TaxiChronic

El Taxista

2008-02-09T19:30:00.000-06:00

LSD @ 60 mph

2007-10-22T03:28:00.000-05:00

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2007-10-17T10:31:00.001-05:00

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1309 S Halsted St

2007-10-04T05:15:00.000-05:00

Tonight I picked up a woman stranded near Wrigley. Actually she was just north of Wrigley, near Broadway and Montrose. She asked me if I wouldn't mind taking her to 95th and Peoria. Thats a long way, so I asked her, "do you want me to take Lake Shore to the Ryan?"

"No," she replied, "I was on the Ryan earlier, do you mind taking Halsted straight south?"

"Sure," I agreed, "either way it'll be no more than $40."

"Forty dollars!" she exclaimed, "it cost me sixty to get up here!"

So we head south down Broadway until it meets Halsted. From that point on we took Halsted south for about 135 blocks. This is a street that should have a documentary filmed about it. From the begin we were in Boystown, which needs no explanation. Phallic rainbows decorate the street. Just south of Boystown past Clark, Halsted becomes full of Big Ten Yuppie bars and Blues bars. Through Lincoln Park there are a variety of businesses, from high-end retail, five star restaurants, 4 am bars, and various theaters. As you cross North Ave, Halsted becomes industrial alongside Goose Island and the River. What are now million dollar townhomes were once a large urban project called Cabrini Green.

After you cross the river you see the end of the island and the Chicago Tribune printing press. From that point south its a fairly quick ride into Greektown. South of Greektown you find the Hull House and the UIC area which had really changed. University Village now overtakes what was once Jewtown/Maxwell St area, a once vibrant Blues district (pictured above). Again, after Cermak, Halsted crosses the river once again making way into Bridgeport, the Mayor's neighborhood.

Just south of Pershing, the stockyards nasty stench starts to creep in. That area has a smell of burnt bacon which makes way into Canaryville/New City. Thereafter, Halsted is lined with liquor stores and vacant lots as you approach Englewood. The new Kennedy-King College campus is beautiful and hopefully will attract young guns to go to college. The streets are lined with all sorts of shady people at all hours of the night. Businesses are closed, lots are vacant, and buildings are boarded up. Life still keeps many people out all night just hanging out on the street. Englewood seems to last for about forty blocks, but it moves fast. Not many cars around.

Whats interesting is that Halsted was once a very dangerous unwelcoming street to interlopers. Now there exists an entire gamut of the social structure and classes. Obviously what is north will soon dominant the south, rich white professionals. The Olympics hopes are not that far away and the gentry are moving fast. Drive down all of Halsted, remember it for what it was, see it for what it is, and accept what it's going to be.

"Stop all this weeping, swallow your pride. You will not die, it's not poison." --the medicine man

2007-10-03T03:26:00.000-05:00

I cannot drive during the day. Being a cabbie during the day is the most frustrating thing in the world. Rogers Park takes an eternity. Halsted/Monroe to Wells/Adams take half an hour. At night traffic is predictable.

Lake and Halsted sucks, people stopping to look, driving down one way streets, stopping mid turn to realize they made a mistake. Green, Union, Des Plaines, Morgan, Aberdeen, Kinzie, Grand all lead to the same place, Halsted/Lake or even Milwaukee/Grand. Why can't anyone think outside the box?

Clark St is a nightmare! Thank God it ends after 2 am. Never seen so many fools on a street, and a variety of them, not just pilgrims, Blacks, frat boys, suburbanites and Cub fans. There are old fools, cops with associates "degrees," punks, freaks, cross dressers, gays, and blue collar men.

Lincoln is well patrolled by good police officers. So closely watched I NEVER will look for a fare on that street. Rush/Division on the other hand, makes absolutely no sense. Tens of cops, hundreds of cars, and many valet services. Who should valet at 4 am? Are these cops looking for drunk drivers?

The instant they drive off they act like idiots in their vehicles. Who leaves the club at 4 am and drives off? Does the mayor's office really approve this? 4 am valet services so people can drive off? The workers are there earlier and later than everyone, they can drive. The DJ has all his equipment, he should drive. Everyone else, why do they drink and drive? Does this sound right, encouraging drinking and driving?

Turn those loading zones into cab stands. How much congestion would that save? Sure, cabbies would fight, but who cares? We are always fighting. Or close the streets and make "Valet and Cab Traffic Only" on certain streets.

Mayor, come watch Division St on a Saturday and tell me that wouldn't be a good idea. Close those streets to everyone else and charge the damn toll to get into the city. Will those people continue to visit the bubble? YES! Maybe not during the day, but they can take a train, cab, or bus. If they pay for parking they'll pay for tolls. The city is over populated with single drivers.

