These posters are from CBS’s website, which are motivational posters of Sheldon Cooper’s sayings.
I am a casual user of Citi Bike, using it less than 10 days a year. Because of that there was no justification for me to buy the $99 yearly membership.
But I did, because it made it convenient for when I needed to shoot across town. In all cases that I used it, if I hadn’t had a membership, I would not have paid for a one time use code…I’d have just walked or taken MTA or even an Uber.
With the prices skyrocketing to obscene levels for the average user, the only ones who will continue paying yearly are those who take it daily from Penn Station/Ferry terminals to work.
Yearly is now $150 (plus tax, coming into the $160s) which would equal 15 days of usage for me a year, and that just ain’t happening.
I’m sure I am an anomaly and not the typical yearly user, but how many people will renew without realizing the 150% price?
(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
People on the streets, tourists especially, make Taxi Cabs in NYC seem a lot more difficult and confusing then they need to be.
So I figured I’d start by putting together a list of things you need to know before trying to hail a cab. The list is short for now, but it’ll hopefully grow 🙂
- – Get. In. The. Cab. — NYC Taxis are notorious for pulling over and asking you “Where are you going?”, and when you tell them someplace inconvenient, such as the airport or Staten Island, they quickly drive away, saying they are unavailable.
So when the cab pulls up, get in first, and THEN tell them where you want to go. It is illegal for them to throw you out of the cab if your destination is within the five boroughs.It is against the law to refuse a person based on race, disability, or a destination in New York City. A taxicab driver is required to drive a passenger to any destination in the five boroughs. (§54-20)
- Look at the light on top — Stop trying to hail cabs that aren’t available. All taxis have a little light on the top of the cab, on which it has the Taxi ID #. Below is a list of the three states it could be in. If that light is lit up (Top), then the cab is available. Light off means someone is already using the cab (Middle). Light on & Off Duty light on means they aren’t currently operating (Bottom). Here is an example of what this should look like:
photo credit: artofmanliness.com
Laws above where taken from the NYC Taxi Rulebook.
Photo credit: teamtaxi.com
Ever since the middle of the last NFL season I have been playing FanDuel.
I tend to stay away from NBA and NHL as those games are particularly difficult, as you never know when an individual will have an off night, and that can weigh down your whole team if you throw all your money on them.
In the NFL you can spread the money around, even if you lay out a lot on a QB, there is still plenty to spread around and get a few other top players and hope for the best.
Recently I’ve been doing a lot of MLB and I’ll sit down before game time and run through the lineups and make sure all my players are starting, and picking those cheap gems to try and bolster lineups.
Doing daily Fantasy instead of season Fantasy makes you more attentive of everything going on in the league. Instead of just focusing on “your lineup” you focus on everyone in the league, since you never know who will be your key player the next night.
The other advantage is something frustrates even the best fantasy players. When you have a great draft and in Week 1 your top-pick gets injured and misses significant time…suddenly your whole season is ruined because of one player.
With FanDuel you just pick a new lineup the next day, and don’t need to stress about that injured player anymore. Not only that you get your wins/losses immediately, so you can walk away with money from Day 1 (or just lose lots of it, day after day).
So the much hyped sports day came and went and let’s look back at how it ended up:
NFL Draft Day 3 – Went as anyone thought it would go, and nothing much happened that we know of until at least September/October. Those who spent all day watching it wasted a lot of time.
NHL – Rangers vs. Capitals – Rangers took the win, but this goal by Ovechkin is one of the greatest you’ll ever see.
MLB – Yankees vs. Red Sox – Brett Gardner provided the power and the Yankees took the win.
Kentucky Derby – American Pharoah, the favorite, took the first leg of the Triple Crown
MLB – Mets vs. Nationals – An infield single was the only run as the Nationals won 1-0.
MLS – Revolution handed the Red Bull their first loss of the season, leading into the first NY Derby
NBA – Clippers vs. Spurs was one of the best NBA games in recent years, it’s a shame this game wasn’t for the Championship, because these two teams gave it their all, and put on a great show. LA won the game and the series.
