A woman steps out of her Park Avenue building, hails a taxi and her doorman loads several suitcases into the trunk. She tells the driver to take her to the pier where the Queen Mary II is docked, adding that she's sailing to England, followed by a three-week tour of Europe. Smiling, she says, "You seem like such a sensible, careful driver. I wish you could come with me. You could leave the meter running. But I guess you don’t have a passport and have commitments at home..." He says, "Lady, I live alone. No pets. And I always carry my passport—but I don't have a change of clothing."

"No problem," she says. "I'll book you a cabin and buy you clothing and luggage onboard." After they dock in Southampton, he drives her through England, France and Italy and, three weeks later, they sail back to New York. The taxi meter has now reached $27,000. When they dock in New York, he loads the luggage into the trunk and shouts, "Back to Park Avenue we go!" She says, "Oh, no. I'm planning to spend the weekend with my mother in Brooklyn." The driver replies, "Sorry, lady, I don't go to Brooklyn."