Sit in traffic much? I used to, during the days. Nine out of ten cars have ONE person, the driver. Or maybe people need to start getting married, then they'd share the ride home at least.

Businesses would complain? Really? Only the ones in the Loop. If drivers get off the expressway and into the neighborhoods, wow, HOW MANY MORE SMALL BUSINESSES WOULD THERE BE?

October...

2007-10-01T08:53:00.000-05:00

October, I'm starting to get into a pinch. I have three months to make my reserve for the long winter months. The cab business is slow after New Year's Eve. This will be the first year I drive only nights in the winter. Weather effects the business so much. I'm not sure how it will go this year but I'm dreading the winter. I'll have to mark various events every week that I will work without stressing myself out. Bears games, Bulls games, Blackhawks games and the every weekend will be critical. I can't make any large goals and have to hope for the best every week.

Taxi Comics

2007-09-30T05:30:00.000-05:00

Union Station

2007-09-29T04:37:00.000-05:00

I am born and raised in Chicago and have never been inside of Union Station. I've never taken a train to the suburbs and have never taken an Amtrak. Union Station has made me most of my money though. Everyone seems to be going or coming from there between 5 am to just past midnight.

Tonight I picked up a CHX trader who was in a giddy mood and excited to talk about Islam. Unfortunately, we were both Catholics. Still, we had a nice chat about religion and another strange request to drive around to keep chatting. I didn't mind though, this cat was intelligent and intellectually curious. He must have been Irish because he brought me good luck.

While dropping him off, a tall, large Black man approached the cabs outside Union Station. He started to work his way down the line. He'd ask everyone a question and keep walking down. I thought to myself, "he must want to go to the southside." I have no problems going south, the neighborhoods are nice, the boulevards move fast, and the parks are beautiful.

As the man approached my cab he asked me, "You know a cheap hotel around here where I can just stay the night?"

I told him, "The cheapest hotel is about $200, but there is a hostel and a Men's Hotel were dudes stay after they get out of jail."

"I don't want that," he said, "how about you gimme a ride to that hostel."

"Sure thing, lemme just finish up with this guy."

So my religious conversation ended and in hoped this brother from the NYC. I took him to the hostel but no one was at the desk. Before he went into the hostel he gave me a twenty and said,

"Can you wait out here for me to make sure I get a room?"

I told him it was not a problem. Two minutes later he walks out and asks me about the $200 hotels. I told him I'd call a few. So I looked up various hotels and started dialing. The first few had no vacancy. Finally, the Cass had a room. A polite woman answered and told me to come in whenever I wanted. I explained the situation and let her know I was a cab driver looking for a hotel for my passenger. We got him all set up and then I took him to his stop. I reminded him a couple times that he threw me a twenty and I still had it. He told me to keep it, no one else wanted to help him out. Thats him tipping 300%.

When we get to the hotel, again, he asks me to wait to make sure he gets in. He gave me the thumbs up through the window and came back out to thank me. In his hand shake he gave me another twenty. I told him it was not necessary. He claimed, "you know how hard it is to get a white cabbie to pick up a brother in NYC?"

"It's hard here too," I told him.

"Well, I love Chicago now, thanks for your help," he said as he walked off.

Lake St

2007-09-28T05:10:00.000-05:00

Something About Mary...

2007-09-26T05:08:00.000-05:00

Today is going to be all about Mary. Tonight I met Mary in the West Loop. She was a short, $5.00 trip from her house. Right away I knew this was going to be interesting. A man flagged down the cab for her, she kissed him. Then another man came to the window and offered to pay for her fare. She demanded that I not take his money and take her home, west towards Damen. Literally about one mile away, a quick short trip. Mary though had other plans. First she made me take her to buy cigarettes, then I took her to Dunkin' Donuts for coffee, then she asked me to drive through the west side.

I told her, "Ma'am, you sure you want to waste your time driving around the city? It gets expensive, you know?"

She exalted, "What's your name?"

"[...]," I replied.

"Well, [...], I'm 42 years old and don't go to bed until 10 am, I want to drive around and do my crossword puzzle," she explained.

"Sure, where do you want to see? " I asked.

"West side, take me through the parks," she requested.

So I went on and drove her through Union Park into the west side and then through Humboldt Park up to the north. When we got to about North Ave and Sacramento, she started to get bothered.

Concerned, I said, "Do you want me to head back towards your neighborhood?"

"We are in my neighborhood! I don't live where I told you, do you think I wanted that guy to know my intersection?" she said laughingly.

"Well Mary, where do you want to go then?" I repeated.

She then asked me how much more would it be for us to sit in the cab for half an hour. I told her the standard rate would be approximately $10. Bear in mind, we had already drove for $10.

So I asked her, "You just want to sit here in the cab?"

