What's great about letterboxing is that there are so many
possibilities and variations. Here's still another angle on urban
letterboxes:
I'm preparing a box now that will reside in an artistic container
(as the letterbox is a tribute to a person, actually a fallen hero).
I know that this letterbox would get vandalized outdoors, so it's
going to have a "guardian" in the form of a historical society,
where it will reside safely indoors. Once the location is solved,
the hunter can go in and ask for the box using a specific question
that tips staff off that they want my letterbox. The staff then
pulls it out for them (or it can be in a self-serve, possibly
concealed location that the staff is aware of).
Other possibilities for guardianship might include small museums,
such as childrens' museums. Also consider art galleries, libraries,
neighborhood cafes, and so on.
Your imagination is the only limit, really.
When approaching the person managing your proposed location, make
sure that they understand that this may bring some small amount of
additional visitors and possibly, business. Also, make sure that
your box is a good match for the location.
As for urban outddor boxes, it's a good idea to keep the artwork you
used for the stamp, in case the box does disappear - or carve a
spare stamp.
Sayonara! Ciao! Moonbird awaits.
Paul in SF
P5 F7 A1
Moonbird Letterbox (Urban Letterboxes)
3 messages in this thread |
Started on 2004-06-08
Re: Moonbird Letterbox (Urban Letterboxes)
From: paulonthepark (pgonyea@earthlink.net) |
Date: 2004-06-08 14:23:46 UTC
Re: Moonbird Letterbox (Urban Letterboxes)
From: Tara Lowry (tarasdsu@yahoo.com) |
Date: 2004-06-08 16:39:52 UTC-07:00
Have you found the place and talked to the people yet who will know about or have the letterbox?! I'd be nervous to walk up to someone in an establishment and ask about a letterbox. I guess I tend to be shy that way. I'd be afraid I'd get a new employee or something who'd think I'm crazy, lol.
Tara
What's great about letterboxing is that there are so many
possibilities and variations. Here's still another angle on urban
letterboxes:
I'm preparing a box now that will reside in an artistic container
(as the letterbox is a tribute to a person, actually a fallen hero).
I know that this letterbox would get vandalized outdoors, so it's
going to have a "guardian" in the form of a historical society,
where it will reside safely indoors. Once the location is solved,
the hunter can go in and ask for the box using a specific question
that tips staff off that they want my letterbox. The staff then
pulls it out for them (or it can be in a self-serve, possibly
concealed location that the staff is aware of).
Other possibilities for guardianship might include small museums,
such as childrens' museums. Also consider art galleries, libraries,
neighborhood cafes, and so on.
Your imagination is the only limit, really.
When approaching the person managing your proposed location, make
sure that they understand that this may bring some small amount of
additional visitors and possibly, business. Also, make sure that
your box is a good match for the location.
As for urban outddor boxes, it's a good idea to keep the artwork you
used for the stamp, in case the box does disappear - or carve a
spare stamp.
Sayonara! Ciao! Moonbird awaits.
Paul in SF
P5 F7 A1
---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [LbNCA] Re: Moonbird Letterbox (Urban Letterboxes)
From: Paul Gonyea (pgonyea@earthlink.net) |
Date: 2004-06-08 17:06:26 UTC-07:00
Good question - in this case, there's a nice match of the subject of the letterbox (all right, I'll tell you: it's a Harvey Milk letterbox) and the "guardian" or hosting location. In this case, the host would want people to come & learn more, so there's no reason to refuse. Besides, it's Pride Month, so timing is good, too. I intend to have people learn from solving the clues that Harvey was a champion of many diverse causes besides gay & lesbian equality. This is not simply a "gay themed letterbox", he deserves a broader audience, like he had when he was alive.
Try looking for some sort of synergy between your letterbox and the hosting site. If they will benefit from hosting it due to more visitors or business, then they're likely to say yes. It was really easy for me to get an art gallery to agree - they wanted traffic coming in, and saw the creative, artistic aspect of letterboxing. And I'm not at all ready to plant that one - I just brought it up in casual conversation.
Don't be shy! Ask to speak to a manager, or curator, or someone who makes such decisions, instead of the person sitting at the front desk. Go prepared with reasons why they might want to host, be pleasant and polite, and if they're busy when you go, offer to come back later, or ask for a very brief appointment at their convenience. Show them what a letterbox consists of and explain the basics. I'm pretty sure they'll be interested and won't view your request as an imposition. (Although there are occasional grumps and people who don't 'get it', so if that's who's in charge, look elsewhere).
Try telling them right away that letterboxing is one of America's fastest growing pastimes -- that gets their attention, because, of course, they want to be "in the know" and informed. I also keep tabs on the fast growing total # of letterboxes (you can find it on letterboxing.org), so I tell them that there are XXXXX (now 9,078) number of letterboxes hidden all over the U.S. At that point, their curiosity takes over, and they will most likely listen to you to learn more.
