Changing of the Taxi guard

Sometimes one gets caught up
in the routines of daily life and gets
blinded by the changes that are
happening right under one's nose.

For the past year I've had the same
routine coming in and out of work.
I walk from point A to point B,
between my office and the number 5
subway station on bowling green. Between those points there are
several streets. One of which is Pearl Street.

On Pearl Street, each and every day, there is a line of black Lincoln
Continentals stretched from one block to the next. They are there to
pick up passengers (probably executives) from the surrounding
buildings. Ever since I've been working in downtown Manhattan, these
limo service vehicles have been there. They are as natural to the
surrounding landscape as the bricks from the buildings and the trees.

For some odd reason, I hadn't noticed that there has been a subtle
change in these vernacular objects. The change had been so subtle
that, even though I knew it existed, I had not caught on to its
significance. Today, this change was abruptly but delightfully exposed
to me. There were no longer these black gas-guzzling machines parked
harmonically one behind the other. Not today.

Today there was a change. Such is this change that I would consider it
to be a strong declaration. Instead of the Lincoln Continentals, there
stood a fleet of 10 or so grey Toyota Prius'
(http://www.toyota.com/prius/).

I was shocked! I had seen one or two of these cars parked there before
but never in so eloquent a manner. Not in such an imposing way to have
caught my eye and actually appreciate what their stature meant. These
cars are small and ugly but oh so sweet in significance. They are
hybrid cars. Hybrid taxi cars.

I had just discovered something that had been there all along. What
does this mean? Could there actually be a change of guard? The
potential of this change could be so significant I had to smile.
Yellow taxis, which so defined what New York has been for the last
couple of decades could be facing extinction against a measly little
Jap car? If there's a God please hear my prayers!

I am no scientist but I'm willing to bet that the impact that this
conversion would have on gas consumption and air pollution alone would
be well worth the elimination of those beastly Crown Victorians and
Continentals. Not to mention that driving a compact car instead of
these monster trucks would definitely benefit traffic flow in the city.

So today, among the routine of every day life I was awakened by the
potential of change. And I would like to make a toast to the
not-so-new evolution of the "New" York hybrid taxi over the "Old" York
regular taxis.

Salud.