Leave Your Mark

I think my favorite part about Seattle had to be the famous Pike Place Market. Before today, I don’t think I’d seen such a big fish be thrown so far with such precision. Whenever someone purchases one of the many seafood items everyone begins a chant in unison while someone’s order is tossed from the ice case to the counter. We got a chance to talk to one of the “fish tossers.” We let him experience the Polaroid PoGo printer, and he gave Megan and I an up-close and personal experience with a large crab.

As we were wandering around Seattle, we ran into some folks putting up a “wallscape” of the printer. Alex, a friend from back home, was on the crew and did an awesome job getting the display together. After his work was done, we went to check out a little of the Seattle skatepark scene. We ended up finding a concrete skatepark with a small, wooden mini-ramp. This park was a work in progress but we decided to shred anyway and it wound up being awesome.

I was born on the wrong side of the country. Every time I come back to the West Coast, I am reminded of how much I love it. That being said, I was really excited to show Mike the sights of Seattle. We met up with some friends for lunch and then headed to Pike’s Place Market. I had the chance to show a local fruit merchant the Polaroid PoGo printer and give him a print. It was his birthday and you know how I feel about birthdays. I had to make a big deal!

Have I mentioned how much I love the West Coast???

I love apples almost as much as I adore coffee. So imagine my delight when I stumbled upon a larger-than-life sculpture of an apple in Minneapolis. Mike had to hold me back from taking a bite and instead I settled for a picture. Sadly, it turns out that it was a cherry and not an apple. You’d think I would have learned the difference between and apple and a cherry sometime between kindergarten and now.

We were not the only ones who wanted their picture taken in the sculpture garden at the Walker Art Museum. A young couple enjoying the view, stopped for a photo-op and we were able to show them the Polaroid PoGo. To our surprise, the guy had already read about the product in the paper. Apparently, the word on the street is out because more and more people are starting to tell US about the printer. We also had the opportunity to sync the Polaroid PoGo printer with some cell phones yesterday. Two guys visiting from Germany were sitting on a bench in the park (sounds like a starting line of a joke) and Mike showed them the products bluetooth capabilities. Go Mike!

We are taking off here in a few minutes for Seattle. I’m trying to rally Mike for some camping along the way. Anybody have any favorite sites?

Megan and I just got through another weekend packed with the crazy Warped Tour kids and awesome music. It’s always fun being in your hometown for an event and Canterbury Park was just 20 min from where I grew up.  There was a sprinkle in the morning before the gates opened, but the rain held off from there on out, making for another awesome Warped Tour stop.  We got placed in front of the Smart Punk stage, which was awesome because it gave so many people a change to stop by and try out the Polaroid PoGo printer while making their way, usually sprinting, from stage to stage.  We have about a day to chill out before we head out towards Seattle, so I’ll have a little time to show Megan around my hometown. Can anyone guess which sculpture is known for representing Minneapolis the most? I’ll give you a hint: if you have a “Walker” it is still easy to see this “Art.” Located near the “Center,” this “Sculpture” is in a “Garden.”  Good Luck!

For those of you that thought Vans Warped Tour attracted all things music, think again. I kid you not, today in Minneapolis I watched Superstar Wrestling, Warped Tour-style. I seized the opportunity to show the wrestlers the Polaroid PoGo printer before their match, and in turn they seized me. Okay, the last part is not true, but they were tough looking and it could have happened.

We had a really great day today with a variety of visitors at our booth as well as a tons of fun photo-ops out in the crowd. We had the opportunity to hang out with Team Polaroid PoGo members, Josh and Aubrey while they showed Vans Warped Tour how to leave their mark.

Pink hair, pink tights, big hats, sweat bands, and spray-painted logos on chests, arms, and legs are just a few of the visible ways Minneapolis and other cities have been leaving their mark at Warped Tour. I found one group of kids who looked like they had jumped right out of Saved By The Bell, and after a little art direction, they gave me their best poses to the 80’s tune that goes, “Put your mind to it, go for it, break down and break a sweat.” I’m glad to see that Van’s Warped Tour is bringing back the 80’s and even more stoked that thanks to Polaroid, we have a way to instantly capture the moment.

While out in the crowd today, myself and one of our staff stopped at the skate ramp to check it out and take some pictures. The announcers noticed us and welcomed us into the waiting area where all the parents of the amateur skaters were sitting. As we showed a few of the parents the printer, the announcer did a running commentary on what he thought of the product (all good things) and tossed the Polaroid guitar pics onto the skate ramp.

One of the vendors agreed with me that Warped Tour is Camp for big kids with Guitars. Camp is stopping in Canada before hitting the west coast. Until then, Mike and I have some fun spots to see on our drive to Seattle. I’m thinking the printer needs its first camping excursion this week. What do you think???

I don’t even know if I can begin to recap how rad today was. There are too many stories to choose from, so instead I will give you a buffet of today’s highlights.

First off, Warped Tour founder (a.k.a legend) Kevin Lineman stopped to pose for the Polaroid PoGo printer. I gracefully fumbled over my words as I couldn’t believe I was face to face with someone I thought only existed in magazines and behind the closed doors of his tour bus.

The Slip ‘N Slide was the hot spot of the day (as Tinley park had invited the sun as a VIP guest) so we decided to check it out with the printer. Prints were stuck to foreheads and guitar picks were taken for a ride on the wet, larger-than-life toy. They weren’t the only ones having fun. I walked past a group of kids sitting on the steps in the ampitheatre who resembled the cast from “The Breakfast Club”. I tend to say what I’m thinking the majority of the time, so I walked over and asked if they had ever heard of the Breakfast Club. They all nodded in unison, all the while not cracking a smile. I continued on by taking their picture and demonstrating the printer. By the end of the demo, they were all grinning from ear to ear.

As I’ve mentioned before, our time at Warped Tour has given way to new names for me and Mike. Instead of Megan and Mike, we are “Hey Polaroid!” That’s cool. I was contemplating a name change anyway. So, while walking back to the tent, a guy from the non-profit vendor tent, “To Write Love on Her Arms” called out my “name” and requested his photo-op. He wanted not one, two, three, but FOUR prints. One for his wallet, one for his dashboard, one for his wall, and one for his skateboard. I think it is safe to say he digs Polaroid’s latest invention.

I have not had a “speedo” sighting since Texas but did come close today with boys in short shorts. I didn’t ask. But I did take a picture. Mike and I had a lot of fun tonight looking over all the photos from the day. From boys in short shorts, to body tracings, to wild costumes (like banana peels, GENIUS!), the Warped Tour provides plenty of opportunities for self expression. And what better way to catch it than with a mobile printer?

Everyone continues to be curious about the product and driving a car that has pictures of the printer on it, leaves plenty of room for explanation. In fact, tonight on our way back to Minneapolis, Mike and I stopped at our 300^th Subway for dinner. I was in the car waiting for Mike when an elderly gentleman knocked on my window and near gave me a panic attack. Thankfully, I remembered the whole breathing thing. He asked what a mobile printer was. I gave him a demonstration on my cell phone and he gave me a look that said, “This is a lot of information to absorb in 5 minutes and are you going to eat your salad because I’m hungry.” No seriously. He said he was impressed with Polaroid. So am I.

Mike and I took the opportunity today to visit Sears Tower in downtown Chicago. As we were walking in, we saw a family taking their photo in front of the Sears Tower sign and offered to take it for them and give them instant results with the Polaroid PoGo printer. They were really intrigued, but not as much as I was by the knowledge the teenage son had of the Zink Imaging technology. Before I could even finish my sentence about Zero Ink, he had surpassed me with big words and detailed explanations on printing without Ink.