about this job does a number on your body. I eat healthy (I cook everything with bacon fat and drink at least 2 chocolate strawberry milkshakes a week. Your body needs fat.), work out (I practice Pilates and sometimes that means watching a video on my phone while laying in bed) and meditate daily. I've completely lost my body clock. I sleep when I'm tired, usually in 4 hour intervals. Pilates and swimming can usually get my sleep on track and keeps me energized. This summer travel season has been rough. I usually play with my records when I'm home. The last few weeks have my turntables looking like a Lazy Susan with candy and water bottles toothpaste and a coffee mug on them.
What's the best seat in the house if you're flying coach?
If you're flying coach, try to get an exit row seat. If there are 2 exit rows, one behind the other, get the one behind the first exit row. The seats in front of it don't recline. Otherwise, any window seat towards the first half of the cabin.
Craziest thing you've seen a passenger try and pull off?
Folks will try to get away with whatever they can. The first thing that comes to mind is the fort/tent made with blankets tucked in to the back of the headrests. Totally normal if you have a kid trying to sleep. Totally not normal if you're trying to make sexy time with your partner.
Do you still love travel or has this changed your relationship with it?
I still love to travel and I've taken advantage of my travel benefits. It really is the only reason to do this job. The ins and outs of the job can be thankless and mentally and physically challenging. That all goes away when you can dash over to Hawaii to meet up with friends or ride a friends coattails on a whim to stay in the South of France for 2 weeks and their employer payed for 5 star accommodations.
If you could give every traveler one solid piece of advice what would you recommend?
Bring your own food and reusable water bottle. Do this especially if you have dietary restrictions (vegan, gluten free, etc). The food supply is limited and there aren't a whole lot of options. Pack a lap blanket or warm clothing, especially if you are going to be seated in an exit row. Bring your own entertainment, airlines are phasing out entertainment systems on newly configured aircrafts.
On the road with DJ Apt One in Europe
What’s up Bag Messengers and music lovers everywhere? This is DJ Apt One reporting from Philly, just back from traversing the great cities of Europe – DJing in Paris and London and environs but also doing what DJs do best, stuffing my bag full of so much dusty vinyl in Berlin, Barcelona and beyond that I thought I might have to start throwing away clothing just to find a place to put it all! Figured I’d debrief with my buddies at Tucker and Bloom, since I lugged a crispy green North to South Messenger Bag prototype with me and took it to battle. So I’m here to give you a rundown on my favorite spots in the EU to find all the gems to put in your bag.
SpaceHall (Berlin)
I hopped the U-Bahn from the artists paradise and warehouse-all-night odyssey of Freidrichshain over to Kreuzberg and after a quick stop at the Biergarten for a tall Hefewiezen, I spent almost a whole afternoon at the gigantic SpaceHall shop. This is the place for twelve inches – dance music specifically. Three big rooms of wax and an adjacent CD store to boot. Takes a while to get through. While the huge techno room is definitely the draw, for me, the draw here was the nice collection of pricey but hard-to-find German and Dutch disco 12 inches from the 80s.
Best find – Mike Mareen – “Double Trouble”
Betino’s (Paris)
My buddies Dee Dee Hey and DJ Moar of Venice Beach hipped me to Betino’s, which is as much a barber-shop style hangout for DJs as it is a record store. Tucked in the poppin 11th Arrondisement, this place is all about the funk and soul. Their selection of modern, vinyl-only re-edits is really hard to top.
Best find – Joubert Singers – “Stand On The Word Remixes”
Music Avenue (Paris)
I got rolled to Music Avenue after the crew from the shop came out to my show at Panic Room in Paris. I wasn’t planning on dropping by – at this point in the tour I was wondering how much more vinyl I was willing to lug on trains, planes and automobiles. I was glad I came through. Unlike most European record spots, this spot blended the “curated” shelves with some good bargain bin action. The 12s were pretty great too – good reggae and of course, my favorite digs – disco. For DJs on the road – they’ve got equipment in there as well, in case you need to replace anything you’ve lost or broken along your travels.
Best find – Firefly – “Your Door?”
