Logan Bar & Grill, Logan Square, Chicago

Last night Dallas and I got all decked out – new suit for him, new dress and heels for me – to go to his belated company holiday party at the Four Seasons Ritz-Carlton downtown. Cocktails began at 6 p.m. and dinner was to start at 7:30. We figured we’d arrive at about 6:30 or 7:00, in time for dinner, but not showing up right as it was starting.

At 6:00 we called for Yellow Cab. I was on hold forever, but when got through eventually. I got a call back about 10 minutes later saying that our cab would be there in 7 minutes. Great! I put my coat and scarf on and waited. 20 minutes later I was on the phone to the cab company complaining that the cab never showed up. I was put on hold forever and then told our cab was 3 minutes away. 20 minutes later the cab never arrived and I was on the phone with the cab company again. Long story short, we waited over an hour for any cab to come and get us and none did. By that time it was past 7:00 and even if a cab showed up that second we wouldn’t make it to the party in time for dinner. I called the cab company one last time so I could give them a piece of my mind and tell them how they ruined our night and how I was never going to use their service again. The dispatcher blamed the cab drivers for never showing up and the weather (it snowed for 2 days straight) for causing them to be so busy. She said that they had the orders logged and for some reason the cabs just never showed up at our place. Fine. I still yelled at her though, and I felt kind of bad because it wasn’t her fault, but she’s the face of the company and someone needed to be told.

The other part of this cab problem is that where we live now we can’t really just walk out on the street and get a cab like we used to in every other neighborhood we lived in. The times that we have tried have been futile so we are completely dependent on calling for a cab, which obviously doesn’t always work out, especially if the weather is bad. We were going to call two companies to make sure one showed up, but last time we got a cab we were talking to the cab driver and he told us how cab drivers will kind of blacklist you if you do it and they both show up, so now we’re hesitant to call multiple places for a pick up. Still, if the option is risk the ire of a driver or ruin your plans, I think we’ll take the risk.

In the end Dallas and I changed out of our fancy clothes and went to our neighborhood bar. We drank a couple beers, had a bean dip/nacho appetizer and ate dinner salads. We sat by the warm fireplace and watched the snow. It was cozy and warm. We talked a lot and watched the Cardinals upset the Panthers. A perfectly nice night, but not steak at the Ritz.

[Read more →]