Date Taken: 12/13/06
From: Roscoe Village
To: Wicker Park
The Cab: Safety-glass- and cell phone-free! The front seats were lusciously upholstered in plush taupe; the back seats in lumpy-textured vinyl. Could’ve seemed like a punitive measure, but the whole interior was so clean and comfy it was hard to take the seating disparity as a personal attack. But then there was the smell. If you can imagine being transported in a giant vat of Pina Colada mix, you’re getting warm. Now imagine you choke a little bit and some of it gets up your nose. Yeah, that’s it.

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Posted on December 14, 2006

Date: 12/10/06
From: North and Clybourn
To: Wicker Park
The Cab: A Crown Vic bathed in the scent of Monster energy drink.
The Driver: Surly. Right off the bat, I was berated for wanting to go in the “wrong” direction. I countered that I had waved at him to make a right on North Avenue so I could cross the street and get in with the cab pointed west; driver reiterated his original complaint. Driver was also eating “Taco” flavored Doritos. This struck me as odd.

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Posted on December 14, 2006

Date: 12/01/06
From: Downtown
To: Wicker Park
The Cab: A Crown Victoria with satisfying faux wood paneling on the dash.

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Posted on December 2, 2006

Date: 12/01/06
From: Wicker Park
To: Downtown
The Cab: Clean but a bit worn and raggedy on the inside. No adornment except the “Revolution” button placed dead center in the roof interior between the front-seat visors; red-lettering against a green background.

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Posted on December 2, 2006

Date: 10/11/2006
From: Hyde Park
To: Garfield Green Line
The Cab: Despite sporting the always-hateful ad bar up top, exceedingly clean and – most importantly on a frigid evening – warm. Seatbelts prominently displayed and in full working order. The burglar window was locked in the open-and-trusting position, and there was an extremely low level of inoffensive air freshening that threatened, for once, to actually freshen the air. Radio was tuned to a crushingly depressing NPR segment on child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which had a dampening effect on the conversation. Still, it certainly put your correspondent’s runny nose and empty stomach in their proper context.

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Posted on October 11, 2006

Date: August 30, 2006
From: Wicker Park
To: Humboldt Park
The Cab: Neat and clean. I was surprised to see the seatbelts prominently displayed in the back rather than tucked away under the seats. Then the driving began and I understood.

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Posted on August 30, 2006

Date: July 7, 2006
From: Wicker Park
To: Near North Side
The Cab: My first Mohawk cab – the ones with the rooftop advertising wedge. (“Allstate Deduction Rewards”). Otherwise clean, sturdy, and nondescript.

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Posted on July 7, 2006

Date: July 7, 2006
From: Near North Side
To: Wicker Park
The Cab: What’s that smell? I like it, but I can’t place it. Oh, there it is! A strawberry car freshener tree in the back window. Mmm, strawberry.
Hey, what’s that sticker on the little coin window slat thing: It says “Helper.”
Hey, what’s that little metal plate screwed into the back seat separation unit? It says “Whip It Out. J-Fold. Original Sportswallet.”
Hey, there’s another one: “KGT Bumper Guards, Long Island.”
Just below the black, oscillating, Axics 12-volt fan.
There’s a lot to look at in here, for a cab with no actual decoration.

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Posted on July 7, 2006

Date: 6/11/06
From: Lincoln Square
To: Roscoe Village
The Cab: Seats padded like Double-Stuf Oreos; it seemed like too much of a good thing at first, but that extra layer of fluff made me wonder how I’d ever gotten by without it.

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Posted on June 16, 2006

Date: 6/10/06
From: Roscoe Village
To: Lincoln Square
The Cab: Reasonably clean and noise-free. Seatbelts functioning as they should. A fairly unremarkable physical specimen.

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Posted on June 16, 2006