Archive for 2010
Thawing Thursday linkage
Lovecraftia-
Well, it seems that the Deep Ones have been spotted in Antarctica by the Japanese. They dare much, these Deep Ones, for the city of the Old Ones– infested with Shoggoths– still awaits rediscovery atop the Earth’s forbidden peaks at the austral pole. Has to be, because Lovecraft was actually right about a lot of things- although his racial politics were distasteful even by the standard of his times.
- photo from Pinktentacle.com
The Ningen, ladies and lords, and the glory that is pinktentacle.com.
The Occult-
Check out the story of an Orthodox Jewish exorcism, which is part of an ongoing Dibuk Possession at failedmessiah.com
Politics-
Check out Geoff Dyer’s comparisons of the British and American mindset at nytimes.com
Discredited, but worth a look-
Miss Murray’s Witch Cult in Western Europe
Tragedy in Haiti
Looks like a 100,000 may have died in the Earthquake on Tuesday. 48 tons of emergency supplies and 2,000 Marines are onboard speedy ships coming to help dig out, set up field hospitals, and facilitate law and order. An air craft carrier and multiple support vessels are enroute as well. The Coast Guard just arrived to set up communications and air traffic control. It is time to live up to our national mythology, and damn the cost of it. Count on the national government to find a way to focus the charitable urges of the nation- a flood of donations and canned food drives- with shipping arranged by some friendly corporation. The Mexicans are a rather large presence in the region as well, and don’t be surprised if even Cuba shows up to help.
And- America must resist the urge to “fix” Haiti during reconstruction in any way except to leave behind a staggering amount of useful stuff. Our national will has tried to “fix” Haiti several times before and it hasn’t worked out very well for anyone concerned. Haitians are clever, just broke. They can do a lot more with a cord of lumber and a set of tools than they can with a paper grocery bag full of cash, and there’s enough unsold raw material sitting around in American warehouses and factory docks to build a stairway to the moon out of PVC pipes and drywall.
This is the head of the snake, of course, and a vast conveyor belt of aid is being loaded up all over the East Coast. America is coming, and this is when we are at our national best- when our friends are in trouble. The Eagles are coming.
note: Growing up in Brooklyn, I knew A LOT of Haitian families, and my heart goes out for the people of Port Au Prince. There are so many Haitians in Brooklyn, by the way, that this may as well have happened to New York. God speed, good luck, hold on for a couple of days and stay warm- the Cavalry is just on the other side of the hill… hopefully.
For Google’s listing of organizations working on Haiti relief efforts, click here.
Tales of Calvary 9- A Pale Enthusiast
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Amateurish and lazy explorations of Calvary Cemetery and the Greater Newtown Pentacle, with associated blog postings foisted upon an unsuspecting public and amplified by a never ending barrage of self promoting debasements of all that is true, have revealed many strange things to your humble narrator, and by extension- to you my gentle lords and ladies of Newtown. Today, the Doherty monument in First Calvary gets its turn. There is nothing “odd” about the monument, in fact the reason I call attention to the thing is the supernal beauty of its working. This is one uncanny bit of carving, and unfortunately these photos do not do it justice (still adjusting to the new camera).
Art school faculty, turtlenecked and smoking french cigarettes, would probably describe it as “Sophia, goddess of wisdom- in the form of a christian angel, sitting within a Roman structure, crowned by a cross- representing an agglutination of civilized democratic-christian progress advancing since the time of the Greeks and the Roman Republic and ultimately manifested as The United States. The angel casts her eye skyward, vigilant, with a sword in her hand. A pacific and expectant expression suggests the nearness of the second coming and resurrection of the dead.”
Such imperious and hyperbolic thinking was very much in vogue in the years between 1900 and the first World War.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Eugene Doherty and his wife Mary J. Doherty are buried here. Their headstones have bas reliefs of palm fronds draped across them. The little flags are planted at the graves of military veterans in New York Cemeteries on national holidays to honor their service. I found no evidence of Doherty serving in the military, but that probably just means I didn’t know where to look.
