Carless living

[doodle]

I also find it difficult to text or shave while driving a stick. What's your point?

That it is easier to eat food while driving an automatic....

Then again, I text, eat, talk on the phone, rummage through my backpack, flip through my iPod etc while riding my bike......haven't started shaving while riding but it's worth a try

I used to deliver pizzas... I would drive a stick, eat, talk on the phone, look for addresses on houses and look back at the pizza box for the address all pretty much at the same exact time.

Ha! I have fond memories of my pizza delivery days....this was pre GPS so there was still some skill involved in the trade. Boy I really loved that job for a while. It was the first job I had where I didn't have some manager or supervisor breathing down my neck. It felt so liberating to be out there alone.....just me and a stack of pizzas and loud music blasting on the stereo at all hours of the night. Every once in awhile you'd run into another driver and have street races back to the store. I remember once jumping the curb and taking a shortcut through someone's front and back yard at a red light to win one of those races :-) I eventually quit when we had two drivers who were shot and robbed...one got shot in the head and miraculously survived.

[MediumTex]

When I delivered pizzas cell phones didn't exist.

I just messed around with my cassettes and thought about what I was going to say to people when I saw them.

[doodle]

and thought about what I was going to say to people when I saw them.

Did you give everyone a little show or recite pizza inspired poetry when they came to the door? I just stood there like an idiot and figured they knew the routine.

[WildAboutHarry]

[quote=clacy]Speaking of this, I'm amazed at how cavalier people are about smoking weed while driving.  [/quote]

Best "smoking-weed-while-driving" movie of all time?  The Big Lebowski

[doodle]

Speaking of this, I'm amazed at how cavalier people are about smoking weed while driving. 

Best "smoking-weed-while-driving" movie of all time?  The Big Lebowski

As a bicyclist and former motorcyclist I am very aware of smells as I go down the road. Weed is quite prevalent actually. And as a former valet, many cars came in (even in fine dining establishments) with a skunky smell. It was surprising at first, but I have to say I'm much more worried about being rear ended on my bicycle by people texting while driving than smoking while driving.

[doodle]

Best "smoking-weed-while-driving" movie of all time?  The Big Lebowski

As a bicyclist and former motorcyclist I am very aware of smells as I go down the road. Weed is quite prevalent actually. And as a former valet, many cars came in (even in fine dining establishments) with a skunky smell. It was surprising at first, but I have to say I'm much more worried about being rear ended on my bicycle by people texting while driving than smoking while driving.

That was my sarcastic point when I said:

You cant eat while you drive or talk on the phone.

I also find it difficult to text or shave while driving a stick. What's your point?

All the whining about what additional activities are hindered because your right hand is occupied with the gear shift are should be moot. Surprising complaints from an otherwise cautious bunch.

Point taken...although I don't gaze into my cheeseburger as I take a bite.

[MediumTex]

and thought about what I was going to say to people when I saw them.

Did you give everyone a little show or recite pizza inspired poetry when they came to the door? I just stood there like an idiot and figured they knew the routine.

I had long hair, so I mainly wanted to give them a reassuring look so they would know that they weren't about to be the victims of a home invasion.

Back in the 1980s people really got worked about about males with long hair (especially the police).  It was weird.

[AdamA]

I used to deliver pizzas too.

I think I paid more money in car maintenance fees than I actually made doing the job.

It was fun, though.

[dualstow]

Back in the 1980s people really got worked about about males with long hair (especially the police).  It was weird.

Probably worse in Texas than in the northeast or west coast. I