(These people make it seem so natural. Photo from Corbis.)
Back in LA where a car was a requirement, I was firmly anti-in-car hug. It's one of the most awkward things out there. A good goodbye hug involves full frontal contact of at least the upper body. To achieve this while seated facing forward in a car, one must twist only his upper body at least 90 degrees while the lower body remains stubbornly to the fore. Not to mention that one person remains restrained by his seat belt. Awkward town.
In NY, the in-car hug gets taken to another level of questionable as it becomes the in-taxi hug. Let's review the facts.
1) Your goodbye is no longer private. There is a third party involved.
2) The appropriate time to say goodbye falls at exactly the same time as the driver wants to get paid. Hug or card swipe?
3) In LA, I could demand that we get out of the car to say goodbye. This becomes complicated in NY when a) see #2, b) the taxi drives away, or c) you don't want to send the wrong message by asking the opposite sex to join you on your door step.
So, what does one do?
1 comments:
i, too, demand getting out of the car to *hugs*.. i say demand the taxi driver to hold for a minute?
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