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Amy Gibbs
Photos taken by Heather Halliday
Bike: brushed aluminum Cannondale mountain bike with slick tires.
Years on the job: 1 1/2
Age: 22
Cities she has messengered in: New York
Amy is filled with enthusiasm for the bounty that messengering life has to
offer. Her entrée into messengering was because, she says, "I just liked to
ride and the idea of getting money... I've always wanted to do it." So, while
studying photography at the Pratt Institute in New York, she took to the bike
and quickly embraced the culture and community. "People that I've met I've
really taken to. We share common interests whether it's riding or drinking or
traveling. People I hang out with have a love of traveling and exploring,"
which is how she spent the past Summer. After riding her bicycle across the
U.S., Amy flew to Zurich to compete in the World Messenger Championships. And
she is inspired to continue traveling noting that, "the thing with
messengering is that you can take it anywhere so a lot of people who do it
travel around from city to city," she says. "Maybe I'll do that.
While messengering, she is free to pursue photography. "I take pictures, when
I work, of the messenger scene, of my friends, of the Alley Cats (messenger
races), or just if there is something going on in the city."
"For a while I was concentrating on cops in New York. All my photos were of
large groups of cops. There was one time I got off the Manhattan side of the
Brooklyn Bridge and the whole area was covered with cops. It was
unbelievable! I'd say maybe there were 800."
Her daily routine consists of delivering about 20 packages (each one called a
"tag"), a typical amount for a New York messenger.
She has learned that there are some unique attributes about being a woman on
the job. "I wore spandex one day and I got harassed all day long. People
would drive along side me, just honking the whole time and saying rude
comments. You definitely have to be aware of like, don't wear spandex." On
the positive side though," a lot of the women receptionists are really
excited (to see a woman messenger)."
And what makes a good messenger? "Messenger companies don't really care if
you are fast, they care more about if you show up at 9 o'clock every morning,
which most messengers don't do." Using a phrase that she learned from German
compatriots, she continues that, a good messenger is "quick on the button,
which means quick on the pick up, and quick on the bike, and don't get lost."
And for those with whom she shares these streets, she says, "in New York it's
all about knowing where the mail room is. You go in the front door, 'Oh it's
around the corner.' and around the corner is really two avenues (about 1/2
mile) away. "
Her plans for the future? "I'll messenger as long as it is fun."
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