In honor of an era, I give you those big, burly taxi cabs of the 1940s, and the rough-looking, distinctive characters who drove them, in this art piece titled “The Cabbies”. There was once a time when you walked out of the theatre, and hailed a cab, or Taxi. You would climb in the back seat of this spacious and comfortable ride, close the door and the noisy traffic sounds would muffle. The driver would turn and politely greet you asking you how you were and where you wanted to go. The he would start his meter and the smooth riding machine would pull out into the traffic and begin your journey. No matter if the ride was short or long the cabbie would make pleasant conversation if you wanted, or stay quiet, as you thought about your day. They knew every shortcut, landmark and notable nightspot; they did not need GPS to get around the District. They considered themselves ambassadors in a cosmopolitan city, and they had endless stories to share. Yes Ladies and Gentlemen,there was a Golden age … the Big City’s of the 1940s and 1950s, when men wore hats, women wore gloves, a dime got you a cup of coffee and -- in the popular imagination, anyway -- there were doormen standing on every curb, flagging down taxi cabs for dames who looked like Veronica Lake. Now there is UBER and LYFT … “ Hey Mac call me a cab… OK your a cab”… LOL