one. backsacks, puzzles, hawthorne heights & everything in between.
I think Sally Field's character in Forrest Gump said it best, "Lyft is like a box of chocolates. You never gonna know what you're gonna get." That is the accurate representation of a Friday for a ride share driver. It's truly a culmination of so many different possibilities.
Depending when you start the day, there's the working individuals out there, so typical passengers you're giving a ride either to or from work. But many have Fridays off, so there are random folks that are heading out for golf games or heading to the airport. There are also the families who are savoring the last bit of summer that any Minnesotans can get. (We devour the sunlight and beautiful weather like a gallon of water after traveling in the desert for a mile since we know it's a scarce commodity.) And then there's the final tier of typical Friday fares: people who are ready to get fuuuuuuuuuunked up because it's MF'in Friday. Or, if it's late enough, giving those a ride home because we'd much rather have them in the backseat of a Lyft or Uber than on the road any day.
Last night was no exception for me. The previous few days, I've found that it's the most lucrative to start the day at or around 4:00am and soldier through until about 5pm or so. Or, at least until I get tired and have put in a decent amount of time and gotten a decent amount of rides. Why that early? Flights. The time frame between 4-7am is prime time to get people to the airport and given the vast space of the Twin Cities area from one edge of the suburbs in the west to that in the east, as well as north and south, and the placement of the airport in Bloomington, airport rides are my favorite rides since they're motorized gold. The longer the ride, the more money I receive, plus I usually get to have decent conversations which drive tips up as well, so the entire thing works out. Long story long, airport rides = happy me. I literally get giddy when I see someone standing out waiting with a suitcase.
Yesterday though, I needed to pick up my own mother and her boyfriend from the airport around 2am, so I planned to head out a little later in the day. After cuddling with my cat for a bit, doing some things for school and applying to a few open positions as well, it was time to get on the road, which was about 3:00pm. (I'll probably be going out that same time tonight or so.)
I live on the northern side of the Cities, but usually when I flip on my app, I do get a ride request fairly quickly. Either here in my same suburb or somewhere in Northeast Minneapolis since I'm very close on the border.
First ride was two extremely enthusiastic guys heading to the airport. (Super super super bonus cause YAY AIRPORT!!) Two guys which, I barely said a word as they explained everything they had planned for their trip. Apparently they were heading to a wedding in Nashville, though one was worried about the cribbage board he'd packed if it would get through airport security. One of the men, (whose name I actually have to use because it's too good not to) Mackalin, had a few choice quotes throughout the 30 minute ride. He looked like a blonde Tennis-playing God and sounded exactly like a combination of Dermot Mulroney and Matthew McConaughey as he drove the majority of the conversation. He constantly referred to his backpack as a "backsack" - no joke - and then started talking about driving his truck down the highway and air conditioning. One of his best quotes was:
More highlights of the night included a woman who had to have been around my age that I'd picked up from her workplace as she just got off and she was on the phone when she settled into my backseat. The first full sentence I heard her say:
Another passenger that really touched me was a Somali woman I'd picked up on Lake Street. Most of the time if I get a Somali passenger, they don't really say much to me, even when I try to engage them with conversation. I don't believe it's a language barrier issue, but more of a safety concern, which I don't blame anyone for at all. White women are the cause of way too many unnecessary police calls and countless false accusations against people of color that have destroyed many's lives (Emmett Till, The Scottsboro Boys, etc.). So I get it to a point. I'm a white woman and I'm a liability who can't be trusted - absolutely understandable and I'm perfectly okay with giving a person a ride from point A to point B as safely and soundly as I can while keeping my respectful distance.
