Typewriters fly – on Delta.
We were on a conference call for Rhode Island School of Design and waiting for it to begin. My friend Jon K. mentioned he liked a letter I’d done — on the typewriter — and asked how I’d transmitted it to various folks on the Board. “Was it an app?” he asked.
“Typewriter,” I chirped. “Typed then scanned it.”
I could hear Jon nod appreciatively from New York.
“My partner takes a portable with him when we fly,” Jon said. “There was a Delta safety film that they played — you know, ‘put all electronic devices away’. A guy shut down his typewriter on the film — you’d love it.”
I told him how I lust for an Hermes 300 typewriter, light green in color, like the FIAT Jennifer Lopez drives.
How I’d love to see the portable his partner travels with.
Then our Chairman came on the line and we got down to business. I tried to focus.
But my mind was in the skies above….wondering, “What kind of typewriter does Jon’s partner travel with? What kind should I get? How hard is it to fly with a machine?” I pictured myself pulling out my avocado green machine, the one I don’t yet have, then playing with it before the stewardesses came by with drinks.
I travel American or Virgin. But now I’ve heard Jon’s partner really DOES travel with his baby, the notion of having my own machine has gotten even strronger.
I’d love to see Delta’s safety film, even if it’s supposed to be a joke. It still features a keyboard, and for that alone, and I haven’t flown them in years, Delta goes to the top of my list.
Isn’t that cool to travel avec machine? What does it mean that Delta featured one? Are typewriters getting hot?
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As the partner in question, I can answer a few of your questions…
I use an Olivetti Lettera (c.1950) which I acquired a few years ago when I promised my wife an “off the grid” trip to India. I figured sending typed letters to loved ones via the Indian Postal System was as “off the grid” as you can get in today’s world. A few of them even made it to their intended recipients!
As a frequent guest of the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, I enjoy sending letters home on their customized “In Residence” stationary. It practically begs to be typed on…
And while many hotels have discontinued their use of proper letter-writing stationary in rooms, there are still a handful of grand hotels in Europe and Asia (and a few in the States) that still carry on the tradition (Claridges in London, The Carlton in Cannes, The Villa d’Este on Lake Como to name a few).
Thus the need to travel with my typewriter.
And with the exception of a few strange looks from the TSA X-Ray officer, it’s been a relatively easy and smooth process.
Hope to see you typing on my next flight…it will be easy to spot one another!
Sincerely,
Justin
I’ve got my typewriter mechanic on the look-out for a portable. Ever since I heard about yours, I am dying to see it. When I come to New York in February, I’m going to give you advance notice to pull it out of the closet for me… and I hope that I too can be the ‘typewriter flyer’ sooner rather than later. How heavy is it?