Two more rides...

Picked up another group of four at 4th and Lavaca who wanted to go to 6th and San Jacinto. They were with another group who got into another pedicab and wanted to race...fast ride, out of breath, great exercise, and a lot of fun...I was leading the whole way, until I had to slow down for a light, and the other pedicab was able to pick up speed and pass me for the win.

Picked up a guy with two girls at The Belmont on 6th St. near Lavaca....they wanted to go to The Music Hall where they were meeting a cousin.

The Aquarium

I picked up the four girls in the photo above at the corner of 6th and Lavaca as they were trying to make their way to the center of 6th St. ( a long walk especially in heels). Fun ride...we arrived at 6th and Trinity where the police have barricaded the street, and they got out and walked past the barricade the rest of the way to the Aquarium. One of the girls inquired whether a pedicab could pick up a couple immediately following their wedding and be taken on a ride and then to their hotel... Of course we can do that...I gave her the phone number for Capital Pedicab and told her to call and reserve the date!

Fifth Ride

The three girls in the above picture got in my cab on W 6th and they wanted to go to Pangea. The told me about a blog called stuff white people like and told me to check it out as the author had recently received a book deal. Fun ride... so far it has been non-stop...tonight could be a great workout.

Fourth Ride...

My fourth ride was a couple who were leaving Cedar St. with another couple, and they all wanted to go to The Ranch on W 6th St...one couple went with me and the other went in another pedicab...I took the 6th St. route as it has a nice downhill, unfortunately I got stuck at a couple of red lights so the other pedicab beat me there.

Rides...

My first ride of the night was a bartender who I picked up near the Hilton after hearing a call of "Pedicab, Pedicab!" She had an interview at Hi Lo which is on the corner of 5th and Lavaca...great first ride as I was already heading that way.

My second ride was two guys from Houston who were walking up 5th St. and they wanted to go to Pangea.

My third ride was three big guys from Dallas who had been at Antone's who wanted to go to the Thirsty Nickel on 6th St at Trinity.

Start of the night...

Started the night off late, and then when I arrived at the shop I had a leak in one of my tires so I had to change the tire before I headed out...I had a good night last time I had a flat at the shop...so hopefully it will be a great night....

Final ride

I am on my way back to the shop to put away my bike and I am going through the parking lot between 4th and 5th streets next to I-35 when a guy in a group of people standing next to a car says he wants a ride, I keep going because I am done, but then turn around and ask him where he wants to go...he says he has never been in a pedicab and could I just take him around the parking lot...I say sure and tell him and two friends to jump in, as they are etting into the pedicab two more people from their group want a ride, so I tell them I will take them next...I spin the first group around the lot, and then pick up the second group and do the same...they loved it, thanked me, and I snapped a couple of pictures (see photos above)...

Put away my bike and headed home for some Topo Chico, pizza, watermelon, and sleep...until next week...good night!

Three girls on 5th...

The bars have closed and I am riding down 5th looking for people who might want a ride, when I see three girls who are wearing some pretty revealing dresses...so I ask if they want a ride, and one says, "I want to ride that bitch!"...her friend then clarifies that she means I want to ride that bitch, not I want to ride that...bitch...then the first one says, "I want to ride you!" Oh here we go again propositions and innuendos...its pretty funny all of the cat calls the pedicabbers get from both men and women...must be a combination of the alcohol, the time, and of course our legs...

San Antonio

Two guys from San Antonio who wanted to go to 6th and Red River...

6th and Trinity

Cedar Street to 6th and Trinity...fun ride...good workout...nice group...

Pizza and the Radisson

Super cool couple...He was finishing his PhD in Economics at UCSB (wow! two people from my alma mater in one night, small world)...they are pregnant with their second child...moving to Bozeman, Montana for a job...stopped for some pizza...chatted about Santa Barbara, Isla Vista, and surfing, ...drove them to the Radisson...great ride and conversation...

The Madison

Picked up two girls and one guy from Key Bar...wanted to go to The Madison on 5th....took a slight scenic route to avoid the hill on 5th since the light at the bottom of the hill was red and then on the sidewalk back up Guadalupe....fun conversation about the burn of pedicabbing...fun group...