After all- I’m just some ‘effed up lunatic who spends his spare time scuttling around trash dumps, toxic waste sites, and cemeteries who gets his kicks bad mouthing the past- Right?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Mr. Doherty, it seems, was a man of some reknown. He was a leading member of the Irish community on both sides of the Newtown Creek, and stood shoulder to shoulder in prestige alongside Battle-Ax Gleason in the eyes of his countrymen.
A manufacturer of rubber, Doherty specialized in the sort of material demanded by “turn of the 20th century” Dentists for the manufacture of dentures. His heavily advertised (see sample at bottom) Samson Rubber was a standard component for the manufacture of false teeth. The factory, incorporated as Eugene Doherty Rubber Works, Inc., was located at 110 and 112 Kent Avenue which is in Greenpoint (or Williamsburg, depending on whether or not you’re trying to hard sell a building).
rubber, from wikipedia
The major commercial source of natural rubber latex is the Para rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), a member of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. This is largely because it responds to wounding by producing more latex.
Other plants containing latex include Gutta-Percha (Palaquium gutta),[1] rubber fig (Ficus elastica), Panama rubber tree (Castilla elastica), spurges (Euphorbia spp.), lettuce, common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), Russian dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz), Scorzonera (tau-saghyz), and Guayule (Parthenium argentatum). Although these have not been major sources of rubber, Germany attempted to use some of these during World War II when it was cut off from rubber supplies. These attempts were later supplanted by the development of synthetic rubbers. To distinguish the tree-obtained version of natural rubber from the synthetic version, the term gum rubber is sometimes used.
A neat image of the the Doherty Rubber Works building late in its heyday (1920) can be found at trainweb.org, if you can believe anything I say, and they have a great description of the whole scene in context here. I warn you though, you’re going to learn about the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal!
Also, in a completely unrelated coincidence, NAG is located at 110 Kent in modernity. Here’s the place on a google map, click “streetview” to compare to the 1920 shot above
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Eugene Doherty died in 1906, his wife Mary in 1914. Luckily for Mary, the denture business was a lucrative one, and her years of mourning were spent in material comfort. At her death, she bequeathed the staggering sum of $621,148 to her heirs.
$621,148 in 1914, mind you, and federal income tax had just become a reality in 1913. That’s at least $10,000,000 in modern coine.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Life sized, if you’re a 5 foot tall woman, the statue itself is disarming and has weathered existence in the corrosive atmospheric miasmas extant about the nearby Newtown Creek for 94 years, only losing a thumb. The colour, oddly, doesn’t stain sanctified Calvary. Xanthian skill representative of true artistry went into the shaping of this stone, but I haven’t been able to find the name of the sculptor in public record.
If you see it, stand close and look into its eyes, then leave when the chills begin. Whatever you do, don’t look back over your shoulder at it afterwards, lest an adjusted hand hold on the sword, or the impression that the angle of its head has shifted might be seen. Remain an observer- in Calvary- ever the pale enthusiast- ever an Outsider.
Hey, you never know what you’re going to find at Calvary Cemetery.
Also, just as a note- today, January 13th, is Clark Ashton Smith’s birthday, and St. Knut’s Day as well.
Eugene Doherty Rubber Inc. - Late 19th/Early 20th century Advertising
The Newtown Creek Community Health Harm Narratives Project
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Andrea Muraskin of the CHHNP asked if I could post this and help get the word out about this project, all text by CHHNP-
Attention Residents of Greenpoint, East Williamsburg, and Maspeth:
Are you worried about health problems caused by the pollution in your neighborhood?
Would you like the opportunity to tell your story?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
If yes, then you may want to be interviewed for a community health project that aims to document the public health concerns of individuals residing in communities along Newtown Creek in NYC. If you live, or have ever lived in Greenpoint or East Williamsburg, Brooklyn or Maspeth, Queens, you are invited to participate in the Newtown Creek Community Health and Harm Narrative Project, as study which hopes to capture residents’ experience with illness and environmental pollution in their neighborhoods.
