Chicago taxis

We took a working vacation, with 6 days per week in classes. It was a busy, busy trip. We were always running, and we took taxis almost everywhere.

I have lived and/or worked in several major cities: Honolulu, Baton Rouge, San Francisco, etc. I have visited many cities. I have never enjoyed taxi service like this. We stepped out the front door of the hotel, put a hand in the air, and the tax was at the curb before we got there 98% of the time. We came out of a grocery store into a downpour, and retreated to the covered entrance. I saw a taxi in the street, waved once, and the taxi pulled right up, alongside the covered entrance. Day and night, when we wanted a taxi, it was never more than a few minutes' wait to find one.

Sure, taxis are pricey, but so are cars. It was faster to take a taxi than to pull our car out of the parking garage, pay the parking fee, drive to our destination, and find parking there. And taxi fares were generally comparable to parking fees. The ride was... interesting. I have seen racecar drivers drive less aggressively. The cab drivers whipped from lane to lane, accelerated hard, braked hard, and actually managed to keep aware of what was going on around them. We heard an interesting assortment of music from around the world.

We have considered moving to Chicago. The convenience of taxis is certainly a draw. Nowhere else have I had such an easy time finding an available taxi, on any street in any neighborhood.

Back from vacation... Do you believe in miracles?

I've just returned from a working vacation in Chicago. Because of the dog, we drove to Chicago and back. As we drove out of Salt Lake City, the Interstate had a large gap between the eastbound and westbound lanes. Two lanes in each direction with a valley about 8 lanes wide in between, speed limit was 70 or 75 mph. A car on the eastbound side spun, flipped into the dirt between eastbound and westbound, and rolled all the way across the valley, finally landing, wheels down, on the westbound shoulder. Not knowing if the car would travel into the westbound lanes of traffic, we came to a complete stop and pulled onto the shoulder virtually parallel with the other car. A young woman was driving, alone, her rear hatch and backseat fully loaded with her belongings.

She was able to walk away from the car - I'll never know if she suffered shock or injuries from the tumbling, but her emergence from the accident, relatively unscathed, was amazing. The windshield shattered, but stayed intact and fell clear of the car. The driver did not even appear to have cuts or scrapes. The car tumbled fast enough that most of the forces pressed in the sides, not the roof of the car. The car landed wheels down, on the shoulder of the opposite lanes of traffic, but fully on the shoulder and fully clear of the traffic lane. Even that was a stroke of luck - the nearest ambulance service was almost certainly located near Salt Lake City, and she landed on their fastest path of approach.

An off-duty EMT was traveling behind the accident, and stopped to render aid, with first aid kit in hand. Traffic was light. Several cars stopped, and we were still close enough to the city that cell phone coverage was excellent. No one who stopped knew exactly where we were - with the EMT present and the driver in decent shape, we drove on to find a mile-marker and call it in to 911. Apparently, her tire blew out and she lost control of the car.

Late august, loaded car - probably a student returning to college. Despite all her good fortune in surviving the accident, it was probably a disaster for her. It didn't look like the kind of car someone would carry comp and collision coverage on, and even an insurance deductible can be a catastrophe for a college student. Some of her belongings fell out beside the interstate - not much, but if all your important belongings fit in your car, a little bit of stuff is a lot. I hope she is safe and well and able to complete her travels with minimal disruption.