Union Park

Two guys, one who just graduated from UT with a chemical engineering degree, the other one is still at UT working on an electrical engineering degree...went from Congress Ave and 6th to Union Park on W 6th...uphill a bit and then a great downhill with a great breeze....

Club Rain

Picked up these three girls and one guy near the Marriott Courtyard looking for Club Rain...great, fun group!

More rides

Couple from Paramount to Cedar Street...

Two girls and a guy from Gingerman to Shangri-La on E 6th...good long ride with burn as there is a hill on Waller, but an easier route than 7th under I-35 and up a steeper hill...the guy graduated from UCSB (I did too) so we chatted about Isla Vista and some other Santa Barbara trivia...

STEVE EARLE

2nd ride was from The Paramount Theatre to City Hall Parking Garage with an Austin couple...told me that the two girls in front of them talked the whole time and the guy behind them kept singing the lyrics, but beside that, they said it was a great show...

First Ride

So I am out and about on this warm night in Austin and there is a nice breeze...

My first ride was four ladies (see picture above) I picked up at 4th and Congress who wanted to go to Elysium, a dance club at 7th and Red River...right after I picked them up they overheard a guy say, "I want to ride with him...". Of course this played into the usual sexual innuendos such as 'need a pump' etc. Great ride and a great way to start this bustling Friday night in downtown Austin...

Final Thought...

I was putting the pedicab away when the subject of carbonated water came up...apparently cycling depletes the calcium in your bones...bummer...and carbonated water (which I love) also has some adverse affect on calcium absorption in your bones...double bummer...I will have to research this...anyway I am off to drink a Topo Chico, have some pizza and watermelon, shower and get some zzzzzz's...signing off until tomorrow....

Final Ride

My last ride of the night was two women eating pizza who wanted to go to 3rd and West which is The Gables apts...they kept talking about their friend who lived there. Apparently his parents were in town, got wasted, and he was worried they were going to have sex in his new bed...lol...they really wanted to know how I dealt with the burn...the truth is I love it...and it takes a busy night to get there now...On my way back to downtown there was a car going the wrong way down 5th (this happens a lot and is a great way to get pulled over along with not turning on your headlights)....the funny thing (if you can say that) is they were stopping at the lights which they could only see the back of, and even when two vehicles heading the other way swerved to avoid them, they just continued driving...just shows you have to be careful...On the way to drop the women off a fast moving car almost blew a stop sign before they saw us flying down the hill on 6th and slammed on their brakes...another close call.....

The Capitol

5th Ride

My fifth ride was the same local Austin couple I took to SIX...this time I took them to The Ranch on W. 6th where they had valeted their car...on the way there the guy said that there had been some guys dancing at SIX, and that when he asked them to teach him, they said, "We don't have all night."

3rd Ride

My third ride was a local Austin couple that went from 5th and Colorado to 4th and Lavaca where they went to a club called SIX...

OILCAN HARRY'S

Another longtime popular Austin watering hole...next door to QUA.

QUA

A popular nightclub on 4th Street.

4th Ride

Two girls from Qua to 7th and Red River...we discussed how a portion of granola is only one cup...and how we always have way more than one serving....

2nd ride....slowwwwww night so far...

Second ride of the night...slowwww...two guys, one from San Antonio, one from Houston, rode from 4th to J Blacks...fun ride...nice workout...

Pedicabber's calf muscle!

Ron's calf muscle...!

First Ride +

First ride of the night two ladies from Houston and a guy from Austin - Cedar Street to the Hilton Garden Inn...

B-Real from Cypress Hill is at the Mohawk and Peter Murphy is at Emo's...

Lotus...

Yellow Lotus parked in front of Cedar Street...

Four Seasons

The only powder blue Lamborghini I have ever seen....beautiful!

Me? One of the Jonas Brothers....?

I was just told I looked like one of the Jonas Brothers...lol...I think it's the hair...

Out and about...

Out and about...beautiful night in Austin...I'll be your eyes and ears...

La Casa Del Fuego

One of many popular late night trailor eateries in downtown Austin....

Last rides

Split a ride with another pedicabber from W 6th to 2nd and Guadalupe...five girls from Juarez, Mex...