Participation will provide you with an opportunity to have your story documented in your own words. With your permission, the information you disclose will be displayed in written and audio format on the website http://www.habitatmap.org and in a written report that will be disseminated to community members, media outlets, elected officials, and other interested parties.
Community involvement is important. Make your voice heard!
If you have any questions or are interested in participating, please contact Yvonne Kodl at:newtowncreekstudy@gmail.com or
(718) 566-1359.
Please note: The study is in the concluding portion of its interview phase. If you are interested, please contact us as soon as possible.
The Newtown Creek Community Health and Harm Narrative Project is a collaboration between the Urban Public Health Department of Hunter College, HabitatMap, and the Newtown Creek Alliance.
Media Links
Television: Brooklyn Community Access Television ,
Radio: Leonard Lopate on WNYC
Newspaper: NY Daily News http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/06/22/2009-06-22_newtown.html
Blog:http://www.nylcv.org/ecopoliticsdaily/20091112_newtown_creeks_neighbors_speak_out_on_health_concerns
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Tales of Calvary 8- the Abbot
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While wandering through Calvary Cemetery recently, I came upon a curious monument whose sculptural elements included a life sized portrait, and whose dedication was meant to honor a man named Florence Scannell. The stone additionally bore a curious screed- “The Abbot”. “Dedicated to the memory of Florence Scannell by his brother John J.” is displayed prominently on its face. This stirred a sleeping memory, and I tried to remember why the name Scannell is so important. I said it out loud- John J. Scannell?
Wait a minute… John J. Scannell was the first chief of the NYFD, grand sachem of Tammany Hall, and a notorious turn of the century raconteur who became “king of the hill” in the often violent political world of 19th century New York City politics.
Bare knuckled, the electoral system back then resembled modern gang wars. Bearded men were paid to vote, taken to a barber shop for a shave and a shot of whiskey, and then paid to vote again. Paid armies of volunteers rousted saloons and bars that supported their political enemies. With political bosses paying the tab, taverns became organizing points for local “get out the vote” efforts. The poor didn’t care, for a day they could drink enough to forget and even eat a real meal- with meat, and all they had to do was vote the way they were told. The bosses were the bosses, and your place in “the line” could be revoked at any time if you fell out of favor with them. There was no “safety net”, so you had to just “go along”. Sometimes the other party would send gangs of street toughs into their opponents establishments- “bar busting”.
For more on the milieu of political life for the working class of the 19th century, I would suggest a gander at “The Jungle” Upton Sinclair’s “progressive” propaganda piece, or taking a peek at Jacob Riis’s “How the Other Half Lives“.
The Scannell brothers are described as having been engaged in such “bar busting” activities in 1869, when brother Florence ran for Alderman from the 18th ward against a Tammany candidate. At 23rd st. and second avenue, on Dec. 3rd, a Tammany man named Thomas Donaghue ran afoul of the Scannells, who were employed to “clean out” and “bust” the saloon he owned and operated.
from pbs.org
The year 1898 ushered in a new era of firefighting. On midnight of January 1, 1898, Greater New York was formed by uniting the five boroughs, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. The Board of Fire Commissioners was replaced by a single Commissioner, John J. Scannell, who had been head of the Board since 1894 and was appointed by Mayor R.A. Van Wyck. All of the area’s volunteer departments were to be replaced by the FDNY, and Chief Hugh Bonner assumed control of three paid departments: New York, Brooklyn, and Long Island; 121 engines, 46 trucks, one horse wagon, and a water tower; in all, 309 square miles of firefighting territory.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Scannells and a dozen of their men produced weapons and engaged in a fierce battle with Donaghue’s own crew of toughs. Gunfire erupted and Florence Scannel was shot in the back, the bullet embedding itself in his spinal column. Rushed to the nearby Bellevue Hospital, Florence suffered a lingering death, finally passing on July 10, 1870, with his brother John at his side. John J. Scannell swore an oath to avenge his brother, and kill the man who shot him in the back– the Tammany man, Thomas Donaghue.
