Wednesday, August 7, 2002
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Wednesday, August 7, 2002 |
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Getting the hang of hailing an NYC taxi By CAROLYN CARY I was privileged last month to attend the auction of "Gone With The Wind" items being sold by owner Herb Bridges of Sharpsburg at Christie's in New York. At 20 Rockefeller Center, to be exact. Never having been to the Big Apple before, and having absolutely no clue as to what was located where, I had to take a taxi everywhere. I am used to making a phone call to a local cab company, and having said cab to come to wherever I am. Not so in New York. There are 12,000 bright yellow taxis, all Crown Victorias, running in all directions at all times, 24/7. The only way to let them know you're interested is to step out in the middle of the street, albeit Broadway, 5th Avenue, or West 57th Street, wave madly in the air, and dare anyone else to hit you. After a couple of near misses, I got the hang of it. A six-inch silver medallion is soldered, bolted, and otherwise permanently attached to the front right side of the hood. That silver medallion only costs a quarter of a million dollars to buy and have put there. This does not include buying the taxi and having it retrofitted. No wonder they run 24/7. The taxi fees were very reasonable, it was an average of $5 to $11 to get to your destination and I always felt the driver traveled the shortest distance. Since I am at an age where I am giving personal items away, purchasing souvenirs was not on my list. Except, of course, for a ceramic yellow taxi.
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