Cabbies of NYC, I Take It All Back

I went through a phase last year where I started complaining a lot about the cab drivers of NYC. I thought they were pretty rude. I didn't have all that much tolerance since as a public servant I didn't have the glitziest job with lots of perks myself. I didn't really expect to get all sorts of attitude from a cab driver who would surely expect a tip at the end of our trip. After all, I was not on the bus. It's part of the job to at least pretend you don't hate me.

Well, I take it all back. The cab driver who told me I was a "bullshit lady"? I'm sure he was just having a rough night. The car service guy who tried to make out with me at the end of my block? Who can blame him? He was right in assuming that a woman taking a cab home at that late hour was not in fact spoken. Was he so in the wrong for taking a shot? All the others who huffed and puffed and rolled their eyes at me? I get it. People can be really annoying and it's a long shift filled with drunken hipsters and oh so clever art students in the Burg.

No matter how rude the cab drivers could be on occasion, guess what? They were there to drive you. All I had to do was walk to the end of my block and a car would appear and ask me where I wanted to go. Lower East Side? Midtown? East Village? Greenpoint? No problem. It was all so easy. All of those grumpy drivers let me leave my house anytime I wanted and go anywhere I wanted. I am sorry I ever thought of complaining just because maybe you weren't always thrilled to see me.

I just spent an hour and a half trying to get a cab here in Samarinda. It took me, 2 security guards from my complex, The Rough Guide to Bahasa Indonesian, and the numbers of FIVE cab companies. We, or more accurately, they had to call all five cab companies before we could find one cab who would agree to come pick me up. The whole thing made me miss all the disgruntled cabbies of NYC. At least I was never stranded. It made being called a bullshit lady and being in a situation that seemed just a little bit rapey feel like a small price to pay to not be stuck at home.