Just stumbled upon this video. Watch it!
Women Cab Drivers
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Slacking...
I realize I haven't posted in a while. Partially due to having to leave town for two weeks on a pretty last minute trip to Florida. And then the few times I have worked since being back, things were kinda mundane. Nothing really interesting to speak about. I did have a few nice people last weekend. Had a very sweet family from New Zealand who I wanted to join their vacation. They sounded like they had the most fun week planned. And they were really sweet. Also had another family from, I think they said Philly. Drove them from midtown down to Ground Zero. Had a nice conversation with the father who sat in the front. It really makes a day go by much faster when you have nice conversation to get you through.
I drove yesterday, and then promptly got home and passed out. So my update is coming a day late. But overall, yesterday was pleasant with the exception of the end of the day, but I will get to that in a minute.
Started my morning off with a fare as soon as I was pulling off the Manhattan bridge. Picked up a young couple headed to Wall St. From there i caught another gentleman headed up to Mid Town. As I was dropping him off on 34th street, I see the hoards of costumed people headed over to the Javits Center. Comic Con! I really wanted to pick up some costumed people all day. Or at least pick up a fair to the Con so i could get a better look. But I dropped off the guy and ended up going up town.
Picked up a lady on the Upper West Side looking to go up to the commuter train station on 125th. She was really nice. Had a nice conversation with her about art, summer camps, and Connecticut. Really, a very nice ride. And as soon as she got out, I picked up a guy headed almost exactly back to where I had just picked up the previous lady. It amused me.
For a while I bounced around, picking up a fare here and there. Nothing really remarkable. But I didn't feel like I wasn't picking up anyone, so that's always a nice feeling. Nothing is worse than driving around for ages with nobody hailing you.
Eventually I found myself in the Midtown West area and thought i would try and head over towards the Con and maye pick up a fare of people leaving. As I headed down 41st street, I look out my window and walking down the street in full costume, I see a familiar face. One of my co-workers from my other job! I roll down the window and yell her name and pull over to say hi. Her costume was amazing(the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland) and I was very impressed with her handi-work. We chatted for a minute or two, but then I was off.
In front of the Con, I picked up a couple headed downtown. I asked them how the Con was, and they said it was cool. They seemed like they just went for the expreience rather than being big comic fans. We talked about it for a little while when they offered me their passes since they were done with them for the day and thought maybe I could use them after my shift. Awesome! Really sweet of them.
I picked up a few more fares before deciding to call it a day. But by the time I went off duty, I was uptown and had to race to get downtown and back to Brooklyn. This is where my day went south. I managed to get downtown very quickly and was thankful. But then I hit Canal St. It was a PARKING LOT! AND I got stuck in the middle lane and couldn't maneuver my way out. Although I don't think it would have done me any good if I had. The Brooklyn Bridge was closed one way all weekend, so a lot of the traffic is diverted to the Manhattan Bridge. Which means all approaches to the bridge are screwed. I just happened to be in an awful position and not much I could do about it. It took me over an hour to get down Canal. And the traffic cop who let every other lane pass thru the light except the one i was in, did not help. It was hell. And every other person on the street kept trying to hail me despite me having my "Off Duty" lights on and doors locked and clearly on my way to the bridge. Also, WHY would you want to hail a cab in the middle of a traffic jam? So you could pay to sit where you were? People are nuts.
Just for Reference, my TAXI SNAPSHOT of the day illustrates my frustration.
By the time I got out of the jam and back to Brooklyn and my garage, I was over an hour late with my car. Thankfully, they were understanding of the traffic situation and didnt charge me for having the cab late. Which is good. Because even though i felt like i had people all day, I didnt have any big fares and didnt make all that much. So a late charge would have not been good.
Also, I need to make myself a map or something of lady-friendly bathrooms with parking nearby. I have only a small handful of places where I know I can make a pit-stop and sometimes those places are far away from me. Any NYC ladies, when you gotta go, where do you go?
I am driving later today, doing my first ever evening shift. Sunday evenings are supposedly good to drive. Light traffic, no turning rules and lots of people coming back from the weekend, so its busy. I'll be sure to not leave you all hanging for as long.
I drove yesterday, and then promptly got home and passed out. So my update is coming a day late. But overall, yesterday was pleasant with the exception of the end of the day, but I will get to that in a minute.
Started my morning off with a fare as soon as I was pulling off the Manhattan bridge. Picked up a young couple headed to Wall St. From there i caught another gentleman headed up to Mid Town. As I was dropping him off on 34th street, I see the hoards of costumed people headed over to the Javits Center. Comic Con! I really wanted to pick up some costumed people all day. Or at least pick up a fair to the Con so i could get a better look. But I dropped off the guy and ended up going up town.
Picked up a lady on the Upper West Side looking to go up to the commuter train station on 125th. She was really nice. Had a nice conversation with her about art, summer camps, and Connecticut. Really, a very nice ride. And as soon as she got out, I picked up a guy headed almost exactly back to where I had just picked up the previous lady. It amused me.
For a while I bounced around, picking up a fare here and there. Nothing really remarkable. But I didn't feel like I wasn't picking up anyone, so that's always a nice feeling. Nothing is worse than driving around for ages with nobody hailing you.
Eventually I found myself in the Midtown West area and thought i would try and head over towards the Con and maye pick up a fare of people leaving. As I headed down 41st street, I look out my window and walking down the street in full costume, I see a familiar face. One of my co-workers from my other job! I roll down the window and yell her name and pull over to say hi. Her costume was amazing(the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland) and I was very impressed with her handi-work. We chatted for a minute or two, but then I was off.