"Yes," she angrily said, "just sit here, I'll pay you, keep the meter on and turn on a light back here."

Of course I sat there with her and listened to her raging about how no one understands that she likes to be out at night, it doesn't matter where, with who, or doing what. She just likes the night. I guess I understood. I love the night.

Anyways, her fare finished up being $23.45. I sat there awkwardly, alone with her for 30 minutes. She was determined to stay but I told her that she should just go. She was upset and offended that I didn't want her company. She gave me $30.00, told me to keep the change and said that she'll see me again soon.

With Mary's Help:

cash flow: $30.00
bank account: $60.00
expenses: $20.00; gas, thanks to Mary. We just sat there.
misc: $60.00; groceries
revenue: $130.00
profit: $50.00

Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo

2007-09-25T04:35:00.000-05:00

The Good:

70 year old, intelligent, classy Black man from Hyde Park. Talked about the old Chicago, though I'm relatively young. What it used to be, when the north side was the bad side. Well except for Rogers Park, it's ugly. Talked about politics, he was a marine and called me a "pacifist." Not rudely or accusingly but understandingly and respectfully. He recommended I drive by the Checkerboard Lounge.

I asked him, "You mean the fake one in Harper Court?"

"Come on, it's all in the name, when your body breaks down, what you have left is your name," he replied as we parted ways.

Truth is, all we do have is our name. With those thoughts in mind I encountered an old Jewish man.

He asked me, "do you have a stretch cab?"

"No," I told him through the window, "but you can sit up front."

"Well, thats fine then, my damn legs cramp up," he stated as he got into the cab.

He asked me to take him to Hollywood and St. Louis. Through the ride we began talking about the Bible. He mentioned he was a Jewish genealogist and was fascinated with surnames and their history. His conversation just reiterated the importance of a name and its infinite life. This genealogist was working on someone's ancestry, a history which was almost 1500 years in the making.

The Bad:

After this long ride I stopped into a gas station and took a break. The attendant was trying to sell me a phone. He had a nice Nokia which would have made a good anniversary gift but he was asking $225. I told him no thank you, left and made my way back into the bubble.

There I picked up an older Greek man, he called himself, "Mikolono il brutto," because he was was big like the Popeye character. I told him I knew only two expressions in Greek, "Kali mera" and "Kali nichta."

He asked me if I've been to Greece and I told him no, I've only visited Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels. My favorite was Brussels for the beer. When I said that he invited me to come in for a Stella, but I had to work so I couldn't come in. So I told him, "next time we'll have a Duvel!"

He laughed as he walked away and said, "Of course!"

The Ugly:

I hate to call anyone ugly but this girl was a dirty mess. She was not very attractive and was adamant that she wanted to take her clothes off in from of someone named Blaine. Then she began talking about how she wanted to fuck her teacher and go from teacher-student relationship to lover-lover relationship. I should have figured this much, people who live in Rogers Park are the worst passengers. Not because of this, but because 9 out of 10 do not tip. This dirty nasty girl tipped 15 cents. Then she left her phone in cab. I kindly grabbed it and answer as she called desperately.

She sounded off, "Where are you? Bring my phone back!"

"Well, I'm driving away from your destination, you'll have to pick up your phone at the taxi garage," I replied.

"No no no," she demanded, "you can't be that far and I don't have the money to go there! Just bring it back."

I explained, "look, you left me a 15 cent tip and you expect me to come back. The garage is near Chinatown, it will be there at 5:00 am."

The rest of the night I had to drive around with a remnant of this girl. I couldn't possibly bring it back after that tip. I've always brought phones back when the owner called because I know the hassle. This girl just hit my nerves. I wasn't going 20 blocks to return the phone. If she tipped even 2 dollars I would have but because of her lack of eloquence I couldn't. No one would.

It's strange to think of tips. People generalize that Blacks, Jews and Europeans don't tip. In tonight's case it was a pilgrim, a wasp, a drunken hipster.

Be kind to everyone if you want everyone to be kind to you and don't generalize and judge.

Today's Luck:

Cash flow: $30.00
Bank Account: $60.00
Expenses: $80.00; lease and gas.
Misc: $30.00
Revenue: $117.00; for 5 hours of work.
Profit: $37.00

How 'bout them Cowboys!

2007-09-24T05:30:00.000-05:00

I am a Bears fan but "how 'bout them Cowboys!" Texans in Chicago put me in a good mood with another spectacular night (especially for a Sunday). Lots of Cowboys out with their hats and belt buckles and they sure tip well. I'd say over 90% of the Cowboys' fans tipped +100%. Maybe more Texans are needed in Chicago, then again, money doesn't go as far here. So thats why they can splurge in the meantime. On the other hand, what a pitiful loss for the Bears. I watched the whole game, so I worked from 11:00 pm to 5:00 am.