Picked up three girls at 2nd and Guadalupe who wanted to go to Speakeasy...

Picked up a couple at Cedar St. They wanted to go to the Sheraton...the hill on 11th is brutal...

Picked up a couple at Trulucks who wanted to go to their car at 8th and Trinity...she was here, he was from Dallas...another good workout...

Picked up two guys from New Orleans, one lives here now and the other lives in Houston, but says he is going to move here since his fiance lives here....they wanted to go from Molotov on W 6th to Pangea on 4th and Colorado...

Picked up another couple at Pangea who wanted to go to the Sheraton...here I come hill...this is quite a trip distance wise but this one was interesting for a few reasons....he was from New Orleans but lives in Houston now....I pulled up next to another pedicab with three ladies in it, one woman crawled over into my pedicab, and the girl in my cab says, "Honey, I don't share..." To which the woman who crawled in says, " Idon't think your man could satisfy me anyway..." To whic the first one responds, "Oh, believe me he could." After the other woman has returned to her original cab the sarcasm continues... so when the light turned green, I sped off as fast as I could, and when I turned around the couple was sayiing what a good idea taking a pedicab was...

Picked up two women and one guy at 4th and Neches...they wanted to go to the Four Seasons...had to get out of the way of a firetruck coming down 4th, then we headed down San Jacinto to the hotel...they claimed they had just gotten married that day, but then it became unclear whether the guy had married the girl or the girls had married each other...welcome to Austin...

For my last ride of the night I ended up picking up the same two girls from last night who were my last ride of the night yesterday, minus the guy...they wanted to go to Katz's again....we continued our discussion about the girl who had been described as being well f*****...I had actually been thinking about this a bit...did it mean she was skilled or used? I think we all know the answer to that question...

Penn State

Picked up three graduates from Penn State, two who moved here, one who is just visiting... They wanted to go from W 6th to Red River and 4th...fun, long ride!

Rides...

Update: picked up two girls and a guy who wanted to go to Key Bar on W 6th...

Then picked a couple from outside Houston who wanted a hotdog and then to go over the river to the Embassy Suites, went to the trailor at 4th and Congress for the hot dog and burger and then took them to the hotel...

After that I picked up a guy who just moved here from Chico, California...he put the max amount of girls in a cab on W 6th, and then jumped in my cab to meet them at Qua....hopefully...

Picked up a brother and sister...she lives here, he lives in San Antonio...dropped them at 6th and Congress....when I first pulled over per her request she just wanted an update on was happening on 4th St and also on 6th St...I told her that on 6th the biker parade had just ended so 6th was packed and on 4th there were a bunch of people also...they decided to get in and go to 4th for a look see and then on to 6th and Congress where they decided to get out and check out the packed scene...On the way between 4th and 6th, we passed a Firetruck with a bunch of girls vying for the firemens' attention...the brother asked why girls are so obsessed with fireman, I suggested that just like most little boys are obsessed with firetrucks, most little girls are obsessed with the firemen, also the fact that when they are not out on calls they are always working out probably doesn't hurt...

Busy...busy...busy...

Flat tire

It is Saturday night of ROT weekend, so there are motorcycles everywhere. The photo above is taken on the corner of Colorado and 4th St. This isn't my cab, but this is what it looks like when you get a flat back tire when you are out riding around, as you have to put the cab in the air with the front tire off the ground. It is the easiest way to fix the flat.

I have had three rides so far...one from W 6th to Speakeasy, one a couple of blocks to the bus, and the third was a great scenic tour from Truluck's to the 360 Tower and Music Hall, then the 2nd St. District and then back to Truluck's. Super cool guy and girl from Longview, TX.

Crazy late night drum and dance circle....

Last rides

Dropped off the ride at Katz's Deli and was flagged down by a super drunk guy....who I think was coming on to me....couldn't really tell as he was basically just spitting out one word sentences, and telling me I was a whore...?...? Maybe that's what he wanted me to be... I couldn't really tell as his vocabulary was so limited and he just kept making hand gestures...at one point he wanted to buy me a drink...but I tried to point out to him that I was working and could not have a drink...he was very drunk and confused...as I drove off I watched him stopping two guys and starting the same thing again...lol

Picked up three people at the corner of 5th and Congress who wanted to go to 8th and Brazos...getting three people up Brazos is a decent workout...