Flashback (London)
Essex Road has some good shops, and Flashback doesn’t disappoint, except when you find the “only 5 records at the listening station, one listening session only” direction by the turntable. I guess it keeps it moving but I wanna know what the hell I’m buying when you’re charging London prices. Anyway, well-curated selection at this spot, including lots of good funk and soul and some really nice English-pressed 12” 45 RPM disco joints. In case you haven’t figured out by now, I don’t even stop near the “Rock” section, so it’s anybody’s guess how good that stuff is at any of the places I’ve discussed.
Best find – Ganymed – “It Takes Me Higher”
Haggle Vinyl (London) Haggle, a bit north on Essex Road, is probably the European store I visited that is most similar to spots I prefer in America. It’s basically just a room stuffed with records, including huge dollar bin sections and an expansive selection of modern soul and disco 12 inches and LPs, most of which aren’t worth a listen. I love the experience of sorting through large piles of miscellanea to find what you came for because you inevitably stumble upon things you didn’t set out to find. The notable thing about Haggle is that all of the records are cataloged and stored behind the counter, and only the sleeves are on the floor. A bit annoying because you can’t check labels for information, especially with 12” hip-hop or dance records that have blank sleeves.
Best find – Monyaka – “Go Deh Yaka (Go To The Top) Club Mix”
Brazilian Bank Notes
I stumbled across this site through ffffound! I believe it’s a link from some type of Brazilian travel site. I don’t speak Portuguese or Spanish so it’s anyone’s guess. However, I know sweet money when I see it. U.S. notes seem so bland after looking at these.
- The Folks at TWIRKETHIC
Traveling In Nicaragua
Traveling In Nicaragua
When you mention to most people that you are going on a trip to Nicaragua they tend to be confused. It just isn’t a place you hear about these days. Why would you somewhere that recently ended a civil war and is run by a political machine? I’ll tell you why. Nicaragua is a tropical paradise. Sandwiched in between Honduras and Costa Rica, in Nicaragua you can pick coconuts right off the tree, teeter around volcano craters while smoking Cuban Cigars, surf, lay on the beach, drink rum all day in hammocks, and buy more Cumbia CD’s for a quarter than you can cram in your luggage. Thats right. Paradise, and it isn’t that dangerous if you know what to look out for. I wrote this not as a guide to the country or even a real review of where to go. Instead look at this as a snapshot of some of the places I visited, and a short list of things to avoid. Even paradise has its pitfalls and be very aware some of the pitfalls in Nicaragua are very deep (see volcano below). – Case Bloom
The Volcano Concepcion
Managua
The countries capital is Managua, a city that sprawls in the view of active volcano’s, and lies along a major fault line. Declared capital in 1852 and essentially destroyed in an 1931 earthquake, Managua has had its share of natural disasters in a relatively brief period. In the 1970’s after a large earthquake hit and flattened the city center, everyone relocated and rebuild further from the fault line. The resulting “new city” was laid out in a way that is so confusing it only makes sence to natives. In Managua, pot holed streets wind through crowded neighborhoods, and all is done seemingly without organization. There are no street names or addresses in Nicaragua (Managua included). None. In Managua everything is identified through a coordinate system that uses “towards the lake”, “away from the lake”, the direction the sun rises East aka “up”, and the direction it sets West aka “down” as indicators. Your hotel may lie one and a half blocks down and two blocks towards the lake. This whole system raises another issue. Managuans use landmarks instead of addresses to identify places, and often times these landmarks are no longer around. Your hotel may be by “the big tree”, or down the street from a particular business that closed years ago. As long as it is (or was) a commonly recognized place, it may potentially enter the directional lexicon. Needless to say getting around Managua requires a keen sence of adventure, a compass, and a guide.
Driving
Driving in Nicaragua is an extreme sport. The roads are in varying degrees of bad, two lanes width, and covered in obstacles. Passing a vehicle in Nicaragua means heading into opposing traffic and praying you live. My cousin once almost killed someone trying to pass another car by making simple mistake, he forgot to look behind him before he veered into oncoming traffic, and simultaneously pushed a car trying to pass him from the rear off the road. The other driver, regained his bearings and followed their car in hot pursuit hurling bottles at them for the next few miles. Lesson learned. Be careful. Did I mention goats? Or horse drawn carts? You’ll figure it out.
