Today was slow. Not a slow as my first day driving, but it was slow. I got to the garage a little later than I would have liked this morning, so that cut into my driving time a little. Also, getting there that little bit later meant there were less cabs left and I got stuck with a clunker. I mean, it WORKED, but the air conditioning only came out of the floor vents(my toes were frost bitten!) and it veered to the right so in order to keep it straight i had to work extra hard to steer it, so my arms got tired. And thanks to a subway snafu last night, I didn't get very much sleep, so I was exhausted before the day even got going.
I got over the bridge and as has been the usual for me, picked up my first fare in Chinatown. I seemed to be going pretty good with back to back fares for the whole first hour. I was psyched, because if things kept like that, I was going to have a very good day. This excitement was short lived. After that first hour, things just stopped. I blame the amazing weather. It was warm but not hot, and absolutely gorgeous. And when it's nice like that, people want to walk. So I drove around for a solid hour before picking anyone else up.
I didn't have anyone particularly interesting the whole day. I DID, however, go through Times Square and for the first time in my life, which has been in NYC for almost all of it, I saw Naked Cowboy! Seriously. I have been to Times Square countless times, I have seen him in everybody's tourist photos, and seen him on TV a bunch of times. Never have I seen him in person. I know it's not a big deal, really, but i was excited by it.
I had almost given up on the day when I was passing near my other job, when a doorman to one of the adjoining buildings hailed me. I pulled into the driveway of the building where I picked up a guy who I took from the Upper West Side all the way to Park Slope in Brooklyn. This was AWESOME. I was worried that I wouldn't even make enough to cover my daily lease and gas, but this guaranteed I would. And normally I don't enjoy traffic, but this time it worked in my favor making the fare a little higher. And the passenger didn't seem to mind too much. He took a nap most the way.
Once in Brooklyn, I realized it was getting close to the end of my day. I didn't want to sit in traffic and go back into Manhattan, so I tried picking up some local fares in Park Slope. I got one right off the bat, but the second one which I decided would be my last of the day ended up taking me back into Manhattan and uptown a bit. I was happy for the second substantial fare, but i was stressing trying to get back to the garage on time. I did make it back eventually and because of the last few fares, I managed to make a super slow and crappy day into a not so bad day.
And just 'cuz, here is my TAXI SNAPSHOT OF THE DAY!!!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Day Three
Drove yesterday, but didn't get to update because I was exhausted after driving and i had the start of a migraine that would last me through this morning. But that is all better now, so here we go.
Yesterday, overall was pretty uneventful. The morning I spent doing mostly short fares here and there. I did pick up one particularly dapper looking guy from the Upper East Side going to Lincoln Center. He didn't say much the whole ride but as he was getting out he told me I was definitely the coolest cab driver he had ever had. That made me smile, for sure. I passed by Lincoln Center later in the day and actually saw the same guy looking for a cab again. I had someone in the back though, so I couldn't stop. Oh well.
After dropping off the dapper gentleman, i instantly picked up two very fashionable guys headed to the Meat Packing District. They were clearly involved in the fashion industry somehow. And while they didn't speak much to me, I was lucky enough to hear about their entire recent sexual histories. Very entertaining.
The day continued to be pretty uneventful. I had one guy who was a know it all who thought I didn't know where I was going, even though because of one way streets and the traffic I knew was near the Port Authority, the way I took was actually to his benefit. Passengers, let me tell you a little something. If you are going somewhere and you know it is a one way street, don't assume the driver is trying to take you for a ride because they go a block or two past. This little move could probably save you a few bucks and a few minutes. Especially if the street you THINK they should be taking is 9th ave and going past port authority and the Lincoln Tunnel in the middle of the afternoon. THERE IS ALWAYS TRAFFIC THERE!!!!!! Okay, rant over.
