Transport for thrill-seekers

Work was a little nuts Thursday, and I had a black-tie gala that night. Wearing a fancy dress & heels, I found myself standing on a corner in Midtown 15 min. late for meeting the clients for drinks, and there were no available cabs. Less than optimal. So I walked a few blocks. I was cold, my feet hurt, my bag was heavy, there were still no cabs, and I was now 30 min. late. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I hopped into a pedicab. Oh my. It was sort of like riding the Cyclone or the Wonder Wheel at Coney Island: scary because death seems like a very real possibility. As the driver guy was biking me to my destination, I was acutely aware that I was totally unprotected. If we had an accident, I would be catapulted onto the pavement. We did have a close call; a car almost hit us as it tried to merge into our lane (it probably didn't see us because pedicabs don't have lights). Thankfully I arrived at my destination unscathed. Pedicabs aren't metered, so the guy asked me for $25 for the trip. In a yellow cab, it would have been $8 with tip. Made me feel sorry for the tourists who get gouged every day.

I chilled out after I found everyone and had a glass of wine! The host of the gala was Epatha Merkerson from Law & Order. Apparently she also enjoyed some wine during cocktail hour & dinner, because she was pretty buzzed on stage. At first it was entertaining, and then it was a little awkward. But the event was a pretty good time overall.