Silver lining

Well, at least if I do not get the job, I’ll be dealing with DC cabbies on a much less frequent basis. =)

I was late to meet my sister out at the Bethesda metro stop. I knew a cab would get me to the metro faster, and I could make it out there with reasonable speed, if he’d just take me directly to the red line.

So, I flag down the cab, and ask the driver to take me to “the nearest red line station west of here.” The guy’s accent isn’t very thick at all, so I’m surprised when he doesn’t seem to understand that request. He starts talking about farragut west & farragut north (that would be the redline station due south of where I was. Not what I wanted.) So, I say the zoo, which he declares is on the other side of town. Then dupont circle, which he says isn’t on the red line. This asshat doesn’t know jack or shit about metro.

At this point, I’m reduced to telling him intersection-by-intersection where to go, and how to turn. Once we finally get over to connecticut, just north of the hilton, I tell him to turn right. He immediately lays into me about not knowing where I’m going. I reply that I do know, and I tried to tell him, but he didn’t seem to understand. I don’t point out that I know local metro geography better than he does, but not local street geography. He gets louder and more pissed. The light has turned green. He’s sitting there yelling at me. We’re three blocks away from where I want to go. I ask him “Do you want to keep lecturing me, or do you want to collect your fare?”

To which he replies “get the fuck out of my cab.” I collect my stuff, walking across a (fortunately empty) lane to get to the sidewalk, and walk the rest of the way, swearing to myself the whole three blocks. It was a free cab ride, but not worth the grief.

My last experience was more of a non-experience, walking through an unpleasant neighborhood, and not being picked up by 3-5 passing empty cabs that I tried to flag down. That was back in January.