“Can we stop at Chanello’s and pick up a pizza on the way home?” Reed hadn’t even shut the car door before he asked. He must have been hungry. “Did you order it already?” I asked. I don’t mind making a quick stop, but I lose money if I have to wait for long. “Yeah.… Continue reading Love and Marriage

A passenger once asked me if I had ever driven any celebrities. I laughed a little. What celebrities hang out in Virginia Beach? And even if they did, why would they ride in an Uber?

But tonight I drove my first celebrity: boxing legend, Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker.

Uber driving is often a cross-cultural experience. I make frequent trips to and from a shoddy parking lot near Military Circle where the China bus arrives and departs every night. The China bus is a $20 ride to and from New York City. A few nights ago I picked up an entire Chinese family there. A… Continue reading The World in My Uber

Concerts at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater are usually great for Uber drivers. Prices tend to surge as the shows let out and big crowds of people who have had too many twelve-dollar beers are looking for rides home. Recently, the Dixie Chicks were in town on a pleasantly warm summer night. It was about an hour before… Continue reading Battling Sadness

No, I didn’t get in an accident. A passenger had one. I was twenty minutes away when I got a ping to pick up Carl. Then, when I got to the Granby Street location, it was a challenge to find him. He’d been walking. When I finally located him, he was sitting on the curb.… Continue reading A Little Accident

China was a pretty, nineteen-year-old blonde in shorts and a Batman T-shirt. She had to go from the Oceanfront all the way to Hampton. The GPS said it would be a thirty-eight minute drive. Fortunately, China is exactly the kind of person you want for a long Uber ride. She dropped her skateboard in the back… Continue reading Vote for China

Maybe it’s ironic that the very day I posted about the most obnoxious drunk I’ve ever driven I get another patience-testing ride with a drunken sailor. I picked them up at Hot Tuna close to closing time. Two navy boys–call them Ernie and Bert–and Ernie’s girlfriend. Bert sat up front and the girl sat in… Continue reading The Brawler

I don’t mind drunk people. Usually. I’m happy to take them home safely. Uber is an excellent resource for people to protect themselves and others when they are planning to have a good time at the bars. In fact, in all my Uber adventures, I’ve had only one really bad experience with a drunk. I… Continue reading Obnoxious

When I head off to pick up a new passenger, I like to guess what they will look like based on their name (Drivers see a first name in the Uber app). I’m usually wrong. But I couldn’t have been more off-base with Ace. What would you expect an Ace to look like? I pictured… Continue reading Please Quit Smoking!

Technically, Scott was never my Uber passenger, but I just had to write about him anyway. I’ve seen him six or seven times walking on Kempsville Road, not far from my house. Okay, walking isn’t exactly the word. It’s more like prancing. He bops to the music in his headphones. He wears sunglasses and waves flamboyantly… Continue reading Gays for Trump?