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2006-08-04 - 10:04 a.m.
"Teeen minutes!"
I used to hear that all the time in cabs about twenty years ago. That was before they started using these computerized systems (Gandalf?!) to dispatch taxis. You'd hear the dispatcher rattling off street addresses one after another, then there'd be a pause, then the dispatcher would say, "Teeen minutes!" I always wondered what the hell it meant.
I don't takes cabs very often, but I like to. Limos too. Isn't it fun to sit back and enjoy the ride? But man, oh man, has it gotten expensive!
When I was a little kid back in the 60s the Checker Marathon was the vehicle of choice for taxicabs in Chicago. And, you didn't really see cab companies other than Yellow and Checker. I remember those cabs had these little seats that flipped up from the floor and faced backwards toward the bench seat in the back of the cab. As a little kid I always wanted to sit on those. Those Marathons were huge inside too. Well, enough that you could have extra seats in addition to the main back seat.
I get all nostalgic about riding in cars when I was small. There's a whole sense memory, of smells, and light, and sounds. It seems like most of those memories took place during winter though. Odd huh?
Checker Taxi
Yellow Cab History
More Checker History
--- Ten minutes! ---
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So, how do you like them apples?