This woman though, she started the ride off complaining about the quality (or lack thereof) of Walgreens' plastic bags and said that she was in line for two hours at a henna shop waiting for her turn to have her hands decorated for the upcoming Muslim holiday on Sunday, Eid. To the point she said that she'd told the owner of the shop, who was prioritizing people she'd known rather than when people had arrived and gotten in line, FU and she got up and left. Now, I'm not at all a master of Somali or Muslim culture, but from what I do know, women seem to be painted as very quiet and non-confrontational given their place within the societal structure of Islam. I was taken aback completely and the more she spoke, the more I fell in love with her. She's two years younger than I am and she's seen more horrors and been through more than I probably ever will, but she's still the strongest person I think I've ever met. She answered some questions I had about the holiday and Ramadan and she said she'd had a ride previously that was with a Trump supporter who was extremely racist to her the entire ride before she requested he stop and let her out. She campaigned for Bernie Sanders in 2016, volunteers for the DFL and also worked in Ilhan's campaign staff. By the end of the ride, she gave me her phone number saying that we should be friends and I fully intend to send her a text today to let her know if she ever needs a ride if she's in a situation where she doesn't feel safe for any reason at all (we talked a lot about American treatment of Muslims and immigrants), that she can call me and I'd be there as soon as possible, no charge.
This is already way too long for a first entry and I promise these won't all be like this at all, but other quick highlights:
Depending when you start the day, there's the working individuals out there, so typical passengers you're giving a ride either to or from work. But many have Fridays off, so there are random folks that are heading out for golf games or heading to the airport. There are also the families who are savoring the last bit of summer that any Minnesotans can get. (We devour the sunlight and beautiful weather like a gallon of water after traveling in the desert for a mile since we know it's a scarce commodity.) And then there's the final tier of typical Friday fares: people who are ready to get fuuuuuuuuuunked up because it's MF'in Friday. Or, if it's late enough, giving those a ride home because we'd much rather have them in the backseat of a Lyft or Uber than on the road any day.
Last night was no exception for me. The previous few days, I've found that it's the most lucrative to start the day at or around 4:00am and soldier through until about 5pm or so. Or, at least until I get tired and have put in a decent amount of time and gotten a decent amount of rides. Why that early? Flights. The time frame between 4-7am is prime time to get people to the airport and given the vast space of the Twin Cities area from one edge of the suburbs in the west to that in the east, as well as north and south, and the placement of the airport in Bloomington, airport rides are my favorite rides since they're motorized gold. The longer the ride, the more money I receive, plus I usually get to have decent conversations which drive tips up as well, so the entire thing works out. Long story long, airport rides = happy me. I literally get giddy when I see someone standing out waiting with a suitcase.
Yesterday though, I needed to pick up my own mother and her boyfriend from the airport around 2am, so I planned to head out a little later in the day. After cuddling with my cat for a bit, doing some things for school and applying to a few open positions as well, it was time to get on the road, which was about 3:00pm. (I'll probably be going out that same time tonight or so.)
I live on the northern side of the Cities, but usually when I flip on my app, I do get a ride request fairly quickly. Either here in my same suburb or somewhere in Northeast Minneapolis since I'm very close on the border.
First ride was two extremely enthusiastic guys heading to the airport. (Super super super bonus cause YAY AIRPORT!!) Two guys which, I barely said a word as they explained everything they had planned for their trip. Apparently they were heading to a wedding in Nashville, though one was worried about the cribbage board he'd packed if it would get through airport security. One of the men, (whose name I actually have to use because it's too good not to) Mackalin, had a few choice quotes throughout the 30 minute ride. He looked like a blonde Tennis-playing God and sounded exactly like a combination of Dermot Mulroney and Matthew McConaughey as he drove the majority of the conversation. He constantly referred to his backpack as a "backsack" - no joke - and then started talking about driving his truck down the highway and air conditioning. One of his best quotes was:
"I never use my A/C. I go full Redneck, both windows down, stereo blastin' and speedin' down the highway."I knew I was in for a good night.