Donaghue’s handlers fixed things up with the courts, and he returned to his familiar Saloon on 23rd st. and second avenue.
On Sept. 19th, at the corner of 17th and third, an odd looking man wearing a slouched hat and fake beard stepped out of the shadows and blasted a hole in Donaghue’s chest with a derringer pistol. Donaghue ultimately survived this attempt on his life, and Scannell discarded his disguise as he escaped his pursuers fleeing through Irving Place and Union Square. John J. later surrendered to a Police Sgt. after taking refuge on Long Island, and was indicted by a Grand Jury for the crime, but was never charged and released on $10,000 bail.
That’s $10,000 in 1870…
In November of 1872, Donaghue was attending an auction at the Apollo Theatre on 28th street, and a man wearing a cloak and slouch hat approached him. A large caliber pistol was produced and the middle of Donaghue’s face disappeared. Four more shots, three in the face, were pumped into the now prostrate Donaghue. The killer fled and was apprehended by a Police Captain named McElwain, who immediately identified the assassin as John J. Scannell. Such quick identification of Scannell was possible only because the arresting officer had been the one who arrested him for the the earlier attempt on Donaghue, when he was a Sgt.
The event was seminal, for as John J. Scannell sat in a gaol called “The Tombs”, another sat beside him. That night, John J. Scannell met Richard Croker. Someday, they would become “The Big Two” at Tammany Hall and rule over New York City.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
John J. Scannell was born on the lower East Side of Manhattan and found early work as a horse dealer- moving on to Saloon Keeper and then Professional Gambler. Charged with the murder of Donaghue, he pled insanity, and after a 3 month stint in an asylum in Utica, returned to local politics. He owned horses and raced them on the national circuit, as did Richard Croker. Rising in Tammany with his partner Croker, Scannell ran the 25th electoral district in Manhattan for many years, and desired the post of NYFD commissioner in that newly unified pile of gold called “the City of Greater New York”. Protests were recorded citywide, but Mayor Van Wyck appointed him chief of the newly unified citywide firefighting brigades. He served in that capacity until 1901, and fought corruption charges associated with his appointment until 1906 in court. At 67, in 1907, Scannell was sued for $15,000 for kissing the daughter of his housekeeper 3 times without consent.
Scannell died at 78 in Jamaica, Queens- far from his retirement estate in Freeport, L.I.
The Abbot, as it turns out, is a Horse.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Scannell paid the scandalous amount of $26,500 at a Madison Square auction, the highest ever paid for a single Horse to that time, to purchase the Abbott.
That’s $26,500 in 1900…
The obituary for the Horse is actually longer than the one for the owner. The fact that Scannell engraved a Horse’s name on the monument to his dead brother, and his own eventual grave marker, shows the esteem felt by Scannell himself for the animal. Oddly enough, and this is a rare thing for Calvary Cemetery, The NYTimes once did an article on the raising of this monument which happened in 1914.
Hey, you never know what you’re going to find at Calvary Cemetery.
Taxi town
– photo by Mitch Waxman
When the intrepid shutterbug wanders around the back streets and hidden lanes of Long Island City (in particular) and North Western Queens (in general), the sheer number of Taxis observed is astounding. In the post WW2 period many, many Taxi garages and dispatchers relocated their fleet garages (mainly from the west side of Manhattan, whose rising real estate valuations priced such large footprint business out of the borough) in the area due to its proximity to Manhattan and the easy (free) egress offered to the business districts of the shining City by the Queensboro Bridge. Also, the land was cheap, by New York standards.
note:
The inexpensive nature of the land in Long Island City during the last half of the 20th century presents an inexplicable paradox given the paradise that LIC – south of the bridge- is reported to have been during the 1970’s and 80’s by comment threads at LIQCity.
