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A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)

kentnerburn.com

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Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)

#61

Post by smu »

shepherdjerred wrote: post #56
macintux wrote: post #34

I have been fortunate enough (privileged enough?) to feel comfortable picking up hitchhikers (or simply people walking along the road) over the years, and while most aren't particularly noteworthy, a few have been rough. One teenage boy had just been thrown out of his house, with nothing other than a torn shirt and shorts, by his drunk father. I drove him to his girlfriend's place. One desperate father had taken a bu…

Are you not scared of picking people up? I would love to help others, but I've always been worried that it could go poorly.

I hitchhiked a bit during my college days, so I feel a moral obligation to pick up others if I can. Doesn’t seem to happen as often as it used though.

Worst that happened to me was a very smelly drunk..

Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)

#62

Post by linuxftw »

kurisufag wrote: post #52
linuxftw wrote: post #38

Reading this I got the impression that the person is a professional writer and fictionalized for emotional effect. Indeed, this is from an author. I'm all but immune to sentimentalism on the internet, and this story came across like a facebook chain letter.

I'm glad someone shares the sentiment. "Facebook chain letter" is a good descriptor -- I was thinking "college application essay".

College application essay is equally good!

Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)

#63

Post by sequoia »

shepherdjerred wrote: post #56
macintux wrote: post #34

I have been fortunate enough (privileged enough?) to feel comfortable picking up hitchhikers (or simply people walking along the road) over the years, and while most aren't particularly noteworthy, a few have been rough. One teenage boy had just been thrown out of his house, with nothing other than a torn shirt and shorts, by his drunk father. I drove him to his girlfriend's place. One desperate father had taken a bu…

Are you not scared of picking people up? I would love to help others, but I've always been worried that it could go poorly.

I've been a hitchhiker and I've picked up hitchhikers though not in years as they're less common today where I live and I've been a parent and I won't pick up hitchhikers with my kids in the car. So while I was going to say "I don't think there's much risk" I guess I must admit I do acknowledge some risk involved, given that I won't do it with my kids aboard.

But overall hitchhikers are people just like you and me, the difference being they haven't got a car, obviously. I figure the worst that would happen is I'm robbed and my car stolen, which would stink but the risk is infinitesimal and the benefit I perceive in helping out my fellow human is worth it to me. Notably, I am male; my calculous would likely be different if I were female.

There's also the typical caveat of minding one's common sense & gut. If someone looks like a basket case I'm unlikely to pick them up, or if it's an odd hour/past dark, the area is remote etc. But someone on an busy onramp to I-40 during daytime, why not?

Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)

#65

Post by wintogreen74 »

gk1 wrote: post #49
agentwiggles wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had two fairly magical musical experiences with old guys during my college days. One happened during my junior year. I lived in a house with two other guys, who were out of town for the night, so I was home alone. I was short on cash so decided to just stay home, and I was playing guitar out on the stoop of my house drinking from a bottle of cheap wine that was left over in the fridge. I was pretty delighted when t…

Lesson: People should hang out on stoops more often.

agreed, but the problem is only those in Brooklyn have stoops, the rest of us get by with porches and decks ;)

Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)

#66

Post by wintogreen74 »

shepherdjerred wrote: post #56
macintux wrote: post #34

I have been fortunate enough (privileged enough?) to feel comfortable picking up hitchhikers (or simply people walking along the road) over the years, and while most aren't particularly noteworthy, a few have been rough. One teenage boy had just been thrown out of his house, with nothing other than a torn shirt and shorts, by his drunk father. I drove him to his girlfriend's place. One desperate father had taken a bu…

Are you not scared of picking people up? I would love to help others, but I've always been worried that it could go poorly.

I've experienced both sides, and been more afraid as a hitchhiker than as the driver, mostly from terrible driving vs. any direct bodily threat. I'm a large male too, though maybe always-connected & cell phones would actually make this safer for women?

Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)

#67

Post by Waterluvian »

gk1 wrote: post #39

Nearly 20 years ago my friend and I returned to his dorm building after a long long night out, only to discover we were locked out. With nothing better to do, we sat outside on the stoop and planned to chat the hours away until 6am when the doors would reopen. Before the dawn came, a man in his 80s almost walked past us. He stopped to ask for directions somewhere, maybe to a church. After our half-hearted attempt at…

I might be building a mental image that was not your experience, but I'm getting a real "My Diner with Andre" feel to your story. Just... nothing going on. One location. A lot of anecdotes and stories that add up to both nothing and everything, and then it's over and life unpauses.

I'm not sure exactly how I feel, other than I'm tremendously moved and I think hopeful to have many experiences where I get to be both sides of that conversation. Thanks for sharing.

Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)

#68

Post by dang »

fileeditview wrote: post #20
philk10 wrote: post #12

Previous discussion - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3918783

Thanks. I searched HN for the link and nothing turned up. Should have searched for the title I guess. But the good thing is there are always some who missed it.. including me.

Reposts are fine after a year or so, and this was a great one. Thanks!

Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)

#69

Post by dang »

philk10 wrote: post #12

Previous discussion - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3918783

Ah thanks! Macroexpanded:

The Cab Ride I'll Never Forget - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3918783 - May 2012 (188 comments)

The URL of that one (http://www.zenmoments.org/the-cab-ride-ill-never-forget/) includes more background info, including the book this piece was published in.

Re: A cab ride I'll never forget (1999)

#70

Post by chasd00 »

macintux wrote: post #34

I have been fortunate enough (privileged enough?) to feel comfortable picking up hitchhikers (or simply people walking along the road) over the years, and while most aren't particularly noteworthy, a few have been rough. One teenage boy had just been thrown out of his house, with nothing other than a torn shirt and shorts, by his drunk father. I drove him to his girlfriend's place. One desperate father had taken a bu…

years ago, i picked up a couple of very young and beautiful women in downtown Denver hitchhiking up to Winter Park. They were from Chile, barely spoke English, and worked at the resort for the season. I asked them to promise me they'd never hitchhike again from where i picked them up. I had no interest in seeing their photos/bodybags on the news.
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