Sep 19 2009
Tourists are used to ignoring another icon besides Statue of Liberty in this city, the New York Taxi. Though it’s never considered as one of must-do things on the travel plan, everyone can talk like gossip girls whenever experiences of New York Taxi is spoken of. So it deserves a couple of pages in the journey.
I hardly take a cab in New York, since I am always so broke. But in the small number of my experience, no one is ordinary for me.
First, 2am in Queens, came home from a party, drunk.
I hopped in a black guy’s taxi, giving him the address of my home. He said to me ”I don’t know nothing about the area!” in case of misunderstanding, I confirmed” um… do you mean you don’t know how to get there?”. Even though he claimed he knew nothing about where my home is again, it did not bother him to start the taxi meter and drive on the road. He asked me to tell him the direction; that really irritated me and awoke me from the drunken condition. I said it firmly “I think a taxi driver is supposed to know how to get there.” Then he replied me” Yes, I’m a taxi driver, but YOU LIVE THERE! so you are supposed to tell me how to get there.” It was nothing but ridiculous, I couldn’t see an end of this stupid conversation, but clearly heard the taxi meter was doing its job to the best. Anyway, I tried to direct the taxi and soon led all of us to get lost in this Queens’ road maze. I thought it’s enough and got off at a strange crossroad, totally didn’t know where I was. Though it’s still in Queens, I felt like far away from my home.
I stood on the street and thought it might be just one of a few hopeless cases of New York Taxi. Another taxi pulled over after my high-raised hand, a woman was in the back seat and also not so conscious. Due to the lack of vacant taxi in the early morning, I decided to ask for taking the one after she left. The driver drove her home nearby minutes later, where I found it was back on the same street as the party I went to was. After that, the taxi driver started bargaining with me. He said “$30 take you home!”, because I was pretty sure there is only a short way to my home, it wouldn’t cost more than $10, I said ”Can I pay by the taxi meter?”, he insisted on charging me $30 and talked in a bad temper. I was pissed off again “Listen! either you start the machine, or let me get off!”. He didn’t give in, instead, he speeded up and shouted to me with the accent I can’t tell where it is from “I’m heading to Manhattan, it’s up to you to take the offer!”. So… now what, is it a kidnapping? “$30 yours!” I said.
It’s hard to believe this kind of thing happened to me twice in a day. But on the other hand, I quite enjoyed that mess. It is exactly what I want to experience right in this phase of my life, to practice how to deal with difficult people and unusual situations.
Second, one afternoon in Jackson Height where people called Indian Town informally, May and I had to catch the flight at JFK.
At the day May was leaving, we hailed a cab in Jackson Height. May used to be my personal English tutor in Taiwan, she improved my performance in my job, and I did always rely on her on any English question and occasion. In the week she visited me in New York, I always let her take care of every conversation when we hung out, and she made everything easy. After we hopped in the cab, telling the driver our destination, something happened. When the Indian driver explained to us, for the first time, May had trouble to understand English because of the Indian accent. It wasn’t May’s problem at all, the accent just too strong to be understood. Then it was also the first time I could take care of the conversation, because somehow I could understand. May was totally surprised by the situation, honestly, so was I. I felt embarrassed afterward and wondered about instead of formal English, what I actually learned in New York. However, it became a joke to describing my English achievement so far for my friends. And it is both funny and ironic.
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