After that pleasant gentleman, I had to pee, was hungry and right near a great McDonalds with a parking lot. So I stopped for lunch. This McDonalds has these new hi-tech soda dispensers where you pick your soda on a touch screen and then you can add a flavor to it as well. I had raspberry Coke. Very interesting! They also had orange, vanilla, cherry, cherry vanilla, and I think lime. Good spot to stop as a driver, and lots of other drivers know it too because the parking lot is filled with cabs.
The afternoon was also pretty uneventful. Had a couple of slightly longer fares, but nothing crazy. As the day was winding down for me, I decided I would grab one more fare before heading home. I am glad I did too, because the last fare of the day made my day.
I was cruising up Broadway after dropping a couple at the Bed Bath and Beyond. A young guy hails me and he is holding an empty gas canister. I pull over for him and he hops in and asks me to take him to the nearest gas station. Being on the Upper West Side, I couldn't think of where one was off hand. So I pulled over to look it up on my phone. He was apologetic but I told him not to sweat it. It would be an adventure! We figured out where one was and headed up that way. Had an awesome conversation about everything from Brooklyn, to artists, to Spike Lee, and ratemypoo.com. I got him to the gas station and he asked me to wait so I could bring him back. That was probably the most entertaining fare I have had so far, and he gave me a HUGE tip on top of that. So, Zach(I think that was his name) from People Magazine, big high five for being awesome! Seriously, made my day.
Unfortunately that fare took a little longer than I had thought it would so i had to race back to the garage after that, and of course I hit traffic. I eventually made it back to the garage, even if it was a bit later than I had intended. Overall, a pretty average day I guess. The day before I did a little better, but I still did okay, so I am happy with that.
Oh, I also tried out that Taxi Snapshot app. Check it out!
MY SNAPSHOT!!
Yesterday, overall was pretty uneventful. The morning I spent doing mostly short fares here and there. I did pick up one particularly dapper looking guy from the Upper East Side going to Lincoln Center. He didn't say much the whole ride but as he was getting out he told me I was definitely the coolest cab driver he had ever had. That made me smile, for sure. I passed by Lincoln Center later in the day and actually saw the same guy looking for a cab again. I had someone in the back though, so I couldn't stop. Oh well.
After dropping off the dapper gentleman, i instantly picked up two very fashionable guys headed to the Meat Packing District. They were clearly involved in the fashion industry somehow. And while they didn't speak much to me, I was lucky enough to hear about their entire recent sexual histories. Very entertaining.
The day continued to be pretty uneventful. I had one guy who was a know it all who thought I didn't know where I was going, even though because of one way streets and the traffic I knew was near the Port Authority, the way I took was actually to his benefit. Passengers, let me tell you a little something. If you are going somewhere and you know it is a one way street, don't assume the driver is trying to take you for a ride because they go a block or two past. This little move could probably save you a few bucks and a few minutes. Especially if the street you THINK they should be taking is 9th ave and going past port authority and the Lincoln Tunnel in the middle of the afternoon. THERE IS ALWAYS TRAFFIC THERE!!!!!! Okay, rant over.
After that pleasant gentleman, I had to pee, was hungry and right near a great McDonalds with a parking lot. So I stopped for lunch. This McDonalds has these new hi-tech soda dispensers where you pick your soda on a touch screen and then you can add a flavor to it as well. I had raspberry Coke. Very interesting! They also had orange, vanilla, cherry, cherry vanilla, and I think lime. Good spot to stop as a driver, and lots of other drivers know it too because the parking lot is filled with cabs.
The afternoon was also pretty uneventful. Had a couple of slightly longer fares, but nothing crazy. As the day was winding down for me, I decided I would grab one more fare before heading home. I am glad I did too, because the last fare of the day made my day.
