Always an adventure

Even riding in a taxi in Washington can be an adventure.

Over the 16 years I've been making regular trips to Washington, D.C., to see my daughter while she was in college, graduate school and later married, working for the federal government and living within the district, I've ridden in countless taxi cabs, but never like the ride last weekend.

Friday evening my daughter and her husband wanted to walk from their home to have dinner at Clyde's, a linen-napkin-and-tablecloth restaurant where we previously had gone for Easter brunch and other "special" occasions.

Since it was dark when we left the restaurant and they didn't want to ride the Metro due to the tourists and the women's basketball game that was being played in the Verizon Center, we flagged down a passing cab near the Center.

The cab stopped long enough for my son-in-law to get in the front seat and my wife and daughter to get in the back seat, but as I started to get in, the cab started to move with the door open and me partially inside.

A quick hop and door slam later, the cab stopped for me to get inside.

The cab driver, apparently wanting to be rid of us so he could forget how he nearly caused serious injury, drove like a madman, weaving in and out of traffic, running yellow and "pink" traffic lights, making illegal turns and speeding along residential streets.

The driver was so happy to be rid of us, he even waved off the tip my son-in-law offered ... a tip in my opinion the cabbie didn't deserve and wouldn't have been offered by me.

Considering the near accident and his driving, I wish I had noted the driver's name and/or number.

And before anyone wonders, we did not attend either the Glenn Beck rally or the Al Sharpton rally, both of which in my mind were little more than self-serving attempts for personal notoriety..