If you are really looking for a great ride in New York to get the adrenaline pumping, the next time you get off the plane- take an extra $20 and tell the cab driver to get you there as fast as possible. This is an adventure, and not for the weak of stomach.

My friendly driver, a guy in his mid-forties who barely spoke any English should have been an Indy driver. He made so many lane changes in one city block I don’t even think he realized there were lanes, and whenever I looked down at the road my seat was directly  over the line. He took several turns at a high enough speed that the back end of the Taxi slid into place, and I’m pretty sure he took flight on at least one of the bumps we hit.

It was fun. The craziest part was that we passed at least a half dozen police cars doing 20+ mph over the speed limit and breaking almost every traffic law I can think of. I don’t know if it is just New York, but it seems the bright Yellow of the cab makes it incredibly difficult for a police office to see.

I would hate to imagine what the insurance rate for a cabbie in New York is, but I imagine they either develop great driving skills or they simply don’t do business for long.

The nature of competitive business in New York is just brutal. The real estate convention I was in town for had several people describing the territory as “bloody”. I even heard a half-dozen comments about Seinfeld commentary regarding home buyers checking the obituaries for a good real estate deal or apartment opening.

In such an environment, the speed and precision a professional needs to maintain even in such a basic industry as cab driving is a key example of how competitive metro areas can be.