New York City. Two related lists:
Things
we experienced:
·
American Natural Museum of History
·
Central Park
·
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
·
Grand Central Station
·
Wicked on Broadway
·
The Top of the Rock
·
Wall Street
·
The Statue of Liberty
·
The 9/11 Memorial
·
A four story Forever 21
·
Greenwich Village
·
Coney Island
·
The Empire State Building
·
The best cheesecake of my life at Carnegie Deli
Things I have chosen to write about
right now:
·
Taxis
I have been blessed to do a good bit of traveling. In these
travels, I have concluded that my home town of Fishers, Indiana has to be among
the safest places to drive in the world. This is very, very good. Were it not,
I likely never would have learned to drive at all. New York City is definitely
up there right along with some the more terrifying countries by way of driving.
Our first night of NYC, we saw Wicked on Broadway. With how
much I absolutely loved it, I am thinking I am probably safe to highlight “Do
something undeniably MAINSTREAM” off my bucket list. Afterwards, we hailed a
taxi to get back to the RV park. Yes, friends, if you haven’t heard, it does
appear that we RVed to New York City. The irony is beautiful.
Anyways, you are getting me sidetracked. I had the second
most terrifying taxi experience of my life.
The MOST terrifying taxi experience occurred the summer of
2007, when I was 14 years of age. I don’t remember everything about that, but
allow me to recount what I do: address of people we don’t know, Indonesia, back
roads, Asian driving, dark, language barrier. Luckily, I felt totally safe with
my Dad who speaks Indonesian and would protect me with his life.
Taxis in New York are almost on that level. On the way back
from Wicked, we took a taxi. Here were our options: spend over an hour taking
the subway back or risk our lives. Obviously we chose to risk our lives. I have
put it on my Bucket List (my actual life-long bucket list) to never, ever drive
in New York City. Ever. Not even once. Not even for a moment. Not even in a
dream. Never. People don’t even use turn signals and I believe in turn signals
like I believe in good grammar.
Important detail: I have been in dire need of a restroom
since half time of the show. (Sorry, “half time” makes it sound more dramatic
to me, like it could go either way, which was the situation.) Now, this driver
is swerving to hit every single bump, trying with all of his might to jiggle
the urine out of me. These actions went unappreciated by me.
Between the absence of signaling turns, the jiggling of the
bladder, and the lack of apparent lane barriers/changing etiquette, the ride
was just ridiculous to me.
Fast forward to the next day. Caitlin and I checked out the
giant H&M. We bought nothing. You know how men get their figurative “man
cards” get figuratively taken away when they do things in direct contradiction
to manliness? Well, not buying anything at that H&M was almost worthy of
revoking our figurative woman cards.
We walk across the street and sit down at a park. As we try
to determine what to do next, a great commotion erupted about 15 feet from us. We
looked up and saw a taxi BACKING UP across the street PERPENDICULAR to the flow
of traffic with a man dragging his legs out of the passenger side. This was
more than a case of crazy New York City driving.
The taxi continues into reverse, hitting a trash can and
backing into the stairs right in front of us. The man stands up and starts
walking. Police arrive promptly on the scene. The man, who was apparently not a
passenger at all, but rather the DRIVER sitting deceivingly on the opposite
side of the car, got in the car and drove away. When we left, we saw him pulled
over about a block away.
Morals of that story:
1.
God spared us from seeing a potentially scarring
event.
2.
Don’t be a drunk driver-turned-passenger.
3.
I am surprised, pleasantly, that not everyone in
New York City is dead due to the people who drive there.
No comments:
Post a Comment