Pacific Northwest Pt. 1

Words and photographs provided by Michael Casatico

Sometimes things don’t always go as planned, or maybe a better way to put it is sometimes things don’t really get planned at all. $49 dollars later (thank you SouthWest) and I’m sitting in the Seattle airport realizing that I never really mapped out any exact details of this trip. My roommate Kyle and I had purchased these plane tickets on a whim with the plan to travel around Washington state and stay with his family. The only things we knew were that we wanted to check out the city of Seattle, Olympic National Park, and somehow figure out a way to get across the water to the San Juan Islands. Now, granted Washington state is notoriously known for its constant rainy and overcast weather, we didn’t even consider that maybe visiting during the middle of January might be a bad idea. Now let me tell you, as soon as I stepped off the plane and got hit in the face with a chilling sub 30 degree gust of wind accompanied by some rain drops, all of these thoughts began to cross my mind. Our flights had gotten in pretty late so we gathered our bags and cruised over to where we were going to be staying.

The following day we woke up and drove into the city once again with no real plan of what we wanted to do, but we figured Pike’s Place Market would be a good place to start. I saw fish flying through the air, thousands of people walking around with Starbucks cups, and smelt the fresh smell of seafood everywhere we walked. I felt like a real tourist there for a second until we walked down a few side streets and ended up standing in front of this old brick building which happened to be the home of CloudBurst Brewery. Right away you got the feeling that this was a “locals only” type of spot. Coincidentally when we got inside we quickly realized something special was going on because the majority of people inside drinking beer all had different pajama jumpsuits on. Honestly, at first I was extremely confused and contemplated leaving because I didn’t get the memo on the dress code but I’m glad we stuck it out. Come to find out they were celebrating their one year anniversary and the jumpsuits were their way of showing up to a party. We grabbed a couple beers to support the cause and I was extremely impressed and happy we had stumbled upon this spot.

It was just funny to me because what were the odds we randomly showed up to their first birthday party uninvited? On top of that, the beer was amazing and the weather for the day was beautiful. There wasn’t a rain cloud in sight and the sun beamed pleasantly over the city. We continued our journey through the heart of the city and found some sick spots to photograph the skyscrapers and beautiful waterfront ports. Little did I know at the time, but this would go on to be the theme of the whole trip. No plan, perfect weather, complimented by insanely beautiful locations to explore that we would stumble upon day by day. Day one of the trip was a success and we hadn’t even gotten to Olympic National Park yet..

TO BE CONTINUED!!!

airSF

To start things off, Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you and your family! I hope you were able to spend some time with your family this weekend. I love the holidays because they give you a reason to meet up and back track down memory lane with your loved ones. Who you consider to be family may not only be the ones you were born with, but the people you care about and have wonderful relationships with. For example, TRIBE is apart of my family and I wouldn't want it any other way!

Since meeting Mike during our freshman year of college, he's always spoken highly of the Bay and what it's like to be a Baydestrian. Well, fast forward to the next summer and I find myself on a solo mission driving up the i5 freeway. When I arrived he immediately took me in and showed me the ins and outs. Once I crossed the bridge for the first time I suddenly felt a change in vibe; the feeling was similar to what I would feel at home, except I was 500 miles away. In the bay they show love no matter who you are or where you're from. Mike said, "it's the bridges connecting cultures" and that statement made the most sense based off of how I felt the whole trip.

My most recent trip up to San Fran this past summer would be one I will never forget. I ended an 8hr plus trek (because I made a few stops along the coast) with an aerial view of the sunset over the Bay and it was stunning! That's right, Benjamin & I soared over the Bay for a little over an hour and I was able to capture what I felt like was magic. That was and still is the only word I can really use to describe what was going on up there. We took off at golden hour so I was able to capture about four different scenes in the sky, which worked out in my favor because I didn't want all the pictures to look the same. I'm not afraid of heights, but riding in the Robinson R22 (pictured above) was far different than any Southwest flight I had ever been on. Once we got back to base I was still in shock of what I had just done, of course I've seen aerial pictures before but going through the experience yourself is completely different. I didn't look over the pictures until the next morning, but I got to do so with great company as Mike pulled up to my Airbnb with Sas & Neil. Three of my favorite artist from the Bay Area for sure, the feedback I received from them was extensive and it let me know that I had something special on my hands.

Since the beginning of July, I have posted one aerial picture a week on my Instagram account in reference to GOODFridays. My hope was that those who saw the shots would feel the same way I did when I was in the helicopter capturing them. But I wanted to do a little more, so I ended the year with a project called "airSF". I put together a 12 month calendar with the images I felt fit the months the best; in a little over a week 25 copies were gone and in the hands of special individuals. 2016 will be a year I will never forget, a lot of lessons were learned as well as life changing experiences. I hope you all bring in the new year safe and remember to keep Everything Positive!

Words and photographs by Marrice Hill

Follow more of Marrice's work on http://byeverythingpositive.tumblr.com 

Tribe Takes Europe

I’m a big believer that you learn the most when you’re outside of your comfort zone. Whether it’s a different route to the office in the morning or spending a month exploring Europe, there’s so much value in experiencing the unknown. Fortunately, I was able to go the month exploring Europe route this past summer rather than just rerouting my walk to work. Over the course of four weeks I ventured through Ireland, Spain, Italy, England, and Scotland. Even though I spent just about every penny I saved over my four years of college, it was worth it a hundred times over.