The Chicken Bus
If you don’t feel like driving, and trust me you won’t, aside from taking Taxi’s your only option is public transportation. The bus, aka the Chicken Bus, can get you near any destination and costs about what you would expect a bus that carries livestock to cost. Its cheap, crowded, and may be the most exciting bus ride of your life. Let me set the scene for you. Most of these buses in Nicaragua are old United States school buses that have been re-appropriated to carry three times the normal load, decorated with religious symbols and ribbons (for protection), and a large roof top platform for luggage. On the bus vendors walk the isles selling drinks in bags or little snacks, and they hop on and off constantly. The driver has assistants that take fare, open the door for passengers, and climb on to the roof of the speeding bus to dangle items off for exiting persons. That’s right, the bus doesn’t stop. It just pauses while you jump off and run along side to retrieve your bike from the roof, or transfer to another bus in the middle of the street. Who wants to read the news when you could be living it?
Riding the bus.
San Juan Del Sur
A beautiful coastal city on the Pacific ocean San Juan Del Sur is in the South West side of Nicaragua a short distance from the border with Costa Rica. The city, I’m stretching the term here, is set in a bay and surrounded by beautiful green hills. Originally a small fishing town, these days folks come to the area to surf the area beaches. The culture in town is laid back and feels worldly. You can eat really cheap at the market, get a good cup of fresh roasted coffee at El Gato Negro ( a local book store and coffee shop), and take a bumpy bus ride to Maderas to surf. I really don’t have much to say about San Juan Del Sur other than you really can’t go wrong in a place so beautiful.
Every photo i took in San Juan Del Sur looks this good.
Granada
Granada is the countries third largest city, was established in 1524, and is located on the coast of Lake Nicaragua. The streets are well laid out and lined with cool old buildings. Wandering around the city center is a great way to spend some time, and if you tire of it you can hang out in a garden cafe or check out the lake. There are also tons of tours where you can do yoga in the jungle and get in touch with your inner self (if your into that kind of thing). There is an open air market in the center of town, and a bunch of vendors on the street selling all sorts of stuff. As far as I can tell the city is devoid of records. I went everywhere looking to buy “grandes discos” with no luck. All I got were some bootleg Cumbia CDs and a few odd looks. If you have any luck finding records in Granada..or Nicaragua in general please drop me a line.
One of many local churches
A Garden Cafe with hammocks.
Lake Nicaragua
Lake Nicaragua is huge, about 3,000 square miles. Really really large. The largest source of fresh water in Central America. It is so large in fact that it is home to one of the only species of fresh water sharks known to man, a chain of 365 islands (Las Isletas), and Concepcion a huge active volcano plopped in the center on the island of Ometepe. If your in Granada you can charter a boat and take a tour of these islands for a small fee. The islands are pretty small, and have mostly been bought up so that the uber rich could build mansions on them (what’s more plush than owning your own island?). There is even an island with monkeys on it.
Check this house out. What is grocery shopping like?
If you are looking at taking a tropical vacation, consider Nicaragua. The country is beautiful, the people are friendly, and traveling on the cheap is easy. If you do make it down there please drop us a line and let us know how the trip went and if this helped out in any way. You can check out the rest of my photos here
Vintage Travel Brochure Design
David Levine has an extraordinarily large collection of international travel ephemera from the 20’s and 30’s. There are some extremely inspiring graphics featured on some of these brochures, and it is quite humbling to imagine that more than 80 years ago someone thought of these great ideas and executed them without the use of a computer. Be sure to check out the brochures from Switzerland.
-THE BAG MESSENGER
Digging For Records In Mississippi
This past weekend my friend Nick and I made the trip from Nashville to Memphis to eat BBQ and dig for records. If you have never been to Memphis, or some how overlooked these activities on your trips to the city, its hard to quantify exactly how much you have been missing. Perhaps this story will help.