METROPOLITAN DIARY
Ride Share
Dear Diary:
I had been living in the city for about a year and was slowly shedding my pleasant, Midwestern manners in favor of some much-needed New York chutzpah. It was raining, and I was trying to hail a cab to the Lower East Side during rush hour. I knew it was a long shot.
Suddenly, one pulled up. Just as I was about to get in, a man appeared out of nowhere and opened the passenger door on the opposite side.
I was in a classic New York City conflict I had seen in movies and TV shows.
We immediately started to bicker over whose cab it was. The cabby was getting increasingly annoyed, as were the people trying to use the crosswalk we were blocking.
Exasperated, I finally let my guard down.
“Where are you going?” I asked my enemy.
“East Village,” he said.
“I’m going to the Lower East Side,” I said. “Get in.”
I climbed in and sat down. Slowly and reluctantly, he got in on the other side.
We sat in silence for the first block but eventually called a truce and shook hands when we parted ways.
— Dave Quantic
That Was Quick
Dear Diary:
In May 1978, I and several other Cornell students traveled to Manhattan for interviews with prospective employers. After the interviews, we needed to get back to Port Authority to catch a bus back upstate.
I decided to show off my worldliness by confidently hailing a cab. We piled in, and I directed the driver to take us to Port Authority.
“Port Authority?” he asked.
“Please,” I replied.
He stared at me for a moment, drove the cab about 20 yards and pulled over.
“Here you go!” he announced.
I was thoroughly embarrassed.
“What’s the charge?” I asked meekly.
“Nothing” he said. “It was worth it for the entertainment.”
— George Lutz
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/01/nyregion/metropolitan-diary.html
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