Lafayette and Houston

After months of more sexual advertisements on the corner, they've now put this boring ad up. Scroll down to this post of Shift Shots 4-26 to see what was up on that date, and links from there to the neighborhood blogs and the press coverage of outraged out of towners.

The Uncertainties of Pick-up strategy

I try my best to pullover for drop-offs and pick-ups. Sometimes it helps to pick-up a customer who is more aware of their safety, but sadly more often, they pick whatever cab gets there first. Veteran cab drivers will most likely tell you that this isn’t the way to do things. You shouldn’t be making your living by stealing fares from others. Changing four lanes in the middle of full traffic going at 40 miles an hour should only be done once or twice a day, and not once or twice an hour. I am not saying I don’t do this on occasion, but if I see another empty cab set up perfectly in the shoulder lane, to the point where if I were to slide over and pick-up that fare I’d be cutting him off and possibly cracking my rear bumper, than this is reckless behavior. In addition, rather than cutting in front of anybody, a bus, a truck, a car, or a bike, you instead should pull back and come into the side lane after they pass. Oh also when you’re turning down a side street and cutting around a taxi that just finished picking-up or dropping-off, beep the horn once and look at the driver to see how ready they are to take off. All these pieces of advice might make you less money in the short run, but they most certainly will keep you on the road longer, the tortoise beats the hare, slow and steady wins the race.

I trailed off quite a bit; that was more safety strategy, than fare pick-up strategy. I had these two weekends about a month ago where I pulled into the taxi line at this diner I always tend to wait at. After finally getting to be first in line, and pulling up to the corner with the fire hydrant, 25 minutes passed where 3 or 4 fares all came out of the diner and took the cab that was behind me. What was I invisible?? So yes, that’s where I trailed off, apparently I pulled in so neatly that they didn’t recognize that I was available for hire. It seems people are more likely to grab a cab that is haphazardly situated, people are really stupid sometimes, but is it worth it always? I feel if you're going to be there for a while You might as well pull parallel to the curb, leaving enough space always to pull out. If people are too stupid to grab the correctly pulled over cab, then it was probably best not to have those passengers.

And again with the uncertainties, I took some people on a short ride across town from L.E.S. to TriBeCa. It was about 4 in the morning or 3 maybe, and they asked me if I’d like to pick them up later to take them to Bay Ridge. A ride to Bay Ridge is a beautiful ride, 20 plus dollars, and so I quickly said yes, but then I had my reality check and told them since I have to pick-up everyone there was no way I’d be able to get a call, and then drive passed 20 or so people only to pick them up. This was a sad realization about the New York City taxicab profession. I got another fare from that diner mentioned previously whom after making three stops including the last one in Bergen County right on the Hudson River in New Jersey paid me 60 bucks and asked me too to be their routine driver to take them home every Saturday. Oh if only I could, I’d be financially comfortable. These situations make me wonder if I should buy a Lincoln Town Car and get it registered with the Taxi and Limo commission. This way if they call me, I’d just switch cars and pick them up. That whole scenario is probably very complicated.

Shift Shots 5/2

Upper East side


Midtown

Shift Shots 4/26

SoHo



Calvin Klein Has already changed the ad above, to a more controversial one, featuring three guys and a girl. Find the newer one and the reports of outcry via the EV Grieve blog, and Bowery Boogie blog. Most of us though, don't give a damn about the ad, there used to be a place nicknamed the 'cross-section of the world' and it was right here in New York City. Remember, how it used to be full of smut? Yes I'm alluding to the old Times Square, and if you walk by the Port Authority at the right time, people still offer tits and ass like it were marijuana. So I don't think a raunchy pin-up should get anyone around here too riled up.

UPDATE- They changed the ad yet again, no more half naked people anymore, lame. I'll post the pic of the latest ad soon.

Manhattan Bridge, Looking towards Manhattan

Shift Shots 4/25

Shots taken on the way to JFK Airport and back-

Rego Park, Queens

South Jamaica, Queens

Ozone Park, Queens

A Bartender

A bartender finally done with his night was full of energy. He walked along the Avenue in the direction of traffic between the moving cars and parked ones while hailing for a cab. It was classic rush-hour cab hailing tactics, but it was before seven in the morning on a Saturday. I was initially nervous when I saw him on the street. He was a big enough guy; if he weren't a bartender he could've been a police officer, a firefighter, or a hired goon. It turned out he was a nice guy and he was anxious to dump his stories on me for the ride uptown.

I told him I thought about being a bartender too; I heard they make good money; I have friends who do that gig.

“Yeah it’s tough though,” he said.

I told him how I saw many similarities between the cabbie and the barkeep. We have to deal with a multitude of any sort. However the cab driver has a little more ability to avoid certain people, and the bartender deals with drinkers all night long.

“Well just this night. I had this guy who threw a bottle at my head,” he said.

“What?”

“Yeah, and he hit me while my back was turned too. So I jumped over the bar and punched him in the face, and dragged him out of the bar.”

"Don't you have bouncers?" I asked.

"Some places don't. Mine does, but they just watch the front. I have to maintain my bar in the back." He paused a second, “And that was just one of the things that happened tonight, it is typical.”

This was one of those special fares that might have mistaken this for an episode of taxicab confessions. It was as if he knew I wanted all the stories I could get.

“But you,” he said, “I wouldn’t want your job. You got your partition open. Once they come in, all they have to do is stick a gun to your head and BAM! It’s over.” He shaped his hand like a gun and poked it through to the front half to illustrate his point.

“Uhh, yeah, well I wouldn’t be here if that happened, so eh, so far so good eh.” I retorted.

He was in his mid-thirties approaching forty and was planning his own way of settling. He and his girlfriend lived in the Upper-East Side and he was thinking of owning his own bar in the neighborhood.

It was a nice ride and he kept me entertained the whole time, plus he added 5 bucks in a tip. The bartenders know how to do it. Although maybe I should've recommended he drink some calming tea, rather than whatever it was he was on.

Shift Shot 4/18

Midtown / Theatre District

Flatiron District