Two nights ago three different cabs were robbed at gunpoint within a four hour stretch. The drivers were held at gunpoint and then struck in the head with the pistol. Thankfully that was all that happened. It sucked leaving the yard knowing that they were still on the loose. Luckily two of the cabs had cameras in them, and thanks to some keen police work the fuckers were caught later that night. Less than 24hrs after committing the crimes. Apparently they were planning a second string of robberies to take place that night. I think the worst part about it was the fact that they were picked up at hotels. The Luxor, Terribles and the Emerald Suites on Trop. All places I pick and drop often. This also gives you a clue as to the mental capacity of our average cracked out criminal.
Three valley cabbies robbed
Two suspects arrested in cab robberies
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
*XXVI Update*
Shortly after posting the newlywed story XXVI I got an email from the lovely bride Beth. I had given them my card when they were in the cab....I think I already had it in my mind that their story would end up on the blog at some point. It was awesome to hear from them and I'm glad everything is well. I thought you guys might like to read it, hopefully Beth doesn't mind me posting it. If you do then please drop me a line and I'll remove it. Also, Mr. and Mrs. Mike & Beth... this me "calling you out" for some pictures. Do it for the fans! ;)
From: "Beth"
To: andygnatovich@hotmail.com
Subject: XXVI
Hey Andy!
Glad to see you put our story up! Well, just wanted to let you know that everything is all good here in newlywed land. Everyone really did flip out when we got back. Apparently they also figured that since we got married in Vegas that they'd bet on us.....6 months is the going bet now I believe. We'll go 6 months & 2 weeks just to spite 'em.....even if we're ready to kill each other! But for real, everything's all good and I wouldn't have done it any other way.
Oh yeah, and the pics.....There's a black bar through the middle of ALL of them but like 3. The negatives too!! Ain't that some shit! Talk about an omen, if I didn't know any better I would have went straight from Walgreens to an attorney to file for divorce! Oh well, we got what we went to Vegas to get right? I'll have to e-mail you a few of the pics, that would be the finishing touch to the story.
Just perfect.
We got back to Milwaukee from Midway at 3:30 a.m. Milwaukee time (after being up at 6:30 that morning), didn't even get our freak on then got up and actually went to work that morning. Talk about a couple of nutcases.
This weekend we're going for a short honeymoon (5 days) to Florida and we've decided that we'll be back in Vegas for a REAL vacay within the next 6 months. We'll make sure to use your card and if nothin' else, we'll have to take you out for a cocktail to thank you for our wedded bliss, cuz after all, it wouldn't have happened without you! (and that's what it will say on the divorce papers too! Don't worry...you'll be called as a witness during the trial.) j/k.
Well, keep the stories coming, I've read them all. They're great and it's good to see that ours stands up to them. Talk soon!
Beth & Mike
Friday, November 03, 2006
Moral Dilemma
**Moral dilemma shall be a ongoing series in which good (karma) and evil (usually in the form of money in my pocket) do battle in my brain. Evil is batting a thousand so far.**
I was clearing at the south door at Wynn. My single passenger was drunk and after I told him the fare amount he begin fingering through his loaf of money. As he was doing that I watched a hundred fall out of the disorganized pile of cash and land on the seat 6 inches right next to him. He didn't see it, I had the eagle eye and watched it fall before the event even occured. He paid me for the ride and as he was exiting I reached back, grabbed the bill and held it up. I said as he's shutting the door:
He didn't hear me. I rolled the back window down and gave it a good holla as he was now 15ft or so away.
Nothing.
I suppose I could have yelled a little louder. Perhaps I could have starting honking the horn or better yet parked it and ran after the guy.
Fuck that.
.
I was clearing at the south door at Wynn. My single passenger was drunk and after I told him the fare amount he begin fingering through his loaf of money. As he was doing that I watched a hundred fall out of the disorganized pile of cash and land on the seat 6 inches right next to him. He didn't see it, I had the eagle eye and watched it fall before the event even occured. He paid me for the ride and as he was exiting I reached back, grabbed the bill and held it up. I said as he's shutting the door:
Hey Buddy!
