With gas prices around $4 a gallon, maybe this no-car existence sounds appealing? If you live in a place with sidewalks and public transportation, you might hang up your keys and lace up your shoes.
Here’s some of what we learned as newcomers to life after driving:
— Buy fewer groceries, more often: Yes, lacking a trunk changes things. You could take a cab home from the store, but if you live in a small apartment like we do, it makes more sense to adjust the way you shop. We have several stores within 10 minutes’ walking distance, and we buy only what we can carry home. This means not buying kitty litter, laundry detergent and a 24-pack of toilet paper on the same day. We also buy only the perishables we need, while they’re fresh.
— Travel time: We have friends who live in Brooklyn, about five miles away, and it takes the better part of an hour by subway to get to them. I’m not sure we’d do better in a car. Realize that even short distances can require long travel times, and plan accordingly.
— Travel time, Part 2: You can use that time stuck on a bus or subway to do other things: read, listen to music, knit, nap. New Yorkers must be world champions at Sudoku; they’ve got time to practice.
— Dress appropriately: When you go from house to car to office, you have the luxury of ignoring the seasons. Walking to the subway, however, or standing around at a bus stop demands that you dress for the weather. That "Sex and the City" myth of girls running around in 4-inch heels? They never totter down the long, crowded stairs to the subway. Real New York women live more like the Nancy Sinatra song, wearing footwear made for walking.
— Get the most out of each trip: People everywhere stop at the store on their way home from work, but for New Yorkers, even walking the dog is an occasion to multitask. They might take their pets into the bookstore or pharmacy, or use a parking meter as a hitching post.
— Free entertainment: Some of the best shows in New York are underground, whether it’s an opera singer belting it out on a subway platform or a mariachi band strolling through the subway car. Sharing personal space with strangers also means you overhear their conversations and watch their behavior.
— Lack of privacy: Drivers may do zany things, from picking their noses to singing at the top of their lungs, because being in a car makes them feel alone. Likewise, people taking trains or walking on crowded sidewalks seem to imagine they are invisible while they carry on personal phone calls, clip their fingernails or fight with their spouse. We pretend not to notice, but we do.
