Is it your first time to visit Chicago? If so, riding the famous Chicago cab is not something you’d want to miss. In fact, taking the cab is the best way to tour the city as it’s less frantic than the ‘L’ and definitely less confusing than taking the bus. Moreover, taking the cab presents you with the opportunity to experience the sights and sounds en route to your destination.
One thing you can do to make the ride a lot more interesting is to strike up a conversation with the driver. Cab drivers are known conversationalists with more than a story or two to share. But how do you start a conversation with your cabbie? What safe topic can you bring up? What subjects do you need to avoid?
Conversation Etiquette When Talking to a Cabbie
Taxi drivers are wonderful people to chat with and are full of fascinating stories. You simply need to ask good questions or bring up interesting topics. Like in most social gatherings, avoid discussing subjects that revolve around politics and religion. These two are notoriously considered as “touchy” subjects since most people have strong convictions about them. Avoid any chance of argument or disagreement by steering clear of these topics.
Another subject to avoid is the weather. Unless you are actually traveling through a hurricane, the weather as the main topic will get tedious very quickly. This normally leads to a deafening silence and awkwardness as you deliberately look out of the window.
Traveling around Chicago can be time-consuming, especially during rush hour. Avoid wasting time looking at unmoving vehicles with these three conversation-starting queries to ask your taxi driver.
- Where’s the best place to go in the city?
Cabbies are endlessly asked about the most popular places to see in Chicago regularly, but it’s a topic they enjoy discussing. Chicago cabbies, particularly Universal Taxi drivers, are proud of their city and will take pleasure in telling you about the awesome places you can visit. They may even share with you the best-kept secrets of Chicago, the ones that you may not just find on a regular tourist map.
- Where are the best restaurants around here?
Everyone is a foodie and cabbies are no exception. Chicago cabbies always have some sort of inside information to offer you on the best spots to have a sumptuous meal. From this point, you can cultivate the conversation and focus on food to keep the chat flowing.
- What are your most memorable experiences while doing this job?
Cabbies transport dozens of passengers every single day, so it’s not unlikely that they’ve come across unforgettable characters along the way. Perhaps a movie star or a famous athlete has taken the cab to get across the city. Taxi drivers have some funny, scary, or priceless tales about their passengers that will last a lot longer than your cab journey.
Striking up a conversation with a taxi driver is not hard when you’re conscious of what things to converse about. In fact, our drivers at Universal Taxi Dispatch are encouraged to be friendly with their passengers through communication. By arming yourself with these conversation starters, you’ll have topics to chat about long after arriving at your destination.