Portrait of a Cab Driver, on Fifth Avenue

Photo by myself, on Fifth Avenue.

A cab driver posed for a portrait after taking me on a trip up Fifth Avenue. You can just see the lush foliage of Central Park, in the background, and a little of my reflection in the rear window, haha.

We had just had a long, animated conversation about lots of things, during our 60+ block trip uptown. We took a shortcut by going north through Central Park, avoiding the stop-and-go of traffic lights.

Right now, you can enter the park at 59th Street and exit at 72nd Street on either the east or west side. The park extends all the way up to 110th Street, but the upper portion of the park is closed to thru-traffic.

I don't often talk with cabbies, but after he honked angrily at another driver hogging up two lanes, we commiserated about bad drivers, Mayor Bloomberg, the upcoming city-wide bike share and how surprisingly few accidents take place.

We were both not enthusiastic about the upcoming bike-share, where scores of bikes can be rented and dropped off at various locations. Just imagining loads of cyclists who might not know what they were doing sounded like potential disaster to us, crotchety New Yorkers.

I asked the cabbie if I could take his photo at the end of my trip, and he told me his name, but....by the time my meeting was over, I completely forgot it. Argh!!! He was such a lovely fellow!!

--By the way, most New Yorkers refer to Central Park as 'the Park', just as they refer to Manhattan as 'the City'.

No, we are not so egotistical that we think there are no other cities or parks on this planet. We are lucky to have many parks to choose from. It's just an easy shorthand for people when speaking.

Happy Friday, everyone!

The Portrait Series is a once-in-a-while installment, featuring New Yorkers encountered on the street.

Related posts: Portrait of a Bike Messenger, in Midtown, Portrait of a Guy on Sixth Avenue, and Portrait of a Dog Owner, in Tompkins Square Park.