A Good Hustle

Dressed as a pirate, I fiddled downtown on the opening day of Pirates of the Caribbean 3. I did it three separate times, first between about 11:00 and 12:00, then again between 2:00 and 3:00 and finally between 6:00 and 7:00.The best time was between 6:00 and 7:00, and I found out that if I hang out in front of the elevators to the parking lot across from the theater, the music they blast can't be heard and I have a captive audience while they wait for the elevator to come down. I brought in $60.00 and change! Lots of people said they enjoyed the tunes, and tipped between $.25 and $5.00. The best compliment I got all day, though, was when a bum said, "You have a good hustle," and gave me $.50. No police harrassment this time, either, and I met Mimi Ngyuen, the Downtown Stockton Alliance recruiter of street musicians who told me to come down to get my paperwork started.Man, it's addicting! It is like fishing, in a way, and you can see the fish smile, reach into their pockets, and take out the money. I see a lucrative summer of busking ahead.