“Greenpoint is basically the Checker capital of New York City,” says Mark Briggs, a resident of the neighborhood who rents out the iconic yellow cabs.
He makes a point. If you’ve spent any time in Greenpoint, you’ve probably seen the vintage yellow cabs (made internationally famous by shows and movies like Taxi and Taxi Driver) outside of the Henry Norman and Box House hotels. They sometimes spring into action at the request of guests who prefer the throwback rides to the hotels’ sleeker BMW shuttles. A couple of years ago, Box Street played host to the Checker Car Club of America’s annual convention, attended by about 120 Checker enthusiasts. At the time, experts estimated that just 600 to 1,000 of the vehicles were still running.