I just can’t let this one go, by the way. A general excoriation of this blog and me personally has been detailed in the comment thread there by a few dedicated trolls who have focused on half a sentence in a 1,000 word post that was part of a 3,000 word sum up editorial at the end of the year.
When confronted to back up a statement, I supplied primary source material and was then told “don’t believe what you read”. So far, they’ve made intonations and accusations about my sexual preferences, called me amateur, lazy, gullible, self promoting, on drugs, like a spoiled 2 year old, an untalented liar, having written a “disgraceful and distasteful article complete with racist undertones”, making false claims about having lived in NYC all my life, and one anonymous poster has suggested “Think about it. A few years ago it was an Italian neighborhood. It’s okay to use that locution, right? Well, not for nothin’, but only idiots would try to get away with anything around here”. To my ears, that is the epitome of racist undertone- suggesting that stereotypical organized crime elements kept LIC safe and are exactly the sort of thing that they are all so upset about. I respond here, as comments at Newtown Pentacle are moderated and require you to sign your name, and I don’t participate in acrimonious flame wars.
Notice that at no point do they supply anything besides anonymous anecdotes in argument. The difference between these “anon” posters and myself is that I sign my name to things that I write, and can back up what I say. I fully expect to be connected to global terror and accused of being a sexual predator before the weekend is over. Also, the notion that I would use the tragic death of a car service driver to “promote myself” is anathema and personally offensive. I take my battles outside, to the street, where it counts. Coward.
from nyc.gov
What is the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission?
The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), created in 1971, is the agency responsible for licensing and regulating New York City’s medallion (yellow) taxicabs, for-hire vehicles (community-based liveries and black cars), commuter vans, paratransit vehicles (ambulettes) and certain luxury limousines. The Commission’s Board consists of nine members, eight of whom are unsalaried Commissioners. The salaried Chair/Commissioner presides over regularly scheduled public Commission meetings, and is the head of the agency, which maintains a staff of approximately 400 TLC employees assigned to various divisions and bureaus. The Hon. Matthew W. Daus was named as Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani’s designee to the Chair of the TLC in June 2001 and was unanimously confirmed by the New York City Council on August 22, 2001. He was then reappointed by Mayor Bloomberg in July 2003 and was again unanimously confirmed by the New York City Council on July 23, 2003.
The TLC licenses and regulates over 50,000 vehicles and approximately 100,000 drivers, performs safety and emissions inspections of the more than 13,000 medallion taxicabs three times each year, and holds numerous hearings for violations of City and TLC rules and regulations, making it the most active taxi and limousine licensing regulatory agency in the United States.To find out more about the TLC, or to review the agency’s procedures, rules and regulations and programs, you may review the constantly updated information available throughout this web site, or you may call the TLC’s Customer Service Hotline at 311.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Omnipresent, the New York City Yellow cab is available for hire and will take you just about anywhere. A point is made, by your humble narrator, to converse with Cab drivers. Often, the conversation will involve their native country – which is what I’m really interested in- or their “immigrant story”. Eye opening, some of the stories I’ve been told about life in the far and middle east have changed my perceptions and corrected certain misconceptions acquired through ignorance and cultural prejudices. Ultimately, the one thing all cab drivers seem to have in common is a shared hatred of the Van Wyck.
