The nicest cab driver.....

trick fall

I had the best cab ride I've had in quite awhile tonight. The cab driver was chatty and so was I. He was from Syria and we had a great conversation about what it was like to be American and what it was like to be an immigrant. My parents are from Ireland so I could relate a little to his experience, but it was just nice to connect as people from disparate back rounds who could find one thing in common, a vision of what it was like and what it meant to be American. I dunno, I found it quite uplifting, maybe you will too.

superkarate monkeydeathcar

i had a great cab ride a couple of months ago. my wife gets all chatty if it's a middle-eastern cabbie.

anyway we were talking to this guy and he was telling us hilarious generalisations of his customers..."old ladies do this, yuppies do that" yadda yadda....anyway i ask him where he's from and he says "i always tell people the same thing. i am from Iran, but if you don't like iran i'm can be from persia!"

and he laughs maniacally.......



i always ask cabbies what famous people they've had in their cabs and this one guy actually had a whole photo album, it was really impressive, so i asked him who was the nicest celebrity fare he ever had and without hesitating he said "michael bolton."

i asked why and he said bolton was visiting friends (out in the boonies) for dinner and wanted the driver to wait for him which he did, and bolton was worried that because it was the dinner hour the guy might be hungry so a he brought him out a whole bunch of food, and gave him a big tip when it was all over.

i told the cabbie he really ruined my night with that story.

bunge

I recommend the movie NIGHT ON EARTH. It doesn't have any scenes with Michael Bolton.

ebby

I remember a Taxi ride a few years ago in New York and it was typical until I left. I left my wallet in the car and he actually drove around the park to find me and return it! He wasn't just a nice Taxi Driver, but a really moral person who, despite the stereotype of New Yorkers, really stood out.

kneelbeforezod

I live in Brooklyn, just over the Manhattan bridge, so my encounters with taxi drivers often involve arguments about (a) going to Brooklyn at all (b) taking the Manhattan bridge instead of the Brooklyn bridge. Getting home was a lot easier when I lived on the LES, but taking a cab beats waiting for the F and A trains - or worse, the 6 and 4/5 - late night.



I'd say I'm running about a 5:1:1 ratio of taxi drivers that hardly say a word to nice friendly taxi drivers to taxi drivers that I end up having a shouting match with.



I always feel bad after getting into an argument, 'cause I know these guys do a tough, scary job. A friend of mine drove a cab for a while and said he liked it even less than the job he had collecting maggots from a battery chicken farm for disease research. Still, I object to being treated like an asshole because I'm not just going across town.



On the occasions when I get into a cab with someone who is in a friendly mood and wants to chat about something, it makes my night. I'll always talk with them if they strike up a conversation and I'll always over tip. Anyone who can stay in a good mood driving a cab deserves all the encouragement they can get.

trick fall

Quote:

I live in Brooklyn

You Brooklyn people get what you deserve!

timo

Quote:

Originally posted by bunge

I recommend the movie NIGHT ON EARTH. It doesn't have any scenes with Michael Bolton.

Fantastic movie.

kneelbeforezod

Quote:

Originally posted by trick fall

You Brooklyn people get what you deserve!

What, you mean like apartments with doors inside (we use them to divide the apartments into what we like to call 'rooms') and trees in the street?



I guess we do deserve that

progmac

how much is cab fare in new york? here in cincinnati i can get from across the river from downtown to where i live about 7 miles away (15-20 minute drive) for $14 + tip

kneelbeforezod

NYC Taxi rates are pretty high, although there is definitely worse (Boston, DC).



In NYC:



$2.50 upon entry

$.40 for each additional 1/5 mile OR every 2 minutes in traffic

$.40 per minute of waiting time

$.50 Night Surcharge after 8pm and prior to 6am

$1.00 Peak Hour Surcharge in effect 4pm to 8pm, Mon-Fri



Mid-town to Brooklyn would be about 15 mins late night, maybe a little under 7 miles, and would cost about $20 + tip.

playmaker

I just returned last night from a week in Miami for the 2004 Hooters International Swimsuit Competition. The entire week there was a whirlwind of meetings, photo shoots, and most importantly the daily trip to South Beach to go party at Mangos. What made this trip especially fun (geez where to start) were the cab rides. We packed 4-5 people in every cab (which = a lot of cabs)and proceeded to race each other down the main strip (flashing the oppositions drivers was occasionally used as a distraction by the less ethical but still very beautiful girls). You should have seen the looks on these guys faces The fun they were having made me think about how wonderful it is to be living in America. As we raced down the Washington strip weaving in and out of slower traffic, narrowly escaping police detection, and most importantly not killing any unsuspecting pedestrians I had an epiphany. Hooters should be involved in the war on terrorism. If a few girls in orange shorts and white tanktops can make an otherwise silent and completely docile cabdriver loose his freaking mind simply to get a glimpse of a full bust line then DAMNETT we can end this terrible war. Support your local Hooters!!!







(needed a smokey after that one)

matsu

Quote:

Originally posted by bunge

I recommend the movie NIGHT ON EARTH.

Padre, Mi ricordo la mia Lola, la zucca...

midwinter

In March, I took a cab in San Antonio. The cabbie was Iranian. We talked about Iran, history, and US foreign policy. About 3/4 of the way through the trip, he turned around and said "Are you an American? I've never had an American fare that knew this much about Iran and US Foreign policy."



Cheers

Scott