I don't know about hailing cabs in LA. I have seen it done. I seem to recall being told you weren't allowed to in Detroit. Which made no sense to me.

Just a guess, it probably ensures that cabs have no incentive to bunch up in front of the Ren Center, say, instead of responding to calls.

You can hail cabs in other boroughs, it's just that you probably won't ever find one.

it probably ensures that cabs have no incentive to bunch up in front of the Ren Center, say, instead of responding to calls

Which now makes me wonder about hotels.

I know that there are cab ranks here in LA, sometimes by obvious places like hotels, but other times I can't work out the placement rationale.

I really thought they weren't supposed to pick up on the street in the boroughs, but I don't know where I got that from!

I live near a street where a steady stream of cabs go past on their way back to Manhattan, and I hail them all the time.

I live near a street where a steady stream of cabs go past on their way back to Manhattan, and I hail them all the time.

Yeah, I've never had a problem hailing a cab in Brooklyn, especially when I lived on 4th Ave, two blocks down from a taxi garage. I think I only called a car service when I was going to the airport. But I'm sure in the outer outer boroughs, it's easier to just call a service.

Just found out that my brother had another heart attack (mild) on Friday -- he didn't bother telling us until today, after hospitalization and a stent put in. I don't know whether to be appreciative that he didn't put Mom through some anxious hours or just pissed that he didn't tell us....

My dad, whenever he goes in the hospital for heart stuff, routinely doesn't call until the day after, because he "didn't want to worry [me]." Which is a kind impulse, but it's *more* stressful *because* of the retroactiveness of it!

Which is to say, Theo, I'm with you.

Tep, it wasn't here six years ago, I don't think. So you've probably only missed three years of its existence.

Still!!! I'm so deprived! Next time I visit, count on an excursion. Definitely.

Heh -- one of my favorite SF bar memories is the weekend of that crazy debauched Halloween F2F, when we went to Blondie's on Valencia and you kept ordering different martinis based on what the olives in them were stuffed with. (That wasn't on Halloween -- that was one afternoon, when I think we were going to go to the Jazz Fest but ended up drinking all afternoon instead.)

Why do I believe the stories I make up in my head? I mean, seriously.

Well, if you don't believe them, then how are we supposed to? Believe in yourself, so that we can! Or something.

Thanks, Lee!

Cabs in DC were always a weird mystery to me. I tried reading the zone maps sometimes, but it didn't help.

I live near a street where a steady stream of cabs go past on their way back to Manhattan, and I hail them all the time.

I've done this too!