Rochester, NY - home of the world's friendliest cabbie

I spent 2 days in Rochester New York for a flow cytometry meeting. I really didn't get time to get out to see much of the area, but I did meet the world's friendliest cabbie. The first morning he took me from my hotel to University of Rochester, and when we arrived I tried to pay by credit card as I had no cash. He said he could not take credit cards, but "not to worry, you can call me to pick you up again later when you go back." He didn't charge me and trusted me to simply call him for a ride later after I found an ATM. He was an Indian man and had that delightful singsong Indian accent and very calm demeanor. I tried to call him back later that day, but got no answer. I lucked out that a van came by the University of Rochester with my hotel chain's logo on it as no other cab company in the city of Rochester would answer their phones either.

The next morning I called the cabbie from the previous morning and he showed up on time, and was extremely chatty. I think he was so happy to see that I was one of the honest ones (he told me that sometimes people don't call back so it seems he is this trusting on a regular basis), that he chatted my ear off the whole way to the campus. When he found out that I was from Seattle he insisted that he would like to stop at Starbucks to let me "try Starbucks in Rochester" since he had also discovered that I had not yet had breakfast or coffee that morning. So we stopped to pick up a coffee and a Top Pot Doughnut (I told him I also routinely go by the original top pot store in downtown Seattle on my way to work). He asked how the Starbucks coffee in Rochester compares to the Starbucks in Seattle and I told him it was just as good. He seemed very proud of this as if he were at least partially responsible for the characteristics which made Rochester a nice city. I have definitely never met such a nice cabbie in all of my travels.