Tag Archives: marin county

Marin County Thrill Ride

golden-gate-bridge-christian-lewis-web

During last call on Friday nights, I usually wait out the shit show in some dark recess of The City. A few weeks ago, though, trying to escape the sloshed fields of the Mission, I was driving past the Armory Club when a guy jumped in front of my cab.

“Will you take five of us?” he asks.

While it’s not exactly legal to transport more people than there are seatbelts, what are laws in San Francisco anymore but mere suggestions?

As three women and one dude pile into the backseat, laughing and grunting as they position themselves in a tight mass, the first guy holds the door open like he’s directing traffic, then jumps in the front seat.

“83 Elaine Ave.,” he says. “We’re going to my place. I have plenty of booze, so we can keep this party going. Right?”

Everyone cheers.

“Where?” I ask.

“Mill Valley,” he tells me.

“To the bridge!” the guy in back yells. “Take us to the bridge!”

Read the rest here.

[photo by Christian Lewis]

Random Views from a San Francisco Taxi

Scenes of San Francisco and the Bay Area from behind the wheel:

I-980 - at West Grand exit

I-980 – at West Grand exit

Townsend Street - Caltrain taxi stand

Townsend Street – Caltrain taxi stand

Baker-Barry Tunnel - into the blur

Baker-Barry Tunnel – into the blur

Market Street - Union Square

Market Street – Union Square

Hyde Street - Lyfted

Hyde Street – Lyfted

Stanyan and Oak - head on

Stanyan and Oak – head on

SoMa - start ups gone wild

SoMa – start ups gone wild

San Jose - with a few detours

San Jose – with a few detours

Hilton Union Square - hooker row

Hilton Union Square – hooker row

Turk Street - robot and man

Turk Street – robot and man

Market Street - bike lane violation

Market Street – bike lane violation

Valencia Street - in an afternoon haze

Valencia Street – in an afternoon haze

Clay Street - a one way street

Clay Street – a one way street

Showcase Square - outside the Great Northern

Showcase Square – outside the Great Northern

Bayview - The National taxi lot at dawn

Bayview – The National taxi lot at dawn

Good Fortune is Right Around the Corner

good-fortune-taxi-san-francisco-column

Now that I think of it, if I could do it over again, the last line of this week’s column for the S.F. Examiner would have read:

“Oh great,” she mumbles snidely as she reaches into her purse. “Lucky me.”

So as to emphasize her visible disdain at having ended up in a taxi.

In fact, the few minutes I interacted with her, when she was conscious, were more noteworthy than I realized last Wednesday afternoon, when I was putting the finishing touches on this column, already an hour and a half past my deadline.

What she actually told me after her address was, “I’ll do whatever you tell me, but I have to sleep now.” Which seemed implausible and surreal at the time. I wasn’t even sure if I heard her correctly.

When she paid me, she dropped her credit card and her wallet, spilling change onto the floorboard, which she never picked up, as well as her phone and her phone charger. I had to get her attention several times to not leave anything behind. Except the coins.

She tipped me 20% and I added the bridge toll. Plus a couple bucks in change -totaled out at a $75 ride. Her Uber probably would have cost a third of that.

I waited until she made it through a wooden gate with a “Beware of Dog” sign. Which seemed odd. Who has a dog you have to be wary of?

Marin County is weird.

Anyway, read the column here.

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