Fire Island Taxi Driver: Recollections of Summers on the Beach at Fabulous Fire Island, NY 1960-64

by Peter Christian Olsen

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Olsen describes summers driving for White Cap Taxi service, 1960-64, on Fire Island, among the most notorious summer resorts in the USA. First anticipated as the ideal summer job with ample time for surfing, beach parties, drinking, and womanizing, he soon yielded to the exhausting task of catering to the whims of such a diverse population.
A memoir of a time long past that no longer exists; Fire Islanders today hold only a vanishing memory of a wilder era when residents freely roamed the island in search of a unique and fabulous summer experience. Portions of this book were selected for the finals in nonfiction contest of the Texas Writers Guild, 2013. Fire Island is among the most notorious summer resorts in the USA. Its eclectic communities and eccentric residents have become prominent among the gay and lesbian populations. Activities on the island sometimes border on the bizarre.
Less than fifty people have ever driven a taxi on Fire Island. There are no roads, only the beachfront where a small fleet of ancient, barely functional Willys jeeps attempted to transport people and stuff between the seventeen culturally different and sometimes outrageous communities. For most of each day and late into the night, adventurous souls boarded these beach buggies for the mere thrill of riding as close to the waterÕs edge as possible. The journey was as important as the destination.
Olsen describes summers driving for White Cap Taxi service, 1960-64. First anticipated as the ideal summer job with ample time for surfing, beach parties, drinking, and womanizing, he soon yielded to the exhausting task of catering to the whims of such a diverse population. In addition to the large gay communities, he accommodated urban families, swinging singles, and hard line grumpy and resilient residents. Many well-known celebrities were included among his clientele. Optimists say Òlife is a beach,Ó and Olsen reflects this attitude fully.
A memoir of a time long past that no longer exists; Fire Islanders today hold only a vanishing memory of a wilder era when residents freely roamed the island in search of a unique and fabulous summer experience. Portions of this book were selected for the finals in nonfiction contest of the Texas Writers Guild, 2013.