Last night was my last night of the carriage-driving season (though certainly not for the company). And with getting settled into my new job, it may have been my last night as a carriage driver, ever.
As is typical of spending a lengthy shift traveling endless circles around downtown, you see a lot of interesting or amusing things. Here are a few that I noted last night:
- Rows upon rows of parking meters, tied off by the city police as ‘No Parking’. Of course, every single one of them had a vehicle parked at it, none of which had special parking permits.
- A woman driving past my carriage with no less than three dogs sitting in her lap, barking out her window.
- The irony of using a power sprayer to break up and remove ice from the steps of Monument Circle — in 28 degree weather.
- Inner city kids crossing the street against the light, standing in front of cars to prevent their passing through the intersection and flipping them off for getting so close.
- The guy playing the saxophone on the corner, who switches Christmas songs in mid-tune because he suddenly realizes he doesn’t know how to play the rest of the current tune.
- Automobile drivers who, ironically enough, become _less_ pleasant and _less_ respectful of carriage drivers the closer to Christmas we get.
All in all it was a great night for carriage driving. Riders were more than generous, the weather was cold but not windy, and it was my last night of the season. Change is in the air. It is almost palpable, and I can’t wait to see all the changes that the future holds.
