With the demise of Google Reader, I am worried about my beloved Google Voice account, and so I set out to cover my backside in case Google ever decides to get out of the free phone calls business.  I found a fantastic 212 number from my 212AreaCode.com friend David Day, and the first thing you do when you are looking for a good phone number is search it on Google to see if it’s been churned, and I was surprised to learn of the varied history of my new want:  (212) 982-8888.  Yes, I’m revealing my new favorite phone number here, live, and in-person, because of what I discovered in my Google search.

212.982.8888 has had a popular life in New York City!  Here are the publicly available associations of people and places and things that have had my new phone number before me, and what is especially keen, is that they’re all in my old East Village stomping grounds from years gone lore — a sign from the universe that 8888 was meant to finally find me:

Avenue A Bistro Cafe
New Asian-Mexican Fusion and Famous East Village Bistro
103 Ave. A, New York, NY 10009
(212) 982-8888

A1 FITNESS EQUIPMENT CORP
140 E 7TH ST New York, New York
+1 (212) 982-8888

Davis Design Co
235 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003
212-982-8888

G2 Sushi
103 Avenue A (Between 6th and 7th St.)
212-982-8888

Since that phone number has been so public on the web for such a long time — and now a wholly wrong context since I own the number — it doesn’t make sense for me to hide that phone number for private use because I’ll still get calls for food and fitness, and so 212-982-8888 will be the new way to get in touch with Boles Books Writing & Publishing and Boles Blogs and everything else I do on the web and in real and social networking vibes.  I’ve always wanted a public number to share with folks who want to call and leave a message, and now we have one!

I initially wanted to use SendHub.com as my Google Voice backup plan, but after starting a free account with them, I discovered that if I ported my phone number into their service, that phone number would no longer belong to me if I ever wanted to leave SendHub!  Here’s the exchange with SendHub confirming a ported number belongs to them if you leave:

So, I decided to just set up the (212) 892-8888 number with Google Voice and I’ll point it somewhere else if the dark day ever comes when Google betrays us again.  Google Voice has good filters and message management, so everything should winnow out just fine.

As I was waiting for my 8888 number to port, I found other worldly clues sending me energy.  Here’s a tax place in Jersey City that I walk by every single day, but I just noticed our 8888 kinship this morning!

Last night, while watching Storage Wars on A&E, the first episode had the two auctioneers in California standing before a giant sign with a phone number.  Yes, the last four digits were: 8888!

I am now convinced 212-982-8888 was made for me, and when I did another Google check on the number 8 in the world of Chinese numerology, I was fascinated to learn 8 is a prosperous and wealthy number and double 8s — 88 — look like the Chinese twin characters for “joy” and “happiness.”  Happy Happy, Joy Joy:  8888!

(212) 982-8888 is now fully working and you are invited to call and leave a message if you wish.  Due to high call volume, we may not be able to call you back, but sometimes just being heard is connection enough.

Thanks for calling!

UPDATE: As of today, September 12, 2014 — SendHub are dead!  Thank you for dying to me you ugly, awful, terrible, service!

12 Comments

  1. 8888 also sounds great linguistically because it sounds like someone who was hungry, but then ate, ate, ate, ate! No longer hungry.

    1. When I saw 8888 was available, I was excited because that is a great number combo and incredibly hard to find — especially in the 212 area code. It was the fine of a lifetime! SMILE!

  3. Smart of you to put the number out there and accept that you’re going to get a few wrong calls! My cell number must be very close to that of a nail salon because I used to get a decent amount of people calling and trying to make appointments.

    1. Hi Emily!

      Yes, just being open and risking the crank calls was part of the bargain to get 8888. It will be worth it in the long run.

      That’s funny about your cellphone. Reminds me of the horrible Michael Bolton/Cablevision ads that are running 24/7:

      http://goo.gl/Nxat2

      When I was living in the City, I had a great 212 number that ended in 3939. When we moved to the Bronx, a 718 area code, Verizon made me give it up because the area codes were different. Oh, how I hated to lose those digits.

      I just looked up that phone number: 212-529-3939 and The Google says it still lives with me even though we’ve been dead and gone for years! Oh, the woe!

      http://goo.gl/7T8Zw

      1. Wow, just watched the first link– what were these people thinking?! I’ve never seen those Cablevision ads before and I’m happy about that!

    1. Thanks for the direct update, Raj. I read that conversation you link, but since it was six months ago, and things tend to rapidly change in the tech industry, I thought I should ask SendHub for a current update, and I was glad I did because it appeared your policy had changed.

      I’m not sure why you charge us $10 to port out of your service. That’s a punishment and if people are unhappy and want to leave, you should make that process transparent, fast, and helpful. You should charge us $10 up front to port into SendHub and then be done with it.

      I also don’t understand the 1-4 week window you need to port a number. Why so long? It should be 1-4 DAYS — especially if you expect to get any active businesses to switch their phone numbers to your service. Who could afford to be offline for a month while you fiddle with the details?

      How are you viewed by the FCC and other landline and VOIP and Wireless carriers? Is SendHub considered a wireline company or wireless or what?

  5. UPDATE:

    Google Voice is a little wonky with the Voice Mail on 212.982.8888 — probably because the number is still pretty fresh to me and it hasn’t fully settled yet — so if you’ve called and had trouble connected or getting disconnected, please try again! We thank you!

  6. Pingback: YUkon 2-8888 and FAculty 1-3700: The Sweet Antiquity of New York City Alphanumeric Telephone Exchanges « Boles Blogs

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