I think we need to send you to an improvisational theater workshop to practice acting like you're doing something other than placing letterboxes, to conceal your real purpose. Plus, you could improvise a scene where letterboxing is THE most important thing your audience wants to hear. And, at the same time, work on your shyness. [WINK] (And, by the way, I'm an introvert).
Paul in SF
----- Original Message -----
From: Tara Lowry
To: LbNCA@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2004 4:39 PM
Subject: [LbNCA] Re: Moonbird Letterbox (Urban Letterboxes)
Have you found the place and talked to the people yet who will know about or have the letterbox?! I'd be nervous to walk up to someone in an establishment and ask about a letterbox. I guess I tend to be shy that way. I'd be afraid I'd get a new employee or something who'd think I'm crazy, lol.
Tara
What's great about letterboxing is that there are so many
possibilities and variations. Here's still another angle on urban
letterboxes:
I'm preparing a box now that will reside in an artistic container
(as the letterbox is a tribute to a person, actually a fallen hero).
I know that this letterbox would get vandalized outdoors, so it's
going to have a "guardian" in the form of a historical society,
where it will reside safely indoors. Once the location is solved,
the hunter can go in and ask for the box using a specific question
that tips staff off that they want my letterbox. The staff then
pulls it out for them (or it can be in a self-serve, possibly
concealed location that the staff is aware of).
Other possibilities for guardianship might include small museums,
such as childrens' museums. Also consider art galleries, libraries,
neighborhood cafes, and so on.
Your imagination is the only limit, really.
When approaching the person managing your proposed location, make
sure that they understand that this may bring some small amount of
additional visitors and possibly, business. Also, make sure that
your box is a good match for the location.
As for urban outddor boxes, it's a good idea to keep the artwork you
used for the stamp, in case the box does disappear - or carve a
spare stamp.
Sayonara! Ciao! Moonbird awaits.
Paul in SF
P5 F7 A1
---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Try looking for some sort of synergy between your letterbox and the hosting site. If they will benefit from hosting it due to more visitors or business, then they're likely to say yes. It was really easy for me to get an art gallery to agree - they wanted traffic coming in, and saw the creative, artistic aspect of letterboxing. And I'm not at all ready to plant that one - I just brought it up in casual conversation.
Don't be shy! Ask to speak to a manager, or curator, or someone who makes such decisions, instead of the person sitting at the front desk. Go prepared with reasons why they might want to host, be pleasant and polite, and if they're busy when you go, offer to come back later, or ask for a very brief appointment at their convenience. Show them what a letterbox consists of and explain the basics. I'm pretty sure they'll be interested and won't view your request as an imposition. (Although there are occasional grumps and people who don't 'get it', so if that's who's in charge, look elsewhere).
Try telling them right away that letterboxing is one of America's fastest growing pastimes -- that gets their attention, because, of course, they want to be "in the know" and informed. I also keep tabs on the fast growing total # of letterboxes (you can find it on letterboxing.org), so I tell them that there are XXXXX (now 9,078) number of letterboxes hidden all over the U.S. At that point, their curiosity takes over, and they will most likely listen to you to learn more.
I think we need to send you to an improvisational theater workshop to practice acting like you're doing something other than placing letterboxes, to conceal your real purpose. Plus, you could improvise a scene where letterboxing is THE most important thing your audience wants to hear. And, at the same time, work on your shyness. [WINK] (And, by the way, I'm an introvert).
Paul in SF
----- Original Message -----
From: Tara Lowry
To: LbNCA@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2004 4:39 PM
Subject: [LbNCA] Re: Moonbird Letterbox (Urban Letterboxes)
Have you found the place and talked to the people yet who will know about or have the letterbox?! I'd be nervous to walk up to someone in an establishment and ask about a letterbox. I guess I tend to be shy that way. I'd be afraid I'd get a new employee or something who'd think I'm crazy, lol.
Tara
What's great about letterboxing is that there are so many
possibilities and variations. Here's still another angle on urban
letterboxes:
I'm preparing a box now that will reside in an artistic container
(as the letterbox is a tribute to a person, actually a fallen hero).
I know that this letterbox would get vandalized outdoors, so it's
going to have a "guardian" in the form of a historical society,
where it will reside safely indoors. Once the location is solved,
the hunter can go in and ask for the box using a specific question
that tips staff off that they want my letterbox. The staff then
pulls it out for them (or it can be in a self-serve, possibly
concealed location that the staff is aware of).
Other possibilities for guardianship might include small museums,
such as childrens' museums. Also consider art galleries, libraries,
neighborhood cafes, and so on.
Your imagination is the only limit, really.
When approaching the person managing your proposed location, make
sure that they understand that this may bring some small amount of
additional visitors and possibly, business. Also, make sure that
your box is a good match for the location.
As for urban outddor boxes, it's a good idea to keep the artwork you
used for the stamp, in case the box does disappear - or carve a
spare stamp.
Sayonara! Ciao! Moonbird awaits.
Paul in SF
P5 F7 A1
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Yahoo! Messenger
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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a.. To visit your group on the web, go to:
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