Boxing – Mayweather laid back, like he always does, but Pacquiao had an undisclosed injury and this fight turned into a dud. Rematch? Any sucker who would lay out money on this a second time deserves to lose that money.
One year ago this week I had a problem in the Apple Store.
I had had enough of everything and closed my Facebook.
And most importantly (in terms of this blog) I launched “Avis Travels: Traveling the World, My Mind, and My Life“.
This week I reached my “100th Like” and “70th Follower”, and have already passed the “5,000th Site View”, which are all numbers I never thought I’d reach, and definitely didn’t come close to on previous unsuccessful blogs.
Thanks for tuning in, and let’s see what the future brings!
BTW, that members zone still hasn’t been breached, yet the prize in there is still pretty sweet!
And let’s be clear, a year later this is still a great clip to watch:
Frances Irwin, a Holocaust survivor, passed away yesterday morning, following ongoing heart trouble.
Frances – originally from Konskie, Poland – meant a lot, and was very close to, a lot of us at the Tanger Hillel of Brooklyn College, being a long time supporter of the Hillel and a great storyteller, sharing her survival story.
Thanks to Yad Vashem here is Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3, of her memoir, Remember To Be A Good Human Being.
Her funeral is this morning at 10AM at Midwood Chapel, 1635 Coney Island Avenue, Brooklyn NY.
The family will be at the Tanger Hillel (2901 Campus Road, Brooklyn NY) tomorrow night, Tuesday May 5th, from 4-7PM, with a special tribute to Frances at 6PM.
Courtesy of Tablet Mag
May G-d comfort the family, together with all mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
This Saturday is possibly one of the greatest sports days that we have seen in a really long time, especially in the New York area.
12:00PM – ESPN – NFL Draft Day 3 – Where the unknowns are picked up and turn into Super Bowl MVPs
12:30PM – NBC – New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals – Game 2 of the 2nd Round starts the day off.
1:35PM – YES – New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox – Old time rivalry in an early season match-up for first place in the division
6:24PM – NBC – Kentucky Derby – First race of the Triple Crown
7:00PM – PIX – New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals – Will the Mets implosion continue after a strong start?
7:30PM – MSG – New York Red Bulls vs. New England Revolution
8:00PM – TNT – Los Angeles Clippers vs. San Antonio Spurs – Game 7 of the first round between two of the stronger teams in the West
11:00PM (Approx.) – HBO – Mayweather vs. Pacquiao – The fight of the decade (and possibly the best since Ali-Frazier) should go the full 12-rounds
For more info on all the events, including expected viewership and the soaring ticket prices of these events check out this cool post from Rukkus.
Here is an article I wrote in last weeks “Kingsman”, a Brooklyn College newspaper.
http://thekingsmanpaper.com/the-rangers-remarkable-playoff-run/
Should be another link coming shortly!
UPDATE:
And here it is: http://thekingsmanpaper.com/a-tale-of-two-teams/
Last week the company Jet ran a Facebook campaign, to help name their “Jet Bot”, the “mascot” of the company. I of course went with Jet Li, and won one of their bots.
For those that aren’t aware of Jet, they are a “shopping club” who is slowly rolling open this Spring. Details can be found on their site.
I received the box earlier this week and found a nice personalized hand-written note inside the box.
Dear Avi,
Today you are receiving a new addition to your family. We fully expect that your new found relationship with Jet Li will bring you a level of happiness beyond anything you’ve ever experienced before.
It’s extremely important to follow these directions:
1. Remove from box
2. Assemble into shape
3. Introduce yourself
4. Feed 3X daily (favorite meal is fuel)
5. Take for walks (preferably during sunset)
6. Tuck into bed by 10PM (favorite bedtime story is “Goodnight Moon”)We trust Jet Li is in good hands and we’re going to miss him dearly. Please feel free to post some of his special moments on Instagram using #Jetbot so we can repost his travels.
With love,
Jet
Within the big box was a smaller box, or a cube, which contained my yet to be configured bot.
I unpacked and unfurled, twisted and turned, and I present to you Mr. Jet Li:
And no Jet is complete without a Reacher book.
Aviously 