My Man-with-a-van: Albert Einstein?
After getting a taste of the early summer heat, we decided to spring for a window air conditioner. After all, we get to go work in air conditioned offices during the worst heat of the day, but the dog… she has to suffer through the heat all day long. Yeah, so the A/C is for the dog. Yeah. *cough*
On Friday, after work, I wandered over to the Home Depot on 23rd and picked up the most energy efficient A/C unit they had for our size apartment (turns out all their units are rated 9.8 EER, which is .8 from Energy Star’s “least efficient” rating). A/C units are heavy beasts, so I decided to spring for a cab after straining to get the box through the store and out the door. As I was waiting for a cab (rush hour, mind you), one of New York’s ubiquitous “man-with-a-van”s started up a conversation. We agreed to a price and he delivered me and my new piece of heavy equipment uptown.
On the way up, he lectured me to never, ever take a cab to move an air conditioner, a refrigerator or anything delicate. We traded real estate stories (other people talk about the weather; in New York, real estate seems to be the go to topic). We talked about our families. (Did I mention it was rush hour). Part way up town, he asked me if I thought he “looked like anyone.” Yes, my man-with-a-van was a ringer for Mr. Relativity. He showed me his albums of press clippings and photos. He won a contest at NYU (as the sole entrant) and now gets booked for appearances regularly.
If you ever need a man with a van, and would prefer he resembles a famous scientist, call John’s Delivery ( 917-592-8501 or 917-216-2723 ). He services the tri-state area. (Yes, that’s him in the photo).
