New York cab drivers #2

A while back I went on a rant about NYC cab drivers, this time I am going to declare my love for (one of) them. I tell you... there is never a boring moment during a cab ride in this city.

I really don't like getting cabs home from the airport. Say the word "Bushwick" and you hear an immediate sigh of frustration, and then the words "I don't know how to get there". Fine. I do. Take the BQE to Metropolitan, left on Union, left on Metropolitan, right on Bushwick and straight down. Straight-forward right? Anyway.. I digress...

On Friday afternoon I found myself sitting in a cab with the most lovely Turkish cab driver. We started talking about where we were born and how we ended up in the US, about green cards and the battles of getting one, about work and family and friends, until we started on the topic of relationships. My stance is that I will only get married for love, never just to speed up my green card application. As I was explaining this my cab driver started talking about what I should look for in a relationship and how in this city too many girls are sad and disappointed because not only were they looking for the right thing in the wrong guy, but also because they thought they had to sleep with every guy who seemed interested in them. Main point of his was that one should not sleep with anyone until one has learnt to get to know the other person.
I told him he was preaching to the choir - long gone are those days of drunken, meaningless (and meaningful...) hook-ups for me. I just feel too old, and too fragile nowadays for that. Anyway, I ended the conversation by telling him that I wished he would come hang out with me and my friends because he was so awesome.
Never underestimate the wisdom of a cab driver. This guy made my week by just being so nice, smart and interesting.

Now I want to visit Turkey.

Open letter to NYC cab drivers

Dear NY cab drivers,
I know your job sucks. Driving around all day and all night, picking up annoying, often drunk, people who leave lousy tips, having to drive people home to Brooklyn, knowing that you won't be able to get a fare back into the city. I feel for you, I really do.
If I am getting a cab home to Brooklyn it is because it's too late to take the subway safely by myself. I tip well. Therefore it would be very nice if you could restrain yourselves from:

1). Telling me that you have cancer and your wife just had a stroke and that it is my fault that you will be losing money tonight because you are taking me home to Brooklyn. (Especially after a Leonard Cohen show - thanks for bringing me down from my Leonard Cohen show with a fucking CRASH).

2). Complaining about lousy tips en route before we have got to my destination. It's not going to make me tip you more, quite the contrary.

3). Trying to make me get out of the cab when I have already got in. I am paying you for a service - I don't assume that you driving me home is for free.

4). Talking my ear off about your problems. I have enough of my own thank you very much. You are not my family or my friend.

However, if you are the lovely Russian driver from Odessa, or the awesome Indian driver who sings songs to me and gives me bangles - I adore you and wish there were more of you. Thank you for making my late night trips home a pleasure more than a nightmare.

There - I got that off my chest now I can move on to my next thoughts.