Our June 2017 winner is Bekka from Somerville, MA. You can get to know her a little better through the Q+A below. Thanks Bekka!
Each month we will be choosing our favorite Po Campo fan photo to display on the blog. We see all of your beautiful pictures on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook, but if there are photos you’ve taken with your Po Campo bag that you haven’t posted online, feel free to send them our way! You can email your fan photos to photos@pocampo.com or tag your photos with #pocampo for a chance to win a FREE PO CAMPO BAG.
Bekka geared up with her Uptown Trunk bag in Mosaic
1. Tell us a bit about your hometown . Where do you insist on taking out of town guests?
I live (and bike) in Somerville, MA. My neighborhood is good for biking and there are lots of great shops, restaurants, cafes, breweries to bike to- I always give guests a good tour of that. I also like to take them on a longer ride out of the city on the Minuteman Bike Path and beyond to see some nature and historic sites.
2. Where is your favorite place to take your Po Campo?
My Po Campo Uptown Trunk is very versatile and it's gone everywhere from work, business meetings, shopping, personal errands, and even on non-bike trips. But my favorite place to take it is to the park on a weekend to chill- it is perfect size to carry my personal items along with my latest knitting project or book.
3. A suggestion for women who are interested in biking but have safety concerns?
I have safety concerns about bicycling too- however I try to remind myself that concerns are real and some are perceived. Bicycling is not as scary now that I do it every day and know good routes and techniques. But there is still the driver element I can't control.
I try to educate myself about the safety issues because it is easy to react emotionally rather than be logical and informed. Most of the danger is perception rather than fact- in the Boston area biking is just about as safe as walking. Bike crashes are unusual occurrences and reported more by the media- because of that we are more likely remember them. Car crashes are much more common but we don't dwell on them other than what the impact to traffic will be. But if people reacted appropriately to the real dangers- car crashes would be taken more seriously, cars would be much more regulated and roads better designed. Over 40,000 people are killed in car crashes annually the U.S. making it top most preventable causes of death.
I try to educate myself about the safety issues because it is easy to react emotionally rather than be logical and informed. Most of the danger is perception rather than fact- in the Boston area biking is just about as safe as walking. Bike crashes are unusual occurrences and reported more by the media- because of that we are more likely remember them. Car crashes are much more common but we don't dwell on them other than what the impact to traffic will be. But if people reacted appropriately to the real dangers- car crashes would be taken more seriously, cars would be much more regulated and roads better designed. Over 40,000 people are killed in car crashes annually the U.S. making it top most preventable causes of death.
However, the real experience of biking on the road can sometimes be frightening so I understand those who don't bike or would only do so on bike paths. But even if that's the case I recommend being engaged locally and supporting building of more bike infrastructure so that you maybe feel comfortable biking one day. There's a lot that can be done to improve streets for all and your community is the best place to make an impact.
4. Secrets for managing helmet hair?
In the summer I always use a headband or scarf to pull my hair up off my face/neck. It keep it from getting sweaty and it falls back into place one I take it off.
5. If you could have dinner with anyone (living or dead) who would it be, and why?
I would have dinner with Margaret Fuller who was a writer/editor from Cambridge MA and the first full time female book reviewer and first female foreign correspondent. She wrote "Woman in the Nineteenth Century" and was admired by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, her work kicked off the women's movement that ultimately resulted in women gaining the vote. However she's relatively unknown. I would like to get to know her, pick her brain, and teach her how to bike. I think she would like it.
6. What song do you always sing when you sing karaoke?
I'm too shy to sing karaoke in front of people, so I'd probably pick an instrumental rock song and just strike a pose dramatically on stage.
