Travel

H-Town Tale

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HOUSTON - For the culture!

Spring is by far my favorite time of year. Not only because of my birthday but because of the weather, vibrant colors, and just the vibe it brings preparing you for summer. This spring break I wanted to plan a trip with the homies & go somewhere unexpected... Texas here we come. Once the plan was finalized and everything was booked, everyone's response to our trip location was, "Why are you going to Texas...?" Well, that's an easy call, Houston for the culture! Since Houston is located near the Gulf I know the weather fluctuates between hot, humid, and rainy but luckily we were blessed with perfect weather during our 4 day stay.  The moment we stepped off the plane it was a little overcast with mild sprinkles but the rest of the trip would be sunny and in the low 80's. Post baggage claim and rental pick up we headed straight to our Airbnb which was located in the West End, just minutes away from Downtown Houston and conveniently located near the I-10, so everything was super accessible. 

The South has a reputation for good food and the first stop we made solidified that statement. Gatlin's BBQ was over the top with flavors, the food quality was superb and all of the associates were welcoming once we told them we were visitors from Cali. To be honest, everyone in Houston seemed polite and easy going no matter where we went, true "southern hospitality". The second day was my birthday so I wanted to hit the city and explore before we went out later that night. Our first stop of the day was the Houston Galleria (pictured above). The grandest mall I have ever stepped foot in with hundreds of stores ranging from high fashion to common retailers and even an ice rink; I was blown away by the architectural presentation and shopping variety. It was so inviting we ended up there the next day, I couldn't leave Texas without a new pair of vans.

Since I was the only photographer on the trip I had to make sure spots we visited were user friendly and no longer than a 10 minute trek haha. Buffalo Bayou Park was the perfect location, offering a spectacular view of Houston's cityscape along with trails that led to different art pieces positioned on the land. I feel as if Texas doesn't get enough credit for how beautiful it is because the scenery was full of greenery... but that could just be the spring effect. Overall the trip went well, offering a different culture from what we were used to. I'll end it on this note...If there is fried alligator on the menu try it, the night scene can definitely turn into a rodeo, and everything IS in fact bigger in Texas LOL

Words and photos by: Marrice Hill

See more of Marrice's work on his website - everythingpositive.gallery

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.