He didn't hear me. I rolled the back window down and gave it a good holla as he was now 15ft or so away.
HEY BUDDY!
Nothing.
I suppose I could have yelled a little louder. Perhaps I could have starting honking the horn or better yet parked it and ran after the guy.
Fuck that.
.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
XXVI
I had just cleared my first ride of the day in front of SWA at 16. I closed my trunk and a young couple with no luggage walks over and asked if they could get a ride.
Anywhere else in town this would be fine and you would load them right away. However at the airport it is illegal to load at the drop-off area. You can't load there because when leaving the airport you are supposed to add the $1.20 airport fee. So when you load at drop-offs the sensor that detects which cabs come through is not located there so TA, airport security, and metro will all just assume your trying to steal a whopping $1.20 from 16. Not to mention you're backloading everyone that's staging in the pit. That's two tickets right there. Probably at least $200. But not wanting to have to go and wait in the pit and also not wanting to make these people walk all the way to the other side of the airport to get a cab, I decided to take a chance. After all, this is Vegas right?
I did a full 720 I think making sure I didn't see any TA, cops or brown shirts around....This was a good ride and I wasn't going to let it walk away.
2:30:00
I thought it was kind weird that they didn't have any bags and I don't think I've ever gone from the airport straight to the courthouse. They seemed like good people so I had to ask.
The girl answered, I found out later her name was Beth.
I didn't know. It was rush hour and we have a long way to go, we have to go to a government agency and wait in line and that never bodes well when you're in a hurry. Plus we have to find a chapel that can get us in and out. I knew the only way these two were going to make it was it I 97'ed them and brought them back to the airport. Adding wait times for cabs onto the above and there is no way they make the deadline. But more importantly there are chapels that are friendly and I needed to find one.
2:28:11
We're not even to Trop and Swenson yet, I pick up the mic.
Dispatch
Another driver
Dispatch
265
I recognized the voice of a friend of mine.
They asked if they could have a cigarette and in accordance with my smoking policy I gladly allowed them and merely asked that they put the windows down. Then it occurred to them that they didn't have a lighter. Of course, airport security. I used to carry one but I don't smoke and I lost the one I had so we stopped at a gas station on Paradise.
2:18:02
Mike walked in and I called information to get the number for Stained Glass. I gave them a call to see if they could get us right in and to see what the rates were. I talked to Sheri and as expected she could get us right in. I put the phone in Beths hand so they could talk business as Mike came back with the lighter. $100 will get you the ceremony and 4 pictures. Pretty good for a last minute deal I thought.
I get the phone back and Sheri tells me to simply call them when we have license in hand and en route. No problem. We're back in the car now headed DT and our newlyweds to-be share their last cigarette as a unmarried couple. Along the way they confessed more of their story which I enquired about.
The essentials are these: They're from Milwaukee and they met in a bar 30 days ago while playing in a dart tournament. The night prior they had the idea to come to Vegas and get married, Mike had some FF miles and 12 hours later they were in Vegas, a town they had never been too for 2.5hrs then straight back home. They'd spend twice as much time flying as they would in Vegas.
Great story.
We arrived at the courthouse and I informed the couple that they weren't ditching me as their driver. I would wait for them to get the license and then over to the chapel, wait and then back to the airport. I didn't sound like that had occurred to them but it's exactly what they needed. As I said, if I just dropped them at the courthouse and went back to work they're not making it. Then I had to explain about the vultures that hang around there trying to pimp their Chapels, it's pretty pathetic. They dodged them successfully and walked in, I found a place to park and called Steve on the phone to see if there was anything else I needed to know.
1:48:22
He told me a good tip which was to call Sheri back and ask her to throw in a free video for the couple...Then she'll tell the couple that it was your idea. All to make the couple that you hooked them up. Well if you think about it, you did hook them up. Good stuff. Anyway, I called her and sure enough she was game to do that as well as throw in the entire roll of film instead of just 4 pictures. Nice
Thankfully the place wasn't that busy and they walked back out of there in less than a half an hour. Not to bad.. So I call Sheri and tell her we're on the way. It's only a five minute drive from the courthouse. We parked and I walked them in and introduced them to Sheri and told them I would wait outside. There was a homeless guy sitting in their horse-less carriage beside the building talking on his cell-phone. It was an interesting image.
