I had two recent rides that have been “long shots” – like nailing a three pointer from mid-court or hitting a grand slam! Driving 11 and 12 hours for one ride may not seem as exciting as these two sports analogies, but I will add that I recently drove passengers who were involved in, or at least related to, both of these sports.
Cincinnati or Bust!
In mid-July, I drove a New York Knicks basketball player and his girlfriend from mid-town Manhattan to Cincinnati, Ohio. I asked him why he wanted to be driven for 11 hours, rather than take a two-hour flight. He explained that he had just had foot surgery and the difference in air pressure from the flight could have adversely affected his recovery.
I picked him and his lady friend around 1:00pm. We stopped once for lunch and a “bio break” in central Pennsylvania, and we finally arrived in Cincinnati at around midnight.
No Room at the Inn
After I dropped off the happy couple, I drove to the hotel where I had a reservation. Driving back east for 11 hours would have been dangerous and foolish. Besides, I was tired. (As a side note: I had kind of hoped for some kind of tip, considering the length of the ride. He did buy me a coke at the rest stop… but a cash tip was not in the cards, apparently. I mean, he did earn only $16 million last year!)
I got to the front desk. “I have a reservation for tonight,” I told the attendant.
He said, “Yes, you did but now you don’t.”
I tried to remain calm. “Excuse me?” I asked.
The attendant said, “Although you did have a reservation, the sad truth is that we had a lot of ‘walk ins’ who needed rooms and bumped you.”
I realized there was no point in arguing or making a scene, so I calmly and carefully said: “Number one, please do not charge my credit card and number two, please recommend another hotel for me to stay tonight, so I don’t have to sleep in my car.”
The man obliged and pointed me to his competitor down the street. I grabbed a bag of Doritos and some M&Ms and asked the attendant how much they cost.
“No charge, sorry for the lost reservation,” he said. I wearily thanked him and left.
When I arrived at the other hotel, I asked the front desk attendant if he had any rooms.
“We have one room left!” he said.
I asked him, “Are the Olympics in Cincinnati? Why are all the hotel rooms taken?”
“I guess people like visiting Cincinnati,” he answered with a grin.
I gave him my credit card and went to my room.
The next day, I checked out of my room, grabbed two sausage sandwiches at Hardee’s and drove for 11 hours back home, leaving at 6:30am. I arrived at 5:30pm. It was good to be home!
Pittsburgh to Poughkeepsie
In mid-September, I got a call from my dispatcher after finishing my day shift, asking me if I was up for a challenge. I’m always intrigued by questions like this.
“Of course I’m up for a challenge; I’m the Renegade!” I replied.
My dispatcher said, “We have a ride for you that requires you to be in Pittsburgh tomorrow morning at 7:00am. The manager of the Pirates needs his mother-in-law driven to Poughkeepsie, and she doesn’t like to fly. Can you do it?”
“Of course I can do it,” I said, without even thinking. “Send me the ride, please.”
I got home at 6:00pm and was asleep within a half-hour. I woke up at midnight to make the long trek west to Pittsburgh.
After six hours of driving, I arrived in Pittsburgh at 6:30am. I found a gas station and asked for a restroom (I think they should be called relief rooms, but that’s neither here nor there).
The gas station attendant smiled and said, “No bathroom.”
I thanked him and continued down the street to find a relief room after my six-hour drive. Then I found a second gas station down the road, this one with a 7/11. I bought a bag of Herr’s Party Snacks since I had used their relief room and thanked the attendant, with a smile.
I arrived at the passenger’s house at 6:45am for the 7:00am pick up. We drove the seven hours from Pittsburgh to Poughkeepsie, stopping once for a “Bio Break,” and to get Doritos and M&Ms from a vending machine.
Upon arriving at her home in Poughkeepsie, the passenger thanked me and gave me a $50 tip! She also said she would request me in the future!
The moral of this Street Story is: No matter what situation you’re in, try to keep calm, smile and be polite, even though you may be screaming on the inside. You just might get a free bag of Doritos and package of M&Ms out of it.