Uke sightings while traveling....

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Knit-wit
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I'm on vacation this week, and we've traveled to Oklahoma to visit relatives. We flew, and had to stop twice enroute; once in Chicago and once in St. Louis.

I was pleasantly surprized to see a man carrying a uke case in the Midland Airport in Chicago. He was waiting....we were waiting....and I couldn't help but strike up a conversation. He was a really nice guy named Wendell, and carried a Mele tenor. He was happy to show it to me and let me play it.

He'd never heard of UU (I can't imagine!), but I made sure to encourage him to come and join us.

Anybody else talk to strangers traveling with Ukes?
 
I took my uke to Las Vegas with me in February. Despite the fact that my case is slathered with stickers that all have some form of the word "ukulele" in them, I was still asked if it was a violin. Whatever.
 
I took my uke to Las Vegas with me in February. Despite the fact that my case is slathered with stickers that all have some form of the word "ukulele" in them, I was still asked if it was a violin. Whatever.

I don't have stickers on my cases but I have been asked about my "violin" before. I have aslo been asked about my ukulele by security a couple of times. I don't recall seeing ukes more then a few times in the past few years.
 
I just talk to strangers...does that count?
 
Not traveling per se, but I ride the bus to and from work every day. Earlier this week there was a girl carrying a soprano Hilo uke. I wanted to talk to her about it, but she was a few seats away from me, looked like she was 14 years old, and her dad was sitting across the aisle from her.

I didn't want to be the creepy guy hollering halfway across the bus to an underage girl about her ukulele in front of her dad...

As such, I refrained.

Jason
 
Not traveling per se, but I ride the bus to and from work every day. Earlier this week there was a girl carrying a soprano Hilo uke. I wanted to talk to her about it, but she was a few seats away from me, looked like she was 14 years old, and her dad was sitting across the aisle from her.

I didn't want to be the creepy guy hollering halfway across the bus to an underage girl about her ukulele in front of her dad...

As such, I refrained.

Jason

It would have been worse if you went up and sat down next to her...
 
Well, her little sister was actually sitting next to her. I guess I could have sat next to her dad...

Jason
 
Flying home tomorrow....back through St. Louis and Chicago to Buffalo. Hoping to see more uke cases being carried through airports....
 
I've seen a few people in airports with them.
 
Well, we came home yesterday...through Midway Airport in Chicago again. I sat people-watching as we waited for our connecting flight, hoping to see another traveler with a uke case. After a while I saw three guys walking down the concourse; two of whom were carrying guitar cases. The third guy was empty handed. I thought, "Close, but not close enough".

Then they passed by....

and I saw the tenor uke in a padded gig bag slung across the empty handed guy's back!

What's up with Midway Airport? Some kind of uke traveler's crossroads?
 
What's up with Midway Airport? Some kind of uke traveler's crossroads?

I've played my ukulele at Midway airport before. :)
 
I was in Montreal this past week with my family and there was this woman in her 20s with a uke on her back, I didn't approach her though...

It could've been really weird, so I decided not to.

Plus, who wants a 14 year old kid approaching them about ukuleles? ._.
 
i was going through security at an airport in nc back at the beginning of january. i was carrying on my flea so i put it up on the belt to go through the detector and the security guard working said "what is that? is an a ukulele?" and i was like yea it is...and she was said "wow that was the first instrument i ever learned to play! i still have mine and play it from time to time."

so funny what are the odds? uke run ins crack me up sometimes
 
The last time I went through Heathrow, I was carrying a classical guitar I'd bought for my daughter back home. I found a seat in the duty free area close to a bloke carrying a pear-shaped gigbag that had the head bent back. Oud? Lute? I wanted to ask, but didn't. I could see him looking at my gigbag, too, but he didn't speak to me.

European males!
 
I'll be going to Canada in August...it was suggested that I detune the uke for the flight. Is this a common practice?

I wanted to drive, but NOOOOO 35 hours in a car is just too much.
 
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