More highlights of the night included a woman who had to have been around my age that I'd picked up from her workplace as she just got off and she was on the phone when she settled into my backseat. The first full sentence I heard her say:
"I mean, I really can't lie. I'm... kind of more looking forward to doing my puzzle tonight. Yeah. I want to get my Frida Kahlo on since I have to deal with my family tomorrow."Immediately I knew I wanted to be this girl's best friend. Once she got off the phone with her boyfriend, I told her that a puzzle, a glass of wine and some music sounded like my perfect Friday night. She felt embarrassed for a half a second but then we laughed all the way to her apartment, talking about puzzles (which remind me of my grandmother who would always have a puzzle going) and how awesome and underrated they are. We also came up with a concept of a puzzle rental operation because puzzles are actually really expensive for the super beautiful intricate ones and why not do like a puzzle swap?
Another passenger that really touched me was a Somali woman I'd picked up on Lake Street. Most of the time if I get a Somali passenger, they don't really say much to me, even when I try to engage them with conversation. I don't believe it's a language barrier issue, but more of a safety concern, which I don't blame anyone for at all. White women are the cause of way too many unnecessary police calls and countless false accusations against people of color that have destroyed many's lives (Emmett Till, The Scottsboro Boys, etc.). So I get it to a point. I'm a white woman and I'm a liability who can't be trusted - absolutely understandable and I'm perfectly okay with giving a person a ride from point A to point B as safely and soundly as I can while keeping my respectful distance.
This woman though, she started the ride off complaining about the quality (or lack thereof) of Walgreens' plastic bags and said that she was in line for two hours at a henna shop waiting for her turn to have her hands decorated for the upcoming Muslim holiday on Sunday, Eid. To the point she said that she'd told the owner of the shop, who was prioritizing people she'd known rather than when people had arrived and gotten in line, FU and she got up and left. Now, I'm not at all a master of Somali or Muslim culture, but from what I do know, women seem to be painted as very quiet and non-confrontational given their place within the societal structure of Islam. I was taken aback completely and the more she spoke, the more I fell in love with her. She's two years younger than I am and she's seen more horrors and been through more than I probably ever will, but she's still the strongest person I think I've ever met. She answered some questions I had about the holiday and Ramadan and she said she'd had a ride previously that was with a Trump supporter who was extremely racist to her the entire ride before she requested he stop and let her out. She campaigned for Bernie Sanders in 2016, volunteers for the DFL and also worked in Ilhan's campaign staff. By the end of the ride, she gave me her phone number saying that we should be friends and I fully intend to send her a text today to let her know if she ever needs a ride if she's in a situation where she doesn't feel safe for any reason at all (we talked a lot about American treatment of Muslims and immigrants), that she can call me and I'd be there as soon as possible, no charge.
This is already way too long for a first entry and I promise these won't all be like this at all, but other quick highlights:
- A gentleman in South St. Paul with gold chains bigger than I've ever seen that got a ride downtown but was telling his girlfriend he was about to go into the studio to lay down a track for his album. Next week he's shooting a video cause he secured a Porsche apparently. Oh, and I'm pretty sure I got high from the weed smell on his clothes.
- A woman I'd picked up from Mendota Heights that was the most adorable, kind woman. She bought a used car and drove it and the tire unexpectedly flew off while she was driving slowly down a suburban block. She said she would never drive a used car again and she's saving up to buy a new one, but that every day is a blessing since she definitely felt death fly over her that day. Good reminder - every day is a blessing.
- Two drunk and high guys I picked up from the Amsterdam after the Hawthorne Heights concert there. Absolutely. Freaking. Hilarious. We all partook in a sing along of a 98 Degrees song cause why not? I also got hugs from both of them and was called the "most awesome driver ever."
- Two professional chefs who apparently think that there's not a decent grocery store in the entire Twin Cities area. Tip: don't talk smack about my city. I was side-eyeing them from my front seat the whole trip.
So we'll see what today brings! Lots going on around town. Queen/Adam Lambert concert at the X, Irish Fair, Pizza Luce Block Party, Twins Game, Made in Minnesota Beerfest at Canterbury Park, plus on and off rain showers today which are always solid for drivers. Add a summer Saturday, weddings galore, and the typical Saturday crunk-up crowd, let's get it on!
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