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All select images are posted in the order they were shot, through the shift.
Redhook, Brooklyn  Times Square, Manhattan  Times Square, Manhattan  Midtown, Manhattan  Chinatown / Lower East Side, Manhattan  Gramercy, Manhattan 
Bushwick, Brooklyn
 East Village, Manhattan 
It starts on the avenues amidst a dark sky lit by pharmacies and corner stores. The hustle of New York is only evident by the schools of taxicabs racing forward at every turning of a green traffic light. Between these waves all is still, New York City exhibits a rare silence. As dawn peaks over midtown towers, the daytime workers begin their familiar rhythm. Soon the bagel and coffee lines start.
Within this next hour, Manhattan soon becomes infested. Time starts to compress as taxicab demand peaks. I head to my neighborhood, picking a few ripe street corners as goals. I aim to beat the rest of the yellow wave; more likely, though, I’ll drive around the corner during a lull in traffic, the lone empty taxi. A man or a woman in a suit jumps in. We go to midtown, times square, the financial district, and then we repeat. This cycle starts at seven. By eight, Manhattan is a parking lot. People erupt from beneath the ground and invade the sidewalk.
It starts to rain and everyone runs, searching for cover somewhere, anywhere. And we drive slowly, watching the city become a soggy painting. A passenger with a broken umbrella unravels inside. The meter goes on and the sun returns, soon enough the pavement turns dry and gray.
Into the afternoon, office buildings sprout suits with quick steps always carrying something official. Assorted famous corners produce throngs of New Yorkers. The humans swarm the taxi; as my cab's nose claims the crosswalk. Arms and legs surround each window frame, moving in opposite directions.
By two o’clock, I begin to believe it will be survivable; a woman hails from a Whole Foods, or a senior at Zabaar’s, a child and a caregiver go from Chelsea Piers to Tribeca. Someone complains about traffic, But it’s been 9 hours now and to me “traffic” is a pre-existing condition, it must have come before the chicken or the egg. I forgot to take a piss. I relieve myself in a sterile hotel bathroom.
One more day done, and I relish the opportunity to see the world again.
5 best pictures from saturday from early to late in the shift. Click the images to see them larger.
 Times Square, Manhattan  Rego Park, Queens  59th Street Bridge (Queensboro Bridge)  Calvary Cemetery, Queens  Times Square, Manhattan
 Meh, I was stuck on the upper roadway of the 59th Street Bridge last weekend, but the traffic allowed a good view of the passing tramway. It was only fairly recent that the small island in between Manhattan and Queens got a subway stop. Until that subway station was introduced, the tram was the fastest way between Manhattan and Roosevelt Island. Although before either the tramway or subway stopped at the Island, a trolley car ran along the bridge on what is now the pedestrian path. The trolley stopped in the middle of the 59th Street Bridge and passengers would take huge elevators down to the Island in an adjacent building.  A few years back, the tramway had stopped working, and people inside were stuck for hours, 10 or so. They were eventually rescued by helicopter, I ass-ume they have taken steps to avoid such a thing from happenning again.
12 Selected shots presented chronologically, from early to late in the sunday shift.
Greenwich Village, Manhattan
Downtown Financial District, Manhattan 
Hell's Kitchen / Times Square District, Manhattan
 Times Square District, Manhattan  Midtown / Murray Hill, Manhattan  Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan 
Chinatown, Manhattan  Greenpoint, Brooklyn 
This Day shift went so well, that there was very little time for shooting pictures. These 3 selections are still chronologically presented in the order they were shot.
Queens Plaza, Queens
 Union Square, Manhattan  Tompkins Square, Manhattan 
Yesterday was an infuriating day. This was my boiling point. Click here- Improper Use of a Taxi Relief ZoneThis site brings to light the abuse and embellishment of parking privileges: Uncivil ServantsI will write some more detailed posts of my last 4 shifts soon.
Selected pictures from sunday last week. I am falling behind, so didn't do that much photoshop work with these. Click to enlarge.
Roosevelt Island, 36th Avenue Bridge, Borough of Manhattan  Greenwich Village, Manhattan  Hell's Kitchen, Ship Terminal, Manhattan   Battery Park, Manhattan  Municipal Building, Manhattan  Midtown, Manhattan  Central Park, Manhattan  Jackson Heights, Queens 
15 selected Images from saturday, posted in chronological order. Click on pictures for larger view.
Pictures 1 through 3: Route 1 and 9 North, New Jersey   
W.T.C. site viewed from TriBeCa, Manhattan
W.T.C. site viewed from Battery Park City, World Financial Center, Manhattan 
Battery Park, Manhattan  Chelsea, Manhattan 
Pictures 8 and 9: Sunnyside, Queens Queensboro (59th Street) Bridge 
Midtown, Manhattan 
Chelsea, Manhattan 
Times Square, Manhattan
Pictures 14 and 15:
Chelsea, Manhattan 
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