My prayers have finally been answered. OK, not all of them, I’m still waiting for Jake Gyllenhaal to show up at my door with a wedding ring, a check for millions of dollars, and world peace, but at least ONE prayer has been answered. I have a personal chauffeur ! No, I haven’t won the lottery (yet – that’s my next prayer, so to be continued…) I’ve simply discovered one of Paris’ most prized possessions – Mona Lisa, who? - UBER.
Uber is an on-demand chauffeur service that links consumers (or desperate Parisians searching for the elusive taxi) with drivers via a simple iPhone app. Gone are the days where I’d wander through the streets of Paris hurling myself into the middle of the street screaming “Taxiiiiiiii” as my frozen fingers dialed G7’s number over and over again to no avail. Now, I just grab my iPhone, click on the Uber app, it knows exactly where I am (isn’t it smart?), tells me how far away the nearest driver is and all I have to do is click and a fancy car is on its way to me. Once he arrives, my chauffeur texts or calls me to tell me he’s waiting outside, then gets out of the car to open the door for me (which is more than I can say for most dates I’ve been on) at which point I get in, enjoy the clean surroundings (a real improvement from the body odor emanating from most taxis) and await arrival at my destination with a complimentary bottle of water and some magazines. The best part? I don’t have to pay when I get there! OK, I DO have to pay – my credit card is saved to my Uber account and the trip’s fare is automatically deducted online, but it FEELS free for the moment and it saves the typical rummaging through one’s purse to find exact change and waiting for a receipt.
Uber’s motto is “everyone’s private driver.” I beg to differ. It’s MY private driver. Or at least it’s fun to pretend.
Uber is the official car service of the 2012 César Awards. No, it’s not, but it was MY official car service.
We just “clicked” right from the beginning, what can I say?
My chauffeur came to get me to drop me off at the Chatelet Theater for the ceremony.
I stayed for the cocktail, then, as soon as the bells chimed for everyone to take their seats, I clicked, and five minutes later, my Uber chauffeur called to say he was waiting for me across the street. He took me home so I could grab my computer and bag, then took me back across the city to the Hotel Fouquet’s Barriere where I set up shop to write my article about the ceremony before the post-awards dinner began. My chauffeur then took me from the swank dinner to the after party at l’Arc then to the after after party at la Raspoutine where The Artist crew celebrated their wins until the wee hours of the morning.
Then, my (other) chauffeur took me home with Jean Dujardin. (Note: stop the rumor mills, Dujardin was safely on a plane to Los Angeles, I am referring to the GQ magazine with Jean Dujardin on the cover that I read on the way home.)
You can book your Uber via the iPhone app, text message or Android app.
Uber is currently in several cities across the globe including New York, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, DC, Toronto and now… Paris !
No matter where you are, I am right next to you. Since I have confessed my love to Uber, they are returning the love for all of mes amis and, if you use the code UBERLEFFLER (actually, I think you should all start calling me that from now on, it has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?) you’ll get 10 euros credit! How uberfabulous is that? Feel free to leave comments below to thank me and tell me how it’s changed your life. Have an uberfabulous week !
Photos Virgile Guinard