1:10:27
Some time had passed and I needed to use the restroom. I walked in around to the other side of the building to the other entrance and not knowing where to go exactly I just started opening doors after I walked in. Each one was kind of a different themed chapel. There was like the mini-chapel, then the outside by a mini-pool chapel then there was the saloon-chapel and the Elvis-chapel then I opened a door to find Mike and Beth exchanging vows in a chapel. Mike and the camera both looked at me. Good thing you hooked up that free video because now you have a cameo in it....Dumbass.
I turned around walked back outside the building then back to parking lot. I found a coke machine and got a Dr. Pepper. If I can't take a leak, the least I could do is drink a Dr. Pepper. Then Sheri walked out shook my hand and gave me two twenties.
Then our newlyweds walked out with video in hand. I started clapping and got Dr. Pepper all over my sleeve.....Dumbass. We got in the cab and I turned the time off off as we pulled back onto Ogden.
00:54:49
Cruise we did. They shared their first cigarette as a married couple and called some friends along the way. Apparently they didn't even tell anyone they were coming. Awesome. I threw in some interesting Vegas infos which I usually do for first timers and it's fun to watch people diggin it for the first time. I wish I could see it again for the first time.
We pulled up at departures at SWA with 20 minutes to spare, literally feet from where I picked them up. The meter read $48.45. Mark gave me a fifty for the ride and a twenty for the trouble.
00:24:55
Good deal. Basically a 1/3 of the meter is mine so that's 15. Plus the 20. Plus the 40 I got from Sheri. Minus 1 for the Dr. Pepper. That's $74 by my math. Not bad for 2 hours 5 minutes and 5 seconds of work.
I took a chance in loading the newlyweds in the first place, and it paid off nicely for me. Hopefully it will for them as well.
Anywhere else in town this would be fine and you would load them right away. However at the airport it is illegal to load at the drop-off area. You can't load there because when leaving the airport you are supposed to add the $1.20 airport fee. So when you load at drop-offs the sensor that detects which cabs come through is not located there so TA, airport security, and metro will all just assume your trying to steal a whopping $1.20 from 16. Not to mention you're backloading everyone that's staging in the pit. That's two tickets right there. Probably at least $200. But not wanting to have to go and wait in the pit and also not wanting to make these people walk all the way to the other side of the airport to get a cab, I decided to take a chance. After all, this is Vegas right?
Where are you going?
We need to go to the courthouse.
Marriage license?
Yes
I did a full 720 I think making sure I didn't see any TA, cops or brown shirts around....This was a good ride and I wasn't going to let it walk away.
Get in.
2:30:00
I thought it was kind weird that they didn't have any bags and I don't think I've ever gone from the airport straight to the courthouse. They seemed like good people so I had to ask.
So from the airport straight to get married huh?
The girl answered, I found out later her name was Beth.
Well we're only here for two and a half hours...Do you know a place we can get married?
yeah,.....but wait a minute. You're just here on lay-over and decided to get married?
Kinda, we're here just to get married, then right back home. We just landed and we have 2.5hrs until we need to be back at the airport for the flight going back. Do you think we have enough time?
I didn't know. It was rush hour and we have a long way to go, we have to go to a government agency and wait in line and that never bodes well when you're in a hurry. Plus we have to find a chapel that can get us in and out. I knew the only way these two were going to make it was it I 97'ed them and brought them back to the airport. Adding wait times for cabs onto the above and there is no way they make the deadline. But more importantly there are chapels that are friendly and I needed to find one.
2:28:11
We're not even to Trop and Swenson yet, I pick up the mic.
Ott-34 info
Dispatch
Ott-34 go ahead
Anybody know a friendly chapel real close to the 3rd and Clark?
