Cab #4364

Date Taken: 2/17/07
From: Streeterville
To: Wicker Park

The Cab: A red Royal 3CC Cab Co. sedan that was classically squeaky and rough-hewn. A puddle had formed in the rear left floor space. I guess the cabbie hasn't learned the newspaper-as-mat trick.

The Driver: A cool-looking dude in shades, but a bit of a puzzle. What's he doing listening to whatever pop rock station was playing that lame Liz Phair-as-Avril-Lavigne song? Why can't I breathe when I hear that song? Because it sucks so bad?

The Driving: Classic nausea-inducing of the How Fast Can I Catch Up To The Car Just a Few Feet Ahead Of Me Before I Have To Slam On The Breaks And Swear Under My Breath variety. Two egregious uses of the horn - one to blast a driver in front of him correctly waiting for pedestrians to cross before turning left, and the other to blast drivers for not proceeding through a green light because the intersection was already jammed up. "Traffic," Mr. Cool sighed just as I wondered if it was getting hot in there or if it was just me and my car sickness.

Overall rating: 1 extended arm. He didn't put me in danger, which is usually what's required to only merit one extended arm, but this is exactly the kind of cab ride I hate. At least danger is exciting.

- Steve Rhodes

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