In a continuation from the previous post, last week was a similar story. I worked on Monday, and it was an okay day. And then Tuesday, I showed up at the garage where I waited and waited and waited only to go home empty handed after sitting in the cold for 4 hours.
All this waiting gets to be pretty mundane. And I've been getting to know a couple of the other drivers a little better and we have great conversations. But still, all the waiting gets frustrating. I have been saying I was going to do it for a while now, but last week I finally brought a hoop with me to keep me busy while I wait. It's a custom made taxi hoop, actually. Made for me by my hooping teacher, Amy. But I finally busted it out and its been great.
A lot of the guys at the garage got a kick out of it. It's not every day someone at the garage busts out some moves on a hula hoop. I made myself get over the embarrassment though, and hooped away. And it was awesome. Not only did it kill a LOT of time, but it kept me moving and warm, as well as made me exercise when I would otherwise be sitting on my butt. So yeah, that's been pretty great. So glad I decided to bring it to the garage with me.
I decided this week since I have been having not such great luck getting a car on Tuesdays, that I would work Sunday and Monday instead of Monday and Tuesday. I had to kick myself in the butt to get myself to the garage on Sunday. There were other things I wanted to be doing, but I made myself work. And I was so glad I did!
I made it out of the garage a little early, and headed into the city. On my way, I got hailed near Grand Army Plaza and the guy needed to go into the East Village. This was awesome. I was heading that way anyways, so why not get paid for it! I could tell it was going to be a busy night. It was a bit gross out weather wise, so people didn't want to walk. And being a Sunday evening, people were coming home from their weekends.
As soon as I dropped the first guy off, a woman flagged me down and I took her right back into Brooklyn. She was just going to Williamsburg though, so thankfully it was easy to get back into Manhattan. From there, I couldn't stay empty! It was great. And everyone was really nice. At one point, I picked up a couple and they were headed to JFK. Traffic wasn't too bad getting there, and I didn't have to wait long at the airport before getting a fare back into the city. And it was pretty funny because the people I picked up at the airport were going to the same block that I had picked up my fare to the airport on. They weren't as amused, but i thought it was funny.
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Sitting in my taxi, waiting in the JFK taxi lot. |
I stayed busy for a while, even had some bigger fares. Was all over the place. Brooklyn, Queens, Uptown, Downtown. It was a good night. At around midnight, I had just gotten back over the 59th st bridge, and a woman flagged me down. She was headed to Rego Park. I brought her home, and decided since I was so close, I would call JFK and see what they were like. The recording said that as of midnight, the lot was at 40% and busy. I decided to head over.
Best move ever! I got there and they were well below 40%. There were probably 4 lanes of taxis(the lot has about 45-50 lanes total). And they were moving. Cars were being dispatched faster than new cars were coming in. So I was there for all of 10 minutes before heading off to a terminal. And I was lucky and got a nice fare right back into Manhattan. Three JFK fares in one night is awesome.
From there, I kept getting lucky and finding fares, which on a Sunday night after midnight isn't always easy. But I kept getting them. Even in Brooklyn. I picked up a fare in the East Village into Williamsburg. And then from there, I picked up another fare into Bushwick. And then from Bushwick, two girls ran down the street after me, and they went back to Williamsburg. And then in Williamsburg, I got another fare! I seriously was planning on calling it a night after that first fare to Williamsburg, and just wasn't able to! I wasn't planning on staying out so late, but I didn't get back to my garage until 3:30am. And by the end of it, I was thrilled that I worked that night.
Monday was less prosperous. I got out of the garage a little late because my car for the night needed a new set of brakes. So by the time I got out, it was a little after 5. And it really wasn't busy at all. I had a few okay fares, but for the most part, it was slow, and the few fares I did manage to find were usually small.
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Waiting for a new pair of shoes. |
People were nice for the most part, though nobody really talked much to me. I did have one awful woman with her two daughters. You could tell these girls were rotten. Literally one girl forbade her mother from buying a particular apartment... She must have been about 13-14. And the mother was a space cadet. When she finally gave me an address, she would ask every few blocks exactly where we were(rather than, you know, looking out the window) and when I brought them to the exact address that she had given me, she was asking ME if this was such and such restaurant. I told her I didn't know what restaurant it was, but this was the address. She then said that the restaurant moved and where was it. I Told her again, I wasn't sure about the particular restaurant, but this was the address she gave me. Meanwhile it was a very narrow street and there was a truck and line of cars waiting to get through, and the woman and her daughters took a hundred years getting out.
Because it was so dead, I ended up staying out until 4am just to bring in less than other nights where I stay out til 1:30. I know you have to look at the big picture, and if you count the success of my previous night, I did okay over all. But it is still very frustrating when you stay out really late, bust you butt and come home with a lot less than usual.
But the holidays are coming, so things will pick up much more. The city is already lit up with a lot of the holiday decorations. So I am looking forward to the busy season. I just wish the Taxi TVs weren't playing Christmas music already!
If you are interested in a hoop or hooping classes, check out my teacher Amy Rogers at
The Hoop Movement.