In front of the Con, I picked up a couple headed downtown. I asked them how the Con was, and they said it was cool. They seemed like they just went for the expreience rather than being big comic fans. We talked about it for a little while when they offered me their passes since they were done with them for the day and thought maybe I could use them after my shift. Awesome! Really sweet of them.
I picked up a few more fares before deciding to call it a day. But by the time I went off duty, I was uptown and had to race to get downtown and back to Brooklyn. This is where my day went south. I managed to get downtown very quickly and was thankful. But then I hit Canal St. It was a PARKING LOT! AND I got stuck in the middle lane and couldn't maneuver my way out. Although I don't think it would have done me any good if I had. The Brooklyn Bridge was closed one way all weekend, so a lot of the traffic is diverted to the Manhattan Bridge. Which means all approaches to the bridge are screwed. I just happened to be in an awful position and not much I could do about it. It took me over an hour to get down Canal. And the traffic cop who let every other lane pass thru the light except the one i was in, did not help. It was hell. And every other person on the street kept trying to hail me despite me having my "Off Duty" lights on and doors locked and clearly on my way to the bridge. Also, WHY would you want to hail a cab in the middle of a traffic jam? So you could pay to sit where you were? People are nuts.
Just for Reference, my TAXI SNAPSHOT of the day illustrates my frustration.
By the time I got out of the jam and back to Brooklyn and my garage, I was over an hour late with my car. Thankfully, they were understanding of the traffic situation and didnt charge me for having the cab late. Which is good. Because even though i felt like i had people all day, I didnt have any big fares and didnt make all that much. So a late charge would have not been good.
Also, I need to make myself a map or something of lady-friendly bathrooms with parking nearby. I have only a small handful of places where I know I can make a pit-stop and sometimes those places are far away from me. Any NYC ladies, when you gotta go, where do you go?
I am driving later today, doing my first ever evening shift. Sunday evenings are supposedly good to drive. Light traffic, no turning rules and lots of people coming back from the weekend, so its busy. I'll be sure to not leave you all hanging for as long.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Meh...
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!!!
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!!!
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!
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Okay, so I realize I haven't written anything in a very long while and that will be changing. But I work at a summer camp during the summers, so there was no driving for me. I have returned tot he city now and once my life settles a little bit, I hope to get back behind the wheel sometime in the next week or so.
In the meantime, I was perusing the Facebook, and I saw a post by an acquaintance of mine. And I think this is a really neat idea. It is an app for iphone(maybe others too) that allows you to take a picture from inside a cab and t tracks what cabs go with what pictures and you can see who was in your cab and what cabs are the most popular for the app and so on. It's a little voyeuristic, sure, but that's fun from time to time. I cant wait to get behind the wheel and see if people take pics in my cab!
So, for those of you interested, here is the site for the app:
http://taxisnapshot.com
So until next time(which hopefully wont be too long), happy snapping!
In the meantime, I was perusing the Facebook, and I saw a post by an acquaintance of mine. And I think this is a really neat idea. It is an app for iphone(maybe others too) that allows you to take a picture from inside a cab and t tracks what cabs go with what pictures and you can see who was in your cab and what cabs are the most popular for the app and so on. It's a little voyeuristic, sure, but that's fun from time to time. I cant wait to get behind the wheel and see if people take pics in my cab!
So, for those of you interested, here is the site for the app:
http://taxisnapshot.com
So until next time(which hopefully wont be too long), happy snapping!
Saturday, June 2, 2012
So, It Begins!
 |
| Me in my very first taxi ever! |
Woke up early this morning after not nearly enough sleep(worked a closing shift at my other job and didn't get to sleep until very late). Dragged myself out of bed, stuffed a donut in my face and we were on our way. The boyfriend who hadnt worked a shift in a while also came out with me today. One, just to drive, but also to show me the ropes.
We got to the garage, got our cars sorted and he gave me a quick tutorial on how to really work the meter. Unfortunatly, the class never delved into that too much because you don't need to know that for the test. Silly, but thats how it is. Once I had a handle on that, we were off.
I didn't pick up a fare into the city, but got my first hail shortly after getting over the Manhattan Bridge. I was headed up Bowery and a man waved me down. I pulled over and he tells me he has a bunch of fruit he has to transport up to 14th street. I get out to help him and then I see what he means. He literally filled my trunk AND back seat with bananas, mangoes and strawberries. I couldnt belive that THIS was my first fare. Ever. But he was very sweet and he didn't leave any mess from the fruit.
Caught a fare up to the west side and then had to drive around a little bit before I was hailed down by a woman and her very cute beagle. She was a little out there, but she was nice and we had a good conversation about dogs. And I got a little hand kiss from the pooch. So cute.
Only other notable fare of the day was a gentleman I picked up by Central Park. He got int he cab and we had a fantasitc ride. He was totally digging that I had Van Halen on the radio when he got in. Had a nice conversation about music, beaches, and the french toast at the Roscoe Diner upstate. He was also one of the only people all day to comment on the fact that I am both female and a native New Yorker. He asked how long I had been driving, and was surprised to learn that he was only my 5th passenger ever. He was super sweet and gave me a good tip. Very cool guy.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. It was slow. But even though it wasn't a busy day, it was just what I needed to ease me into driving. I feel much more confident behind the wheel. I also learned a few things, like where I shouldnt stop to pee, I should have my own toilet paper, and Morningside Park is in the way. Always.
After paying the lease and for gas, I made a whopping $16 for the day. Slave labor. But again, it was a learning day. My feet are wet, and I am ready for the next day of driving, which hopefully will be soon.
So, stay tuned for more GirlyCabbie adventures! I hope to have some real gems to share!
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