I'm so happy to be reunited with an old 'friend' that's sporting an addition - my messenger bag with my NYC patch!
You see my messenger bag is adorned with patches from my travels around the world. For a long time, I've sewn on those badges myself but a dear friend of mine showed me a different way. She held it hostage for several months as Totem Lake Shoe Repair sewn on each patch professionally. I've since quit my layman ways and only have them do this job like a boss.
I digress.
The story of this bag is one I'm proud to tell as it's been with me on many an adventure! Why a messenger bag, you ask? I know it's no longer the late 90's to the early 2000's. Or that I'm a former cyclist courier. Why I have it is manyfold. It provides the largest landscape for displaying patches, it's versatile for carry capacities (expands via zipper on the main pouch, also coverts to a backpack!), it's stylish to me, it's neo-vintage but most of all it was given to me as a gift.
I've been traveling the world since my teens. And I wanted to commemorate my trail beyond photos and post cards. I wanted to collect something! I asked what fellow travelers collected: matchbooks (I'll pass thanks - I knew eventually there would be a worldwide movement to quite smoking), shot glasses are too heavy yet cumbersome to move constantly, and easily break. Spoons are awesome but not readily available everywhere. Then I inspired by the steamer trunks of yesteryear with labels and stamps... Patches!
A patch would be my treat to myself while traveling which would be inexpensive, expressive, light to carry, and durable. Perfect! HM, I thought to myself. I need ground rules 1) must be in a place longer than 24 hours 2) being at the airport only doesn't count - gotta visit the country. Every other scenarios I'll make up as I encounter them.
So I would take my bag on every trip and add one more patch as long as it compiled with the aforementioned "rules".
The result was what I wanted - conversation catalyst with fellow travelers. For the most part, the conversations start with comments like "Wow, that's an awesome bag", "Did you really travel to all those places", and "Do you travel for a living".
These passing, casual conversation would bridge the gap of time while waiting. Most folks don't realize that traveling means a ton of downtime. Most of it is waiting, and waiting in lines. Music and books can only entertain me for so long. Socializing with other humans is better suited for me.
How I got this bag as a gift is another story altogether. It starts in 2004 at Costco Travel. While answering cruise calls, I was interrupted by an email to report to the Cruise Buyer ASAP. She was also my hiring manager so I assumed it was important. An opportunity was given to me to escort and represent the company on an European Cruise Tour for 12-days. Hell yeah! Long story made short (too late, I know!) My bags were stolen while in Avignon, France from the restaurant area of the hotel we were checking out of. One of the members was working at a promotions company so she sent a replacement messenger bag which I've had ever since.
The next time you see me toting around my bag and notice a new patch (whether it's something new or you just didn't notice it before), please ask me about it.
Happy to discuss because my message I'm sending is simple:
You see my messenger bag is adorned with patches from my travels around the world. For a long time, I've sewn on those badges myself but a dear friend of mine showed me a different way. She held it hostage for several months as Totem Lake Shoe Repair sewn on each patch professionally. I've since quit my layman ways and only have them do this job like a boss.
I digress.
The story of this bag is one I'm proud to tell as it's been with me on many an adventure! Why a messenger bag, you ask? I know it's no longer the late 90's to the early 2000's. Or that I'm a former cyclist courier. Why I have it is manyfold. It provides the largest landscape for displaying patches, it's versatile for carry capacities (expands via zipper on the main pouch, also coverts to a backpack!), it's stylish to me, it's neo-vintage but most of all it was given to me as a gift.
I've been traveling the world since my teens. And I wanted to commemorate my trail beyond photos and post cards. I wanted to collect something! I asked what fellow travelers collected: matchbooks (I'll pass thanks - I knew eventually there would be a worldwide movement to quite smoking), shot glasses are too heavy yet cumbersome to move constantly, and easily break. Spoons are awesome but not readily available everywhere. Then I inspired by the steamer trunks of yesteryear with labels and stamps... Patches!
A patch would be my treat to myself while traveling which would be inexpensive, expressive, light to carry, and durable. Perfect! HM, I thought to myself. I need ground rules 1) must be in a place longer than 24 hours 2) being at the airport only doesn't count - gotta visit the country. Every other scenarios I'll make up as I encounter them.
So I would take my bag on every trip and add one more patch as long as it compiled with the aforementioned "rules".
The result was what I wanted - conversation catalyst with fellow travelers. For the most part, the conversations start with comments like "Wow, that's an awesome bag", "Did you really travel to all those places", and "Do you travel for a living".
These passing, casual conversation would bridge the gap of time while waiting. Most folks don't realize that traveling means a ton of downtime. Most of it is waiting, and waiting in lines. Music and books can only entertain me for so long. Socializing with other humans is better suited for me.
How I got this bag as a gift is another story altogether. It starts in 2004 at Costco Travel. While answering cruise calls, I was interrupted by an email to report to the Cruise Buyer ASAP. She was also my hiring manager so I assumed it was important. An opportunity was given to me to escort and represent the company on an European Cruise Tour for 12-days. Hell yeah! Long story made short (too late, I know!) My bags were stolen while in Avignon, France from the restaurant area of the hotel we were checking out of. One of the members was working at a promotions company so she sent a replacement messenger bag which I've had ever since.
The next time you see me toting around my bag and notice a new patch (whether it's something new or you just didn't notice it before), please ask me about it.
Happy to discuss because my message I'm sending is simple:
This has been my C Note.
Keep digging,
'los
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