Thursday, May 03, 2007

Indy and the Cab Woman from Hell

I'm back from a quick trip to Indianapolis. A bit on the city but first:

I've cabbed countless times in DC and the Big Apple but never encountered this:

I got in the cab at the Indianapolis Airport. It smelled like an ashtray. The driver was a fortyish something woman with her large (unwashed) hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was wearing a sleeveless top revealing arms bigger than my thighs. We took off, barreling out of the airport.

She immediately started cursing the other drivers. Everyone was an "idiot" or an "asshole." She swerved. She floored it. She slammed on the brakes. I fastened my seat belt.

Her cell phone rings. I caught snippets of conversation which amounted to how much she hates her job and all the asshole idiots on the road and a reference to "getting loaded downtown" the night before.

When she hung up, she turned the radio on, and a melodious voice came from the speakers, "...the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ..."

Jesus, this is surreal, I thought.

My other cab rides in Indy were less memorable, thank God.

Indy is actually pretty cool, downtown features a vast array of restaurants and nightclubs and those Hoosiers like big war memorials.

I didn't get a chance to check out much of the gay scene and searched in vain for a hot happy hour spot. The Metro claimed to be an after-work bar, but there were only a hand full of people there during happy hour. Still the staff was very friendly and one of the patrons who followed me into the john was too friendly, and I had to execute a hasty retreat.

All in all, Indy was surprisingly cool. I'd go back.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting. Could you provide some information on that 'war' memorial. From an architectural standpoint, you'd have to wonder what the hell could be in that gigantic structure? And why would Indianapolis have a war memorial? I would understand memorials in the Nation's Capital or in any of the original 13 colonies, or in Texas, or in Hawaii, but Indianapolis? Any significant battles in the state? WWII....USS Indiana (was there one?)?? Just curious.

Scott said...

There were four USS Indiana's...and the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed and sunk in WWII and is counted as the worst navel disaster in US history, as many men went down with the ship and of the 900 survivors who went into the water only 300 survived -- many attacked and killed by sharks. In fact the Indianapolis disaster was referenced by the Robert Shaw character in the movie "Jaws."

The War memorial in the picture is for Hoosiers who served in WWI & II, Korea and Vietnam. Info here.http://www.indy.org/indianapolis/web/jsp/whattodo/detail.jsp?c=8019333:indianaworldwarmemorial:details&p=1&x=1178207131283

There is also a huge Civil War Memorial in town. Why wouldn't local govt's erect memorials to the men and women from that locale who have served? I think it's altogether fitting and proper.

Matty said...

Next time you need to go to the Unicorn... and if you do that, you need to take me with you for business... Had some fun times there.