Thursday, February 26, 2009

Eventful start to March

The International Art Expo will be at Javits from Feb.26-March 2: until 6 pm each day and ending at 2 pm on Monday. And the Restaurant Expo is on Mar. 1 and 2 until 5 pm and until 4 pm on the 3rd. And a robotics competition on the 6th until 5 pm and on the 7th and 8th until 4 pm.

The Armory Art show will be running next week, from Wednesday March 4 through Sunday the 8th, at Pier 94. Related events will be happening at various galleries around town. The following hotels are advertising promotions in connection to the events, so you should roll by them in the hour leading up to the start of each exhibit: Chambers Hotel on 56th before 5 Av, Dream NY on 55th between 7/BWAY, Parker Meridien on 56 before 6 Av, Muse on 46 btw. 7/6 Av, SoHo Grand on West Broadway, Time Hotel on 49th past BWAY, TriBeCa Grand on 6Av, the 'W' on Lex, the 'W' on 39th past Lex, and the 'W' in Union Square.

Nicitating Membranes

Whenever I'm working a late Tuesday night shift, I love running into Tom Wisker's blunt, matter-of-fact vociferations on WBAI (99.5 fm). His 'Weaponry' show scared me at first because I thought it was just a militaristic rant, but in fact it's not that at all. He makes intelligently sensible comments on a wide range of outrageously under reported topics from 1:30 to 3:30 am, all interspered with totally innappropriate music.

Roseland Ballroom's got a dance party this saturday night. Nice thing about fishing for fares at this place is that it's in the middle of the block on 52nd between 8 Av/Broadway. Most cabs just fly up and down the avenues and a lot of the time people leaving this place end up walking half a block to the corner. If you pull up to the entrance, there might be one or two cabs waiting, but it's pretty much a guaranteed gig within 3 minutes or so. There's a lot of space inside that ballroom, and it's popular, which means a heavy volume of passengers for hours until closing.

USE PLENTY OF CAUTION ON WEEKDAY MORNINGS AT THE CONSTRUCTION AREA ON LIBERTY STREET, IN FRONT OF THE WORLD FINANCIAL CENTER. SOMETIMES THE GUARDS WILL MOTION MOTORISTS TO RUN THE TEMPORARY STOP SIGN AT THE TEMPORARY CROSSWALK AND SOMETIMES THE PEDESTRIANS WALK RIGHT INTO TRAFFIC BECAUSE INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON THE GUARDS, THEY'RE FIDDLING WITH BLACKBERRIES. I HAD A FEDERAL LAWYER WRITE DOWN MY MEDALLION NUMBER THIS WEEK BECAUSE HE ALMOST WALKED RIGHT INTO MY BUMPER. MY PASSENGERS WERE FEDERAL LAWYERS TOO. THEY SAID NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT. "HE'LL GET OVER IT. IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT."

When outbound on the upper level of the Queensboro bridge and exiting unto 21st Street, the sign says "ON RED PROCEED AFTER FULL STOP". But there's often an unmarked cop car sitting on the sidewalk, waiting for you NOT TO remain in complete motionlessness for a good couple of seconds.

If you read my blog(s) with any frequency, you know that I believe wholeheartedly in the formula of staying away from other vacant cabs (by all means) when seeking a fare. Well, what about when three empty cabs in front of you split in the only three possible directions: straight, left, and right. I say slow to a stop on the corner and linger there for a few seconds. Proceed when the road lacks competition again. Hopefully you'll get someone while waiting there on the curb.

A hack pal of mine just got a cell phone ticket in the Garment District. He says the cops have a trap set up on 37th and 39th, between 7/8 Avenues, specifically targeting the use of a cell phone while driving. And on 3 Av many of us make a wide left turn unto 53rd when traffic backs up on that crosstown. The precinct is right there and sure enough they have a ticketing trap set up.
Please read this article about the new camera enforcement of bus lanes on 34th Street.

MIND YOU, THERE IS ALSO A BRAND NEW RULE IN CHELSEA:
NO LEFT UNTO 9 AV WHEN HEADED WEST ON 23rd. AND THIS ONE IS NEVER. NO TURNS AT ANYTIME ON ANY DAY. I NEVER SAW THIS ONE COMING. IT'S A BIT HARSH FOR THAT PART OF TOWN. PERHAPS YET ANOTHER EXCUSE FOR TICKET BLITZING.

