Uber

The saying is that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Today I was talking to my cousin who just spent a weekend in Detroit at a high-profile concert. She knew the headliner of the show so they spent special time with them. In doing so, they took advantage of Uber and from her I learned a number of things.

First of all, this is a foreign concept to us. I had worked hard enough in my traveling to get used to hailing and using cabs in places like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and London. I also took public transportation overseas a number of times. I loved the process of taking a cab and being able to see the certified cab driver license.

But in order to keep up suddenly there were further developments. We went back to San Francisco and when we came out of the Ferry building we could not find any cabs. It was because a program called Uber had showed up along with other private driving programs. This was private drivers working part time to drive people to chosen destinations. Suddenly it was OK to order a ride from a stranger in a normal car and be delivered someplace. It didn't sound real but many of our younger friends used it for everything.

So we've decided in the near future to take an Uber trip. I feel better when I discovered Uber has what is called a black service. This is typically a professional driver driving a luxury car. It is the upgrade from some of the Uber horror stories I've heard.

So this is a two part blog. Thus far I've done the research and now will conduct an experiment and try it out. After all, we successfully ran the gauntlet and used Insta-Cart and that worked. In the midst of the quarantine, we suddenly realized how dangerous it was to go out in public. So we tried the home delivery of groceries. It was magical.

Suddenly we were conversing by text with a stranger who was shopping for us and checking in during the shopping. We used it exclusively for almost a year and a half.

Now that we are going to try Uber we start thinking about Door Dash and all the different programs to deliver things directly to our homes. We are cautious because this is a brand new world. Our friends in their 20's think we're really cute about this. They also thiink we might be overthinkiing the whole thing.

But I'm still wrapping my head around spending most of my monthly income to pay a mortgage or lease as young people are doing. I'm still wrapping my head around the number of young people who don't own a car and are perfectly happy without one. It's a different world.

Boy, these seem like easier ways to do things but my learning curve is very steep. However, the only way to learn new things is to try the new system out. Here we go with Phase One! I wonder if there is a Park and Rec class on wending our way through the 'new'world for someone over 70?