Picked up a guy with his sister who was in town from Dallas, they wanted to take a pedicab to their car as she had never been in one, took them around a few sites on the scenic tour so they could enjoy a little bit of a longer ride...he wanted to know some recommendations for places to get pierced and she wanted to know where to go for a tattoo...beats me as I have neither but I told them I would text them after asking some of the other pedicabbers who do...

Picked up two women and a man from Guanajuato, Mexico and another town near Mexico City, but who live in Austin, very skimpy clothing, super friendly, fun ride....

Two guys...who wanted to go to west 6th...we were accosted by another guy in a group who said to me "you look pretty good for a guy who drives gay guys around all night"... wtf does that mean? The guys in my cab were nice and one of them started talking about how the pedicabbers all have nice legs and butts, and then of course he wanted a feel....

Last ride was a bigger guy from Austin and two girls from Dallas who wanted to go to Katz's...one of the girls starts to talk about my legs, and then the other girl asks '...if you brought a girl home whom you might describe as "well-f*****", would you take her to meet your mother?'...Of course, I think we all know the answer to this question...

The Capitol, Congress Ave, and a bunch of bikes

Picked up two guys who wanted to go to their car on west 6th, then two guys from Ft. Worth who wanted to go to Logan's, and then a guy who wanted to go to Katz's Deli...busy...busy...busy...definitely getting a good workout tonight!

The shot above is looking North on Congress Avenue directly at the Capitol with hundreds of motorcycles parked in the street.

Vivi and Captain Morgan

Michael and Viviane walked downtown to check out the scene and watch Robbie Knievel perform the jump...afterwards we were chatting when we saw Captain Morgan and took the photo above...classic!

Rides...

Recap: picked up a couple at Lavaca and they wanted to go to east 6th...definitely a workout especially the hill on 7th past I-35...

Picked up two biker chicks, one wearing a shirt that said Bimbo...lol....took them to the Courtyard Marriott...One of them dropped their Discover card so I returned later and left it with a manager...

Next ride was from 6th to Hilton Garden Inn - the guy was in town from Houston....

Crazy, busy night with lots of people from Austin and everywhere else in town out having a great time...

3rd ride...

Picked up a couple who wanted to go to Fleming's (two blocks)...she did not want to ride in the pedicab, but on a night like tonight because of ROT it could take an hour or more to get a cab...she gave in and had a great time....at one point I asked a question and turned around and they were involved in a deep kiss...

Check out this crazy tricycle/motorcycle...

2nd ride

Three people from Pecos and El Paso in town for ROT rally who wanted to get back to the Inter-Continental Stephen F Austin Hotel while enjoying their pizza...

First ride...

My first ride tonight was a bass amp...gotta love the musicians in Austin!

Republic of Texas (ROT) Parade and Rally Weekend

Huge amounts of bikers have arrived at the capital this weekend... I mean 1000's... It's crazy! Robbie Knievel is supposed to jump three semis at 11.... It's going to be a wild night, as evidenced by my having a flat before I even left the pedicab garage...lol

Two rides!

Unfortunately, no pictures but I picked up a very sweet, drunk girl with a crazy blinged out phone...she wanted my number so she could text me for rides on Thursdays or Fridays. I took her from Congress Ave to IHOP at I-35 where she was meeting her man.

At IHOP I picked up a guy from Holiday, TX which is near Wichita Falls. I took him from IHOP to the Radisson. He is in town for the high school baseball championships and his team is in the final game tomorrow at noon. This is the 13th year he has come for it and they have never won. Maybe this is their year?

Image censored- not a ride, butt...

So I am waiting to turn right at a light when two skimpily dressed women walk in front of me. The next thing I know, one of them walks up to me and says that she loves me. She has obviously been drinking. I ask her if she wants a ride and she says no that she wants to walk, but that she loves me and then as she is walking off she says "See" and lifts up her skirt! I will let you ponder if there was anything underneath but the title should give it away. No more rides yet, but that doesn't mean something interesting won't happen...