from nyc.gov
The Following Vehicles are Currently in Use as New York City Taxicabs
- 2009-Ford Crown Victoria Stretch
- 2009-Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid
- 2009-Saturn Aura Hybrid
- 2009-Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid
- 2009-Volkswagen Jetta Clean Diesel Sedan
- 2009-Lexus RX400h
- 2009-Toyota Camry Hybrid
- 2009-Toyota Prius-48 mpg city
- 2009-Toyota Highlander Hybrid (4WD)
- 2009-Saturn Vue Greenline
- 2009-Nissan Altima Hybrid
- 2009-Ford Escape Hybrid (2WD)
- 2009-Mercury Mariner Hybrid (AWD)
- 2010-Ford Crown Victoria Stretch
- 2010-Volkswagen Jetta Clean Diesel Sedan
- 2010-Lexus RX450h
- 2010-Lexus HS250h
- 2010-Toyota Camry Hybrid
- 2010-Toyota Prius-48 mpg city
- 2010-Toyota Highlander Hybrid
- 2010-Nissan Altima Hybrid
- 2010-Ford Escape Hybrid (2WD)
- 2010-Ford Fusion Hybrid
- 2010-Mercury Milan Hybrid
- 2010-Mercury Mariner Hybrid (AWD)
The following are the approved for use as Wheelchair Accessible Taxicabs:
- 2007-Eclipse Mobility Dodge Caravan
- 2007-Eldorado National Mobility Chevrolet Uplander
- 2007-2008 Autovan Toyota Sienna
- 2007-2008 Freedom Motors Toyota Sienna Kneelvan
- 2008-2009 Freedom Motors Toyota Sienna Kneelvan
Additional vehicle models come on the market from time to time that may comply with TLC rules. Any questions about a vehicle model not listed above, or about any vehicle retirement issue, should be referred to TLC hack site at (718) 267-4501.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Because of the presence of the fleet garages, one will observe hundreds of smashed and destroyed vehicles which have been towed home for repair. Self employed on the whole, the shift drivers of New York’s Taxi fleets must maintain and pay for their own health insurance. When they are sick or injured and can’t work, they don’t get paid. I’ve often wondered why the city doesn’t offer a buy-in to the generous and inexpensive (due to the size of “the plan”) health insurance plan enjoyed by other employees of the City, to help these defacto city workers afford coverage. During the transit strike a few years ago, the municipality depended heavily on these folks, it would only be fair to thank them somehow. Taxi drivers, however, are a maligned and oft abused group.
from yellowcabnyc.com
For the city’s cabbies, the quest for a bathroom is no potty joke.
Finding bladder relief is a daily dilemma for the city’s 44,000 cabbies, who typically work 12 hour shifts and cruise miles away from their garages. And the hunt for a toilet is getting harder as new bike lanes and MUNI meters make it harder to jump out without getting ticketed.
– photo by Mitch Waxman (note: this was a film shoot in progress, down in LIC)
Cab drivers are victimized by anybody who feels like it. During the last quarter of the 20th century, it became an increasingly dangerous job. Casual racism and derogatory comments are suffered by drivers, as well as robbery and theft of services. Drivers often say that the reason they don’t want to go to some outlying area of the city is fear of the passenger exiting the vehicle with the meter still running. Also, as a cab at the middle and end of its shift is carrying a decent amount of cash, they are prime targets for robbery. The city also preys upon the yellow cabs, with NYPD ticket blitz tactics and an ever shifting mosaic of rules and regulations.
from nyc.gov
Are drivers required to know how to get to any destination in New York City?
Drivers are required to know the streets of Manhattan as well as major destinations in the other boroughs. Additionally, all New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission licensed taxi drivers must have a map available to them when on duty. If they do not, they are in violation of TLC rules and regulations. In addition, as per TLC rules, they are required to know the “lay of the land”, that is, have extensive knowledge of the NYC area. Taxi drivers are not permitted to refuse service, because they do not know how to reach a destination. They must consult their 5-borough map to identify the best route to any destination within the 5 boroughs.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Like all New Yorkers, I count on yellow cabs being available as soon as I step off the curb and stick my hand out. A preference for mass transit is enjoyed here at Newtown Pentacle HQ, but every now and then when time is short and the vagaries of the MTA cannot be counted on, a Taxi is the way to go. As mentioned above, I make it a point to chat with willing drivers, and have learned many interesting things about the modern taxi industry, which contrasts with the experiences of an uncle who owned and drove a Checker cab in NYC for 30 years (retiring in the mid 70’s). Once, a modern driver shared his “drivers manual” with me, which was fascinating.
from wikipedia
The first taxicab company in New York was the New York Taxicab Company, which in 1907 imported 600 gasoline-powered cars from France. The cars were painted red and green. Within a decade several more companies opened business and taxicabs began to proliferate. The fare was 50 cents a mile, a rate only affordable to the relatively wealthy. Previous taxis, including the one that killed Henry Bliss in 1899, were electric.
