Another cab driver recognized Willie Brown this week. Not only did the cabbie recognize the former mayor climbing in to the backseat, hoping to be driven down to the Hotel Vitale — but the cabbie also remembered a very specific part of one of Willie's columns. It was a bit where Brown pointed out that cabbies in San Francisco never seem to where they're going anymore. And that part is true, actually.
For example, what's up with all the minivan cabs lately? More and more often we find ourselves in a minivan cab with a driver punching in our destination on the GPS and then taking us on a swerving, speed-up-slow-down ride from hell. The minivan cabbies are seriously the worst. According to this one cab driver we had one time, the cab companies love to play favorites with the different vehicles — the good drivers get the Police Interceptors and the half-assed ones get stuck with Priuses. So, we're pretty sure the minivans are exclusively driven by rookies, is the point here. Feel free to confirm/deny this, cab drivers in the audience.
Anyway, Willie's cabbie more or less confirms it. "...you want to know the deal?" He says. "There are so many cabs out there and cab companies are so desperate for drivers, if you have so much as a pulse and you have a driver's license, you can get a job. In some cases," he says, ending on a very cabbie-like joke, "having a pulse is optional." Nailed it! Willie Brown's cabbie is San Francisco's best cabbie now.
In food news, Willie cranked out another commercial for the North Beach Chamber of Commerce, with another lengthy mention of the North Beach Holy Trinity. (It's: Original Joe's, Park Tavern, North Beach Restaurant, never forget.)
After those three successfully robbed him of his ability to dine at any other restaurant in town, Willie began to renounce his old haunts. One of his favorite meals: the $15.75 burger from Boulevard. It's not as good as local slow-fast food joint Super Duper Burger. "That’s the best place," Willie's ghostwriter explains, "you feel like you’re in Kansas with a burger and a chocolate milk shake."
Finally, Willie must be preparing for a busy Valentine's day. Aside from the doing his duty to honor Tony Bennett, he will also walking the runway at Macy's for a charity fashion event benefitting the American Heart Association. We'll be sure to catch that on film.
