Car Service Ghosts

In the days of 2023 and Uber it's hard to remember that back in my Brooklyn days, taxis would rather drive off the Williamsburg Bridge than over it. So if you needed a car to get around within my old Williamsburg neighborhood you had to calla car service. I even remember the number: 718-388-1111!

But I had forgotten that not only was there a time when you'd physically pick up a landline phone and call a car service, the particular service I used also had an actual storefront! Along my own Metropolitan Avenue I can picture it clear as day; if you were nearby instead of calling you'd pop in and then wait for a car.  Incredible to think of now in our days of cashless apps. Feels more like the 1890s than the 1990s now, but hey that's how it was.