A blog -vlog that's published by a septagenarian New York City taxi driver covering almost anything of interest, with a leaning towards slices of life and cultural-political rants.
crooked cops, drunken millionaires, limo hustlers, New York City, no standing zone, police brass, prostitutes, Saphire Gentlemen's Club, strippers, taxis, the Edward I Koch Bridge, FBI criminal investigation
On Sixtieth street, between First and Second Avenues, right off the Manhattan off ramp of the Queensboro /59th Street/Edward I Koch Bridge (one bridge, three names) stands New York City 's priciest strip club, Sahire. All along the adjacent curb is a "No Standing Any Time" zone, meaning motorists in their vehicles are not supposed to linger. In the early morning hours, right by the off ramp an occupied cop car would sit, it's occupants apparently charged with watching the illegally parked limousines, or to perhaps back up the "ownership " by Sapphire, its management and bouncers of that curb and sidewalk. Yellow taxis, those with the supposed monopoly on curbside cab hails, regularly waived off by the bouncers. The limos had first dibs on the fares coming out of the stripclub- rich, drunk, sometimes coked-up young men who really don't care if a ride costs $13.50 or $75.00. Pre arrangements for free limo pick up at home is offered to the confirmed big spenders. The limos, of course, are not legally standing or more often parked with the limo hustlers accosting the people as they leave the strip club, looking for suckers and picking them up. I would scoot past on an early morning empty return to Manhattan, where most of our customers are. Once in a while a savvy strip club customer, or a stripper going home would push past the limo hustlers on the sidewalk, emerge from between two illegally parked limousines and hail me even while the bouncer would be waiving me away. I'd imagine kickbacks to the bouncers, the club bosses, and the cops for license to bilk drunken millionaires. So this past early Saturday morning I was shocked to see the bouncer waiving me to the curb, not a limousine in sight. Only two things could have caused this:
1- A limo hustler insulted the honor of a cop and group punishment was in effect
-or-
Big shot police brass sold themselves for money, prostitutes and free trips.
2- The ongoing FBI investigation, with the arrests and early retirements of numerous high ranking NYPD cops had even penetrated down
to the low level of payoffs from limo hustlers.
-Who knows?-
Rude people, mental judo, The Apollo Theater, aging, injections, fear, Far Rockaway, Polo Grounds projects, Far Rockaway, Cornell Weil Medical Center, taxi, New York City, money
My first fare last Tuesday was a real winner. An older white man, a younger Hispanic man and a gray shaggy mutt. The human passengers struck me as being gay. I was going down Second Avenue at around 103rd Street when I picked them up. The older white guy told me they were going to 92nd and Broadway. Simple enough, go to 97th Street, hang a right and go all the way across the 96th Street traverse through Central Park to the West Side.
The older guy starts yelling "where the fuck are you going? Go up Park Avenue. " I said "sir, why would I want to go up Park Avenue? " Here I'm guessing that the guy wants me to go up to 110th Street on Park and go West from there. Not too sensible, but it's his ride. Going up Park at 104th or 105th or so he yells "Where are you going, Jackass." I stop the car and stop the meter. "Don't you pull that crap on me, I'll make a call and the TLC will have your license so fast your head will be spinning." I tell him I'd like to offer him the opportunity to leave my taxi at no charge, but he wasn't having it. He wants a U turn on Park (it is legal there) and a ride down to 97 th a right turn, cross the transverse, he wants to know how long I've been driving a taxi "Can't be too long, Jackass you don't even know how to cross town." for good measure. I tell him "Sir, you're right I am a jackass." The traffic glaciates. No motion for minutes at a time.about ten minutes later we reach 102nd Street. I could have said nothing and proceeded. It might have taken another 15 - 20 minutes to reach the next possible turn - 97th Street to the transverse but I tell him I want to hang a right on 102 over to Fifth Avenue. "You think that'll be better?" He wants to know. I tell him it won't be worse. One-two-three we're on the West side where we could have been fifteen minutes sooner. He doesn't apologize but wishes me a good night and tips me five dollars. I said something like "uh huh."
Far Rockaway is one place I'm afraid to be in, and I grew up in Queensbridge.
I like to pick up passengers at the Well Cornell Medical Center. It has this circular driveway, I sit and wait my turn and get a passenger. They used to let us use the restrooms in the ER but they stopped that one uncomfortable night. I will at one time write about what I've noticed is their practice of releasing patients unaccompanied who need to have a friend or family with them for safety's sake, but I digress. I got this young lady passenger all the way to Far Rockaway, one place I'm afraid to be in. The fare was $60.00 when we.pulled up to the door. She tells me she has to go inside to get the money. I let the meter keep running when to my relief, miracle of miracles, her boyfriend comes out and gives me $60. I took it with gratitude and glee.
In the morning I went to get these protein injections into my knees for my arthritis then I made the video of this report in front of the Apollo 5, until an employee shoo'd me away. And that in brief is the second King Gino Report.