I was cruising up Broadway after dropping a couple at the Bed Bath and Beyond. A young guy hails me and he is holding an empty gas canister. I pull over for him and he hops in and asks me to take him to the nearest gas station. Being on the Upper West Side, I couldn't think of where one was off hand. So I pulled over to look it up on my phone. He was apologetic but I told him not to sweat it. It would be an adventure! We figured out where one was and headed up that way. Had an awesome conversation about everything from Brooklyn, to artists, to Spike Lee, and ratemypoo.com. I got him to the gas station and he asked me to wait so I could bring him back. That was probably the most entertaining fare I have had so far, and he gave me a HUGE tip on top of that. So, Zach(I think that was his name) from People Magazine, big high five for being awesome! Seriously, made my day.
Unfortunately that fare took a little longer than I had thought it would so i had to race back to the garage after that, and of course I hit traffic. I eventually made it back to the garage, even if it was a bit later than I had intended. Overall, a pretty average day I guess. The day before I did a little better, but I still did okay, so I am happy with that.
Oh, I also tried out that Taxi Snapshot app. Check it out!
MY SNAPSHOT!!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Back On The Road!
So, after working the one shift and then taking a long hiatus, I got back out on the road today. I was nervous as all hell this morning. Afraid I was going to forget something or how to get somewhere. It is one thing to get int he cab and go when you just finished the class, but now i had let things sit, and it wasn't so fresh in the mind. Also, I didn't get a very good nights sleep last night and was not feeling so hot this morning. So at the start of the day, I was not really so enthusiastic about driving.
I got to the garage and got my cab. Still a little nervous, but started to calm down a bit. I was also worried that the boyfriend wouldn't be driving today and if something should happen, I would be out there on my own. But he put my mind at ease and i hit the road.
For starters, the car they gave me today was not so good. The steering wheel made a funny noise, and it was a slow breaker. Also, the radio didn't work, which is not great. It is good to be able to keep tabs on traffic, and also, a little music goes a long way when you are sitting in a cab for the whole day. Alas, I had to make do without the radio and became very familiar with the repeating TV stories broadcast from the screen in the back of the cab.
As I headed to the city, it started to rain. Hard. Really hard. I was a little worried about the weather, but i managed to stay ahead of the rain for the most part. I hear other parts of the city were less lucky though. Tornado over the Belt Parkway! Glad I wasn't there! The rain ended up helping me out a bit though. Because when it rains, nobody wants to walk anywhere.
Started out the shift with a good fare. Picked up a woman in Chinatown headed to Penn Station. From there I stayed in the lower-mid town area for a while before getting a fare from Alphabet City up to the Upper East Side. By the time I took my lunch up on York Ave I had already made my lease money. Considering I barely made anything my first day, this was looking very good indeed.
After lunch I bobbed around a bit. Cruised Park ave for some fares. Found a parade which got in the way for a while. But thankfully the passenger I had at the time was very understanding. I picked up a group on the Upper West Side and they were headed down to the Times Square general vicinity. Once we got down to 42nd street the traffic was a mess! Barely moving at all. They decided they had gotten close enough and decided to hop out early. I was initially bummed that I didn't get to complete the trip(don't worry. they didn't skip out on the fare) but that quickly turned around.
Had they not gotten out when they did, i would not have gotten my next fare. As I am sitting in this Times Square traffic, I see a man going from cab to cab. Finally he comes to me and opens the door to ask me if I can take him to Met-life Stadium in Jersey. I guess the other cabs didn't want the fare, so I told him no problem. He and what looked like his son got in and we slowly made our way to the end of the block before I made it away from the traffic. We had a great conversation the whole ride. They were headed to the Syracuse-USC football game. I told them that my sister was a 'Cuse alum and they told me they were going for USC. We had a friendly jab at each other. The rest of the conversation was nice too. And there was plenty of making fun of New Jersey, so I always appreciate that. Once we had escaped Times Square, we actually made it to the stadium pretty quickly. I bid them adieu, and they were on their way(and I was too with a nice tip. Thanks, guys!)