By the 1920s, industrialists recognized the potential of the taxicab market. Automobile manufacturers like General Motors and the Ford Motor Company began operating fleets. The most successful manufacturer, however, was the Checkered Cab Manufacturing Company. Founded by Morris Markin, Checker Cabs produced the large yellow and black taxis that became one of the most recognizable symbols of mid-20th century urban life. For many years Checker cabs were the most popular taxis in New York City.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The drivers manual, and this was back in the 1990’s so it’s a bit of a hazy memory, had a table towards the back of the book which described flat fees and regulations for a New York City Taxi to charge when a passenger wants to go to a locale wildly outside of the NY area. At least back then, a cab (which had the right of refusal for such exo-destinations) could be hailed, and the driver told “I need to go to Kansas City”. The driver could only be expected to drive a certain number of hours per day, would have to provided with accommodations and meals, and would be expecting quite a bit more than the usual buck or two tip. A longtime fantasy of mine has been to take a trip to San Francisco in an NYC yellow cab with a documentary film crew- the fare of said trip, back in the ’90’s, would have been (as I said hazy memory, I might be flubbing this number) around $3,800 + fuel, hotels, meals, and tip.
from pubadvocate.nyc.gov
On-duty New York City taxis, or yellow cabs, must take passengers to any destination within the five boroughs, Westchester County, Nassau County and Newark Airport. Unless traffic is tied up or the passenger requests otherwise, the driver is required to take the shortest route. To complain about a cab or cabbie, or find out about lost items, call the Taxi and Limousine Commission. Because there are over 40,000 licensed taxi drivers and over 11,000 licensed taxi cabs, try to have the following information ready: the driver’s name and license number and the taxi medallion number. In addition to yellow cabs, for-hire vehicles (FHVs) carry passengers around town. FHVs, commonly used in all five boroughs, serve passengers by prior arrangement and cannot stop for a hailing customer. FHVs come in three styles and price ranges: car services, black cars, and limousines. The NYC diamond decal on the windshield of licensed FHVs distinguishes them from unlicensed gypsy cabs. Write to the Taxi and Limousine Commission at the above address with complaints about FHVs. Your letter should include the license plate number, the name of the dispatch company, the date and time of the incident, and a brief description of the incident. Allegations of overcharging will be addressed immediately, other complaints less rapidly, and incidents that involve the police will take longer.
Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4 pm
Taxi and Limousine Commission
40 Rector Street, 5th Floor (212) NYC-TAXI (692-8294)
note: the above photo is “highly processed” and is a composited shot of something like six individual photos “photshopped” together. Just in the name of full disclosure, as I wouldn’t want to be accused of being a “liar” – photo by Mitch Waxman
from wikipedia
By the mid-1980s and into the 1990s the demographic changes among cabbies began to accelerate as new waves of immigrants arrived in New York. Today, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, of the 62,000 cabbies in New York 82 percent are foreign born: 23 percent are from the Caribbean (the Dominican Republic and Haiti), and 30 percent from South Asia (India, and Pakistan).
Some drivers became puzzled about why the TLC isn’t scrutinized for profiling the demographic make-up of cab permit holders, while drivers are scrutinized for superficial evaluation, mis-characterized as racism.
The production of the famous Checker Cab had stopped and although there were still many in operation, the Chevrolet Caprice and Ford Crown Victoria became the industry top choices. Large frame, rear-wheel drive, former police cruisers, available at auctions provide a steady supply of used, well-maintained cars for cab fleets nationwide.
The working conditions of cabbies have changed as crime in New York has plummeted, while the cost of medallions has increased. Fewer cabbies own their taxicabs than in previous times. The TLC bureaucracy involved makes single-cab and small-fleet operations less attractive.
The Newtown Pentacle 