My journey didn’t start out on the best foot, but the excitement of arriving in a foreign country quickly wiped my mind of the lack of food, courtesy and the aisle seat I paid for during my flight. Stepping out of the airport in Dublin was easily one of the most exciting moments of the trip. It’s such a basic moment, yet the giddy feeling you get when you realize you’ve got a month of adventure in foreign countries is second to none. Over the five days I was in Ireland I pretty much did all the touristy stuff: Guinness Factory, Jameson Distillery, Trinity College, etc. etc. By the time I got done with all of the walking from the day I was so dead I typically couldn’t hang for long when I went out for some Guinness in the evening.

That wasn’t the case for the next leg of the trip, however. When my flight landed in Ibiza, everybody on the plane started clapping. Definitely the first time that’s ever happened, but I knew it meant I was in for a treat. I knew Ibiza was the clubbing capitol of the world, what I failed to account for was how damn expensive it was! Every club was around 50 euros to get in and then another 15 euros for each drink (yea, even a bud light). A bit steep for a college grad like myself. So I set one night aside to really go all out. To keep it simple: THE NIGHT WAS F$#%&@! WILD. I quickly figured out why Ibiza earned its reputation. Since I only went out one night I had a ton of other time to do stuff. To keep myself busy, I rented a Vespa and rode around the entire island in a pair of excruciatingly short pink shorts. From Es Vedra to the beaches of San Antoni, Ibiza had just as much to offer geographically as it did socially.

My next stop was Madrid. Let me start by saying it was easily the most beautiful city of the entire trip in my opinion. I actually had a friend living in Madrid that I knew from working in Europe last summer so it was cool having a local show me around. Just like Ibiza, they party pretty hard. I’m still amazed that just about every club there stays open till like 7 A.M., it’s absolutely insane. In addition to partying all night, they also really like tapas. I think its safe to say I had enough jamon and queso for the next few years. What I loved about Madrid was how welcome I felt, despite the fact I only know a handful of Spanish words. They could’ve brushed me off as an ignorant American (which I certainly was in some aspects), but instead they welcomed me to their country. Faith in humanity restored *prayer hand emoji*

Once I left Madrid I headed to Rome.  While it didn’t disappoint, I definitely regretted not spending an extra day or two here. Nonetheless, I hit all the major spots: Colliseum, Fountain de Trevi, the Pantheon. The major highlight of Italy, however, was the food. For every other country, I was pretty frugal with what I spent on food because I wanted to spend my money doing things. Italy was the one place I cashed out to eat… good decision Trav. From pizza to chicken parm, I certainly tacked on a couple pounds in the few days I was there.

Following Rome, I hit London. Arguably my favorite city in the world, I was stoked to be back for my second time. One of the reasons I think I like London so much is because, of any city, it feels the most like home (so much for the whole out of my comfort zone thing lol). In terms of diversity, it’s much like NYC, LA, or SF in the sense that there’s a wide range of cultures mixed together. For the first time throughout the trip, I didn’t feel like everybody could tell I was a foreigner. Even though I got to hit all the major tourist spots, my favorite part of London was getting out in the evening to shoot. There’s something about sneaking around, hopping fences that will never get old to me.

After London, I stopped in Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh has a really punk rock feel to it that made it quite unique relative to any of the other countries I had visited. It really made me take a step back and appreciate how different each place I had visited was. Each city had its own characteristics that I not only enjoyed, but also disliked. In discovering about the world around me, I discovered even more about myself.

If I can leave you with one, cliché, piece of wisdom it’s this: memories are so much more valuable than possessions. You hear that so frequently because it’s true. Take every chance you can to explore this beautiful world; you’ll find so much inspiration. 

Words and photographs provided by Travis Volpe

See more of Travis's photographs and follow his adventures here.

.WAV

Happy Veterans Day everybody! If you’re still bummed out about the Presidential election I’m here to share some inspiration and enlighten the mood. In times like this we have to realize that everyday we have the power to make a positive change and impact on the world. Despite the election, we all still have 24 hours everyday to be great and to do something about what we believe in. Do something today that will inspire someone tomorrow!

On that note, what I’m really here to share with you is a photo set from the World Beat Center. A few of my close friends have been making music over the past few years and have gone on to create a collective of artists that consist of DJs, producers, photographers, dancers, and many more. Formally known as ESSNCE, these guys and girls have continued to inspire me since I met them and to see where they are now is nothing short of amazing. It’s crazy because I can remember sitting on a couch in a two-bedroom apartment dreaming and fantasizing about these ideas. Fast-forward a few years later and here I am taking photos of these guys performing for a room full of a couple hundred people. To say I’m happy for them would be an understatement, but to say I am extremely proud and excited for the future is a more accurate depiction of my feelings.

ESSNCE has a radio show that brings different artists and vibes together from all around the world that you can check out on their Soundcloud. To reference the current state of our country, these types of movements are what we need now more than ever. The creative community is tasked with providing society with prolific fuel to love and to strengthen our bonds throughout all communities. So without further ado, here are some photos from last weekend. Press play, relax your mind, enjoy these positive vibes, and “let these sounds serve as your vessel as we transition from Fall to Winter”.

Follow ESSNCE on Tumblr and Soundcloud !

Words and photos provided by Michael Casatico