Got back to the city very quickly and had a few basic fares. Picked up one girl downtown to go uptown. She was entertaining, when she wasn't complaining about the traffic or the way we were going(after i asked her if she wanted me to take the Drive or the streets, and I followed her wish). But I got her to her destination and immediately picked up a family with their little boy headed to the Museum of Natural History. I am normally not one to coo over small children, but it was really cute listening to how excited he was to go see the dinosaurs. He was really, really excited.
By this time, my day was winding down and I did a couple of short fares and then one last one from the upper west side down tot he west village, which is great because it put me near the bridge so I could head back to the garage.
Overall, I had a good day. The island of Manhattan was one big traffic jam all day, but the people were friendly and I did pretty well for myself. I will be heading back tot he garage tomorrow to pick up another shift. Hopefully I do as well again!
I got to the garage and got my cab. Still a little nervous, but started to calm down a bit. I was also worried that the boyfriend wouldn't be driving today and if something should happen, I would be out there on my own. But he put my mind at ease and i hit the road.
For starters, the car they gave me today was not so good. The steering wheel made a funny noise, and it was a slow breaker. Also, the radio didn't work, which is not great. It is good to be able to keep tabs on traffic, and also, a little music goes a long way when you are sitting in a cab for the whole day. Alas, I had to make do without the radio and became very familiar with the repeating TV stories broadcast from the screen in the back of the cab.
As I headed to the city, it started to rain. Hard. Really hard. I was a little worried about the weather, but i managed to stay ahead of the rain for the most part. I hear other parts of the city were less lucky though. Tornado over the Belt Parkway! Glad I wasn't there! The rain ended up helping me out a bit though. Because when it rains, nobody wants to walk anywhere.
Started out the shift with a good fare. Picked up a woman in Chinatown headed to Penn Station. From there I stayed in the lower-mid town area for a while before getting a fare from Alphabet City up to the Upper East Side. By the time I took my lunch up on York Ave I had already made my lease money. Considering I barely made anything my first day, this was looking very good indeed.
After lunch I bobbed around a bit. Cruised Park ave for some fares. Found a parade which got in the way for a while. But thankfully the passenger I had at the time was very understanding. I picked up a group on the Upper West Side and they were headed down to the Times Square general vicinity. Once we got down to 42nd street the traffic was a mess! Barely moving at all. They decided they had gotten close enough and decided to hop out early. I was initially bummed that I didn't get to complete the trip(don't worry. they didn't skip out on the fare) but that quickly turned around.
Had they not gotten out when they did, i would not have gotten my next fare. As I am sitting in this Times Square traffic, I see a man going from cab to cab. Finally he comes to me and opens the door to ask me if I can take him to Met-life Stadium in Jersey. I guess the other cabs didn't want the fare, so I told him no problem. He and what looked like his son got in and we slowly made our way to the end of the block before I made it away from the traffic. We had a great conversation the whole ride. They were headed to the Syracuse-USC football game. I told them that my sister was a 'Cuse alum and they told me they were going for USC. We had a friendly jab at each other. The rest of the conversation was nice too. And there was plenty of making fun of New Jersey, so I always appreciate that. Once we had escaped Times Square, we actually made it to the stadium pretty quickly. I bid them adieu, and they were on their way(and I was too with a nice tip. Thanks, guys!)
Got back to the city very quickly and had a few basic fares. Picked up one girl downtown to go uptown. She was entertaining, when she wasn't complaining about the traffic or the way we were going(after i asked her if she wanted me to take the Drive or the streets, and I followed her wish). But I got her to her destination and immediately picked up a family with their little boy headed to the Museum of Natural History. I am normally not one to coo over small children, but it was really cute listening to how excited he was to go see the dinosaurs. He was really, really excited.
By this time, my day was winding down and I did a couple of short fares and then one last one from the upper west side down tot he west village, which is great because it put me near the bridge so I could head back to the garage.
Overall, I had a good day. The island of Manhattan was one big traffic jam all day, but the people were friendly and I did pretty well for myself. I will be heading back tot he garage tomorrow to pick up another shift. Hopefully I do as well again!
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