FOUND: Black Taxi Fare

Found: Last Friday, The Shoegazer headed into Albany, probably the city nearest him that routinely gets touring bands through, for a bill that featured new favorites Black Taxi along with Paranoid Social Club and My Pet Dragon.  The Shoegazer caught Black Taxi live a few months ago and loved their onstage energy (not to mention catchy songs), though he was a tad disappointed to be at a street festival and not find any money on the ground.

However, this time The Shoegazer scanned the floors near the crowded main bar for treasures, and after a few false alarms that turned out to be napkins, he finally popped the Albany shoegazing cherry by recovering a crumpled, flattened $1 bill from the floor.

Location:  This one dollar bill turned up near the middle of the main bar at Jillian’s on North Pearl Street in Albany, NY.

Source: Albany is pretty divided sports-wise, with fans of New York teams, Buffalo and some Boston fans filling the room with various sports logos.  The Shoegazer hopes this bill came from a Yankees and/or Jets fan.

Destination: The next day The Shoegazer went to Mass MoCA in North Adams and then rolled a few games at the very cool Mt. Greylock Bowl afterward.  This dollar paid for one of the reasonably-priced games thrown on the alley’s vintage wooden lanes.

Ezra from Black Taxi posing with The Shoegazer's prize

FOUND: Sherman Cafe Cookies All Around

Found:  The Shoegazer recently ventured back to that old haunt of the Sherman Cafe, where the chocolate chip cookies are good enough to warrant crossing state lines.  As he stepped toward the counter to place his order, a light colored object on the otherwise dark floor caught the corner of his eye.  Low and behold, it was a one dollar bill, looking as it had been freshly dropped.  The Shoegazer’s Sherman-going companion, known on this blog as The Brookline Lebowski (due to a sudden burst of bowling prowess earlier that day), alerted The Shoegazer that the dollar’s source might still be very close by.

As it turned out, the customer identified himself as Matt, though not the same Sherman employee who found $3 in the vicinity of 69 School Street earlier this year.  This Matt said he would probably spend his newly recovered dollar on a cookie.  A smart move.

Location: This bill was spotted at the foot of the counter at Sherman Cafe in Union Square, Somerville, MA.  This marks the second time a dollar has turned up at this very spot.  As counters are near cash registers and therefore the site of cash transactions, occasionally money does turn up on the floor near coffee shop or store counters.  It’s a good place to look if you’re an aspiring shoegazer yourself.

Source: The Shoegazer’s compadre in Sherman cookie appreciation, Matt.

Destination:  Right back to the Sherman counter for one of their sweet treats!

side note – remember those Mass lottery tickets that resemble cash closely enough that they frequently fool The Shoegazer when they’re discarded on the ground?  The Brookline Lebowski topped off her record-breaking score of 117 at the lanes by winning $15 on one of these tickets.

The Brookline Lebowski beats the odds to win a crisp new $15 bill