Passenger: Hey Taxi! Ah great. Thanks for pulling over.
Driver: Where to?
Passenger: Well, I’m going to the National Museum of Art, and . . .
Driver: Sure. Hop in. No problem. Hang on!
Passenger: Uh. Excuse me. How long does it take to get there?
Driver: Well, that all depends on the traffic, but it shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes for the average driver. [Oh.] And I’m not average. I have driving down to an art, so we should be able to cruise through traffic and get there in less than twelve minutes.
Passenger: Okay. Uh, sorry for asking, [Yeah?] but do you have any idea how much the fare will be?
Driver: Oh, it shouldn’t be more than 18 dollars . . . not including a . . . uh-hum . . . a tip of course.
Passenger: Oh, and by the way, do you know what time the museum closes?
Driver: Well, I would guess around 6:00 O’clock.
Passenger: Uh, do you have the time?
Driver: Yeah. It’s half past four. [Thanks.] Uh, this IS your first time to the city, right?
Passenger: Yeah. How did you know?
Driver: Well, you can tell tourists [from] a mile away in this city because they walk down the street looking straight up at the skyscrapers.
Passenger: Was it that obvious?
Driver: Well . . .
Passenger: Oh, before I forget, can you recommend any good restaurants downtown that offer meals at a reasonable price?
Driver: Umm . . . Well, the Mexican restaurant, La Fajita, is fantastic. [Oh.] It’s not as inexpensive as other places I know, but the decor is very authentic, [Okay.] and the portions are larger than most places I’ve been to.
Passenger: Sounds great! How do I get there from the museum?
Driver: Well, you can catch the subway right outside the museum. There are buses that run that way, but you would have to transfer a couple of times. And there are taxis too, but they don’t run by the museum that often.
Passenger: Okay. Thanks.