Today's box score:

cash flow: $30.00
bills paid: $243.00 (a new evil category)
bank account: $53.00
expenses: $85.00; gas & lease
revenue: $205.00; thats almost $35.00/hr!
profit: $120.00; Bills hurt! Money comes hard and leaves easy.

Un homme et une femme

2007-09-23T04:10:00.000-05:00

Tonight was fantastic. It's already 4 am but I'm at home having a drink. The random people I met make me reconsider all the negative things I could have said yesterday. Then again, that could all have to do with my riches coming home tonight.

A man and a woman (no not the French movie) began fighting in the backseat. I witnessed it all through my rear view mirror. They actually made me stop and listen. So it goes, the woman wanted someone to fcuk, the guy did not want to fcuk her. Nice guy though, tips better than any L.A. Dodger. The girl was INFURIATED with the guy and had me drop her off at some random place to meet her ex. To make things better he tried to console her by prematurely proposing to her. If they both weren't married by 2011, they'd get married. She just screamed and the guy and I continued to his destination. He hopes to find himself a mail-order bride, he does not want ot marry her.

Too many football connections today. Some "New Mexicans," as in from New Mexico, old friends of one of the Bears (not to be mentioned), gave me a bottle of Grey Goose. Thats what I'm drinking right now. They gave me trouble though, wondering why I didn't want to pick up Mexicans. I told them, "I always pick up Mexicans, its the New Mexicans who worry me!" They laughed and out came the Goose.

Enough of the Goose. A friend of a local Eagle guaranteed me his friend will be in a Bears uniform next year. He knew him from Jim Brown's Alma Mater. Good news for me and good news for the New Mexican Cowboys fans. I got to tell him I saw his friend play high school basketball with an ol' Buc and and Heat Champion. I've actually seen many professional athletes play high school sports. Chicago was a rich talent pool outside the bubble, or Chicago's Manhattan.

An unmentionable woman also made me question my generalizations and judgments. She gave me two tips. A sneak peek before the fare and a nice tip afterwards. Overall the night went well, with superb stats, and quality time.

Today's Score:

cash flow: $30.00
bank account: $176.00
expenses: $230.00; gas and lease
revenue: $330.00; lucky tonight, my goal was a mere 2 bills.
profit: $100.00; PLUS another week of work! Lease payments hurt, only negative to the business.

I did give up early, but I get to spend time with the woman I love; and thats better than being rich!

Still struggling, the nights just seem to get shorter and shorter.

2007-09-22T05:22:00.000-05:00

There just isn't enough time to meet the goals out there, but I did work hard, I did do 26 fares and I did burn through $40 in gas and two packs of cigarettes.

Why is it that people from NYC (not the short-term residents, a.k.a, the long-time visitors who move for fun) are much cooler than people from Chicago. Chicago looks one-dimensional. Don't get me wrong, maybe it's that the streets east of Damen, south of Irving Park, west of MLK (sorry too many yuppies, yes, Indian yuppies), and north of 18th St are Chicago's Manhattan. Everyone is from where they are now and not from where they grew up.

A sociological question, will the influx of prosperous short-term residents or long-time visitors cause similar patters of urban decay and suburban flight when they start having families? Most of these people can't understand how someone grew up in Chicago and poor at that. Then again, Chicago will always have it's Manhattan.

Anyhow, here are today's stats:

cash flow: $30.00; finally back to normal, coming home with less than that is bad news.
bank account: $76.00; also positive, I hate those damn parenthesis.
expenses: $40.00; gas
misc: $40.00
revenue: $219.00
profit: $139.00; my goal was $200. Oh well, at least my everything else is back near normal.

UPDATE! Am I better off?

2007-09-21T13:17:00.000-05:00

cash flow: $18.00
bank account: ($44.00)
daily goal: $200.00

Hope all is well, after tonight I should be in the positive. Hopefully I can deposit $200.00 leaving me with a whopping $156.00 to live off of. Not bad for a nights work, but not good for a weeks work.

Starting a new format....the riches to rags story.

2007-09-21T12:45:00.000-05:00

cash flow: $11.00
bank account: ($14.00)
daily goal: $180.00
actual revenue: $180.00
Expenses: $180.00, lease and gas
Profit: $0.00

Times are going so well I'm going to have to cash in my coins today, what optimism. Henceforth, I may add about $8.o0 to my cash flow. My new projected cash flow is now $19.00, always a good start to the day. Now what can I eat?

Chicago Dusk til Dawn

2007-09-21T04:43:00.000-05:00

Everyday I wake up and watch the sunset to the west and sleep watching the sun rise to the east. In between I face pandemonium, stress, lies, and make my living driving people around Chicago.