Who uses NYC taxis anyway?
The walk from West 19th Street in the Flatiron District to East 91st Street in Yorkville isn’t so bad on a 61-degree March afternoon in New York.
In fact, it took about the same amount of time to cover that distance by foot as it did to go the opposite direction in a taxi earlier in the afternoon. I learned the hard way.
I often hear people say real New Yorkers don’t take taxis. I can see why. But today I panicked. Leaving the house about an hour before a job interview I decided to treat myself to a car ride, a rare occasion for me since moving to the city. Twenty minutes and 10 blocks later I started to panic.
On a good day in New York the lunchtime rush hour is brutal. Complicate that with a drive down Fifth Avenue amid preparations for the St. Patrick’s Day parade and you have what I can only describe as a nightmare. It’s safe to say I’ll never take a taxi downtown during parade preparations on a day where it’s important I arrive somewhere on time ever again.
Deep breath. Hyperbole aside, it’s probably a good idea to plan around major events in New York City and give myself extra time in advance.
My interview started about five minutes behind schedule. I called the office ahead of time to leave a voicemail about my misfortune just as traffic started to dissipate below 42nd Street. Being one who learns best through experience, it’s only fitting that I wouldn’t account for traffic when the number of cars on the road rarely affects how I get from one place to the next. Otherwise I feel everything went well, despite a touch of embarrassment throwing me off guard at the start of this afternoon’s meeting. By the time I started my journey back up town I didn’t feel so bad. Once I got home, “The Taxi Debacle of March 2010″ was a distant, yet painful memory. I hope to soon find out how the business end of my afternoon went.
It was a beautiful afternoon in New York.
Filed under: blog, moving, nyc | Leave a Comment
Tags: cab, career, downtown, fifth ave, flatiron, interview, job, new york, nyc, parade, st. patrick's day, taxi, walking, weather, yorkville
