Costume Cabbie: A date with gonowdo.com

Costume Cabbie: My big media day
Originally uploaded by Verabug

Last week I was contacted by Gina from gonowdo.com. "I am doing some work for a travel-based web startup and would love to use your taxi services for a piece we are doing about SF," her digital words said. Always eager for media appearances, I said yes and agreed to meet her by the bow and arrow sculpture on the Embarcardero at 12:30. She said they would need about an hour and a half of my time.

Jeremy, the camera guy, filmed Gina getting into the cab, and then I drove both of them to Fisherman's Wharf. Then we drove up Hyde Street and down Lombard Street and through North Beach. The whole time I was being filmed (and the city too) while answering questions about driving a taxi, doing taxi tours, Green Cab, this blog, my costumes, etc. We also stopped underneath one of those green Green Street street signs, which I have been meaning to do since I started driving for Green Cab. And we did another interview with me standing next to the cab in an alley on Russian Hill. Finally, we picked up a street flag to film and interview her briefly about what she thought of Green Cab and the Costume Cabbie. This was a long shot, but somehow we found the perfect person on Montgomery and Sutter.

Jeremy is going to review and edit all the footage he got, and the piece will eventually go up on gonowdo.com.

At one point Gina asked me "Do you find that people open up to you more because of the way you are dressed?" And later that day, towards the end of my shift, I picked up an older guy with a cane on California and Polk. He was going to 8th and Folsom. As we approached Folsom, I asked if he wanted to get out on the left or the right.

"I'm not sure actually."

"What's the place you're going to?"

He hesitated for a moment and then said "Mr. S Leather."

"Ah, cool. I know where that is." It's a leather, bondage and sex store.

"I wasn't sure if I should tell you but then I looked at you and figured you're safe."

"Yeah, I'm cool."

So yes, Gina, people do tend to open up to me more because of my appearance. Thanks again for the fun date!