Another driver
265
Dispatch
265 go
265
Andy, go to Stained Glass on 9th and Ogden.
I recognized the voice of a friend of mine.
That's a copy thanks Steve
They asked if they could have a cigarette and in accordance with my smoking policy I gladly allowed them and merely asked that they put the windows down. Then it occurred to them that they didn't have a lighter. Of course, airport security. I used to carry one but I don't smoke and I lost the one I had so we stopped at a gas station on Paradise.
2:18:02
Mike walked in and I called information to get the number for Stained Glass. I gave them a call to see if they could get us right in and to see what the rates were. I talked to Sheri and as expected she could get us right in. I put the phone in Beths hand so they could talk business as Mike came back with the lighter. $100 will get you the ceremony and 4 pictures. Pretty good for a last minute deal I thought.
I get the phone back and Sheri tells me to simply call them when we have license in hand and en route. No problem. We're back in the car now headed DT and our newlyweds to-be share their last cigarette as a unmarried couple. Along the way they confessed more of their story which I enquired about.
The essentials are these: They're from Milwaukee and they met in a bar 30 days ago while playing in a dart tournament. The night prior they had the idea to come to Vegas and get married, Mike had some FF miles and 12 hours later they were in Vegas, a town they had never been too for 2.5hrs then straight back home. They'd spend twice as much time flying as they would in Vegas.
Great story.
We arrived at the courthouse and I informed the couple that they weren't ditching me as their driver. I would wait for them to get the license and then over to the chapel, wait and then back to the airport. I didn't sound like that had occurred to them but it's exactly what they needed. As I said, if I just dropped them at the courthouse and went back to work they're not making it. Then I had to explain about the vultures that hang around there trying to pimp their Chapels, it's pretty pathetic. They dodged them successfully and walked in, I found a place to park and called Steve on the phone to see if there was anything else I needed to know.
1:48:22
He told me a good tip which was to call Sheri back and ask her to throw in a free video for the couple...Then she'll tell the couple that it was your idea. All to make the couple that you hooked them up. Well if you think about it, you did hook them up. Good stuff. Anyway, I called her and sure enough she was game to do that as well as throw in the entire roll of film instead of just 4 pictures. Nice
Thankfully the place wasn't that busy and they walked back out of there in less than a half an hour. Not to bad.. So I call Sheri and tell her we're on the way. It's only a five minute drive from the courthouse. We parked and I walked them in and introduced them to Sheri and told them I would wait outside. There was a homeless guy sitting in their horse-less carriage beside the building talking on his cell-phone. It was an interesting image.
1:10:27
Some time had passed and I needed to use the restroom. I walked in around to the other side of the building to the other entrance and not knowing where to go exactly I just started opening doors after I walked in. Each one was kind of a different themed chapel. There was like the mini-chapel, then the outside by a mini-pool chapel then there was the saloon-chapel and the Elvis-chapel then I opened a door to find Mike and Beth exchanging vows in a chapel. Mike and the camera both looked at me. Good thing you hooked up that free video because now you have a cameo in it....Dumbass.
Oops, sorry
I turned around walked back outside the building then back to parking lot. I found a coke machine and got a Dr. Pepper. If I can't take a leak, the least I could do is drink a Dr. Pepper. Then Sheri walked out shook my hand and gave me two twenties.
Anytime you need to get somebody married you call me ok? We'll take care of you.
No problem, thanks
Then our newlyweds walked out with video in hand. I started clapping and got Dr. Pepper all over my sleeve.....Dumbass. We got in the cab and I turned the time off off as we pulled back onto Ogden.
00:54:49
Hey you guys said you've never been to Vegas right?
Yep
Well we're good on time, what'd you say we cruise the strip on our way back. They lights are just coming on.
That sounds awesome.
Cruise we did. They shared their first cigarette as a married couple and called some friends along the way. Apparently they didn't even tell anyone they were coming. Awesome. I threw in some interesting Vegas infos which I usually do for first timers and it's fun to watch people diggin it for the first time. I wish I could see it again for the first time.
We pulled up at departures at SWA with 20 minutes to spare, literally feet from where I picked them up. The meter read $48.45. Mark gave me a fifty for the ride and a twenty for the trouble.
00:24:55
Good deal. Basically a 1/3 of the meter is mine so that's 15. Plus the 20. Plus the 40 I got from Sheri. Minus 1 for the Dr. Pepper. That's $74 by my math. Not bad for 2 hours 5 minutes and 5 seconds of work.
I took a chance in loading the newlyweds in the first place, and it paid off nicely for me. Hopefully it will for them as well.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Harrahs, with a "P"
I loaded at 16. A very old couple. Probably the oldest couple I have ever seen in Vegas. Old man was in a wheelchair and the lady was using a walker. They had a sky-cap helping with their bags. I get out and help him load them as well as the chair and walker. They get in and the old lady gives me the destination.
Normally I would just go down Koval, but it was slow so I decided to take Trop up to the strip and take it all the way down.
Along the way I heard stories about the old Vegas. All of which are somewhat interesting to me. I mean these people have been coming since before the Flamingo was even open. On one hand I like hearing about old Vegas from people who experienced it. On the other hand I can only hear so much about how it used to be next to nothing cheap.
I never understood why people complain about how expensive Vegas is. I hear that all the time. If you really think that way, then what are you doing here? How is it possible to have any fun on vacation when you're constantly pissed that you just paid 5 bucks for a 12oz bottle of water? I don't get it. If you're that worried about cash you shouldn't be anywhere near Las Vegas. Go on a fishing trip to Montana for your vacation. Go to another country where the exchange rate is grossly in your favor. Or better yet, go to Branson, Missouri. According to them, they have better entertainment than us anyway.
Just as we're a pulling into the tunnel entrance at Harrahs the lady who was sitting behind me taps my shoulder:
It took me all of a minute to stop laughing before I could contemplate my confusion.
I could sense she thought I was trying to rip them off which I assured her that I most certainly was not and I simply miss-heard her destination as Harrahs. I went on to explain that I would get a price quote from a supervisor over the radio to determine what the fare should have been and that's what they should pay me. No big deal. I did however take away two things from this.
1. Realize, that we drove right past the Paris on our way to Harrahs, perhaps that might have been a good time to question me.
2. I don't care what anyone says, when a 90 year old lady says "FUCK" it's funny. Every time.
Take us to Harrahs
Sure thing, buckle up please
Normally I would just go down Koval, but it was slow so I decided to take Trop up to the strip and take it all the way down.
Along the way I heard stories about the old Vegas. All of which are somewhat interesting to me. I mean these people have been coming since before the Flamingo was even open. On one hand I like hearing about old Vegas from people who experienced it. On the other hand I can only hear so much about how it used to be next to nothing cheap.
I never understood why people complain about how expensive Vegas is. I hear that all the time. If you really think that way, then what are you doing here? How is it possible to have any fun on vacation when you're constantly pissed that you just paid 5 bucks for a 12oz bottle of water? I don't get it. If you're that worried about cash you shouldn't be anywhere near Las Vegas. Go on a fishing trip to Montana for your vacation. Go to another country where the exchange rate is grossly in your favor. Or better yet, go to Branson, Missouri. According to them, they have better entertainment than us anyway.
Just as we're a pulling into the tunnel entrance at Harrahs the lady who was sitting behind me taps my shoulder:
Excuse me.
Yes?
Where in the fuck are you taking us?
It took me all of a minute to stop laughing before I could contemplate my confusion.
Sorry?
I told you to take us to Paris. Why are you going this way?
I could sense she thought I was trying to rip them off which I assured her that I most certainly was not and I simply miss-heard her destination as Harrahs. I went on to explain that I would get a price quote from a supervisor over the radio to determine what the fare should have been and that's what they should pay me. No big deal. I did however take away two things from this.
1. Realize, that we drove right past the Paris on our way to Harrahs, perhaps that might have been a good time to question me.
2. I don't care what anyone says, when a 90 year old lady says "FUCK" it's funny. Every time.
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