Bear Country 88
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- Joined
- Mar 11, 2009
- Messages
- 27
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This happened to me a year ago, and I'm still thinking about it.
I was in Atlantic City at a concert in a casino, with my girlfriend. After the concert, around midnight, we decided it was time to head back to the hotel - a quick 6 or 7 minute taxi ride at best.
We walked out of the casino and there was a line of taxis about a block long. Maybe 35 or 40 of 'em in a row. Normal. We walked up to the first one in line, got it, told the driver we wanted to go to the Sheraton, and off we went. It was the same brand taxi as all the rest in the line, and there was a picture of the driver, with ID. I didn't give it any thought.
He turned onto a main street and headed in the correct direction. Then about a minute later, he takes a right and starts down a dark alley. Crosses a busy street and then continues down the dark alley. He's taking a short cut (I'm thinking to myself). He shoots down the alley, crossing street after street after street.
I look over at my GF and she's petrified. I look out the window and up ahead is a group of 4 or 5 men standing right next to the alley at a corner. This is Atlantic City and I know this is not good. Oh, and it's Jersey so no concealed weapons (at least for law-abiding citizens). By the time I put 2 + 2 together we're out on the main street and approaching the entrance to the Sheraton. We pull-in and he drops us off. He had nothing to say, didn't have change, and probably thought of me as an infidel (at least in hindsight).
It seemed fairly standard practice: take a short cut, hurry up and drop us off, and get back to the casino for (hopefully) a longer ride and a larger fare.
But... if he had stopped in that dark alley, perhaps next to the group of 4 or 5 men... it could have been very bad for the two of us.
Looking back, if he had stopped and they had tried to open the door I would have tried to jump into the front seat and take over the taxi. Yea, sure. He was about 350 pounds of fat and there wasn't much room up there, and the window opening between the front and back of the taxi was about 18 inches tops. He was a very unhappy middle eastern man with a knit scull cap. Looking back - this was not good right from the start.
What could I have done differently?
I'll be much more aware from now on, any time I get near a taxi. But I'm a business man and I use taxi's often. Everyone uses taxis and limos in casinoland.
How would you handle it next time?
I was in Atlantic City at a concert in a casino, with my girlfriend. After the concert, around midnight, we decided it was time to head back to the hotel - a quick 6 or 7 minute taxi ride at best.
We walked out of the casino and there was a line of taxis about a block long. Maybe 35 or 40 of 'em in a row. Normal. We walked up to the first one in line, got it, told the driver we wanted to go to the Sheraton, and off we went. It was the same brand taxi as all the rest in the line, and there was a picture of the driver, with ID. I didn't give it any thought.
He turned onto a main street and headed in the correct direction. Then about a minute later, he takes a right and starts down a dark alley. Crosses a busy street and then continues down the dark alley. He's taking a short cut (I'm thinking to myself). He shoots down the alley, crossing street after street after street.
I look over at my GF and she's petrified. I look out the window and up ahead is a group of 4 or 5 men standing right next to the alley at a corner. This is Atlantic City and I know this is not good. Oh, and it's Jersey so no concealed weapons (at least for law-abiding citizens). By the time I put 2 + 2 together we're out on the main street and approaching the entrance to the Sheraton. We pull-in and he drops us off. He had nothing to say, didn't have change, and probably thought of me as an infidel (at least in hindsight).
It seemed fairly standard practice: take a short cut, hurry up and drop us off, and get back to the casino for (hopefully) a longer ride and a larger fare.
But... if he had stopped in that dark alley, perhaps next to the group of 4 or 5 men... it could have been very bad for the two of us.
Looking back, if he had stopped and they had tried to open the door I would have tried to jump into the front seat and take over the taxi. Yea, sure. He was about 350 pounds of fat and there wasn't much room up there, and the window opening between the front and back of the taxi was about 18 inches tops. He was a very unhappy middle eastern man with a knit scull cap. Looking back - this was not good right from the start.
What could I have done differently?
I'll be much more aware from now on, any time I get near a taxi. But I'm a business man and I use taxi's often. Everyone uses taxis and limos in casinoland.
How would you handle it next time?