AND LAST, BUT NOT LEAST... THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME SORT OF CHECKPOINT ON EASTBOUND w42nd STREET. EVERYONE IN THE RIGHT LANE APPROACHING 7 AV IN TIMES SQ. IS ASKED TO SHOW THEIR DRIVER LICENSE. THE COPS JUST WALK ALONG THE LANE AT EACH RED LIGHT, AS IF THEY'RE SELLING NEWSPAPERS OR ORANGES.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Helpless Quibbling

I posted this on my other blog, the taxi adventure stories one, but it's definitely also relevant here. Especially if you lease from SLS JET in LIC:

Since I get to take out a different cab each day, and every cab has its own unique set of idiosyncrasies, I'd like to start a brief new series of listing and comparing these quirks.....
#6N14: Driver side door does not open from the outside, even when unlocked. And the front passenger side window doesn't close unless helped manually.
#3H60: The floor cover in the back is busted and its bulky, cumbersome edges are pointed hazardously up at the uncomfortable legs of my passengers, if they didn't already trip over it upon entering. Not a single soul passes through my cab without making annoying remarks about how I should get that fixed. As if it were my car. As if the mechanics at my garage are willing to spend any time on such an 'insignificant' matter. They'd say,"does the car run? Then hit the road jack. We've got some truly sick taxis up in here. You don't wanna trade. We ain't got time for that right now."

I don't mean to disrespect Simon Garber, the founder and president of my garage. Everyone says he's such a nice guy. Him and his family emigrated from Russia to Jersey when he was 12. At 17, he started driving a taxi in Manhattan to pay for college. The following year, recognizing potential in the industry, he borrowed money and purchased two medallions. He soon added more medallions and funded growth by establishing a financing arm to offer insurance and loans to drivers. With almost 400 taxicabs on the street he is also one of NYC’s largest independent cab company operators. Not to mention his other fleet, the fastest growing taxi garage in Chicago.

Watts Street is not in South Central L.A.

In case you haven't noticed, there is a new Hampton Inn on the southwest edge of SoHo. I've found many fares there because it hasn't been discovered by other cabbies. While all the yellows zoom straight up 6 Av at 60 mph, I always slow to a near stop on the left side and eagle eye the lobby entrance. I found this complaint someone posted on a hotels website, so beware. If someone asks for Hampton Inn on Watts Street, it's not that hard to find. Just remember that where Broome Street forks into two, as it passes West Broadway in SoHo, you simply fork to the left, as if planning to enter the Holland Tunnel. If you're coming down Varick (7 Av), just turn left on Grand, left again on 6 Av, and one last left on Watts St..
Here's is the comment some tourist posted on the internet:

"The biggest problem for us was not actually the hotel, it was the fact that the taxi drivers couldn't find it. Three times, we got out of the taxi in utter frustration and walked. We showed them it on the map and let them read directions from my Blackberry. We told them between 6th Avenue and Varick St, on the approaches to the Holland tunnel etc but no, they understood exactly where Worth Street is but couldn't work out where Watts Street was. One driver stopped and phoned the hotel which solved the problem. Do these guys not have sat-nav? If I was this hotel, I'd seriously consider giving all guests business cards with a map and directions to give to all taxi drivers."

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Feeding of Birds


BEWARE FELLOW CABBIES: POLICE TICKET BLITZES ARE ON THE RISE. THE CITY IS STRAPPED FOR CASH AND YELLOW CABS ARE BEARING THE BRUNT. WATCH YOUR EVERY MOVE. YOU'RE NOT SAFE ON ANY STREET, AT ANY TIME OF THE DAY OR NIGHT. THE BLUE MEANIES ARE HUNGRY AND THEY LIKE THE YELLOW MEAT.
The Javits Convention Center will be good the first half of this week. 3 simultaneous shows will run for three consecutive days: Sun, Mon, and Tue.... the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th. Same thing at Piers 90, 92, and 94. It's best to approach these by going under the Henry Hudson at 59th St. and following that service road past the Sanitation docks because using the turning lane on the Westside Hwy. can take several light cycles. Remember: there are no subway lines this far west so everyone uses US. Pull into the taxi stand inside the parking lot accessible on 11 Av at 38th. Busiest time to find fares is in the afternoon, especially leading up to closing (6p on Sun/Mon and 4/5p on Tue.).

RECENT NYPD TRAPS:
If you're EB on 14th, making a right unto Broadway, do not turn wide to circumvent the crowded crosswalk. They're standing on the left side, motioning folks to pull over.

The restricted right turn unto 7 Av, off EB 34, is still being enforced the very second it becomes 8:00 am on Sunday mornings. You wouldn't think they'd bother cause this rule exists only to alleviate vehicular congestion when the crosswalk gets crowded, which doesn't happen at 8:00 am on Sunday mornings. It's what you call an extremely cheap shot.

Every single day, as I come down Second Avenue, I see the same patrol car sitting in the closest parking spot to the crosswalk on any given street in the middle single digits, just past St. Marks Place. Every third or fourth light cycle they'll pop out with their sirens and strobes, and pull someone over. Running an orange, shifting lanes without signaling, could be anything. Just read this veteran cabdriver's personal run-in with the sleazeballs. Happened to him late at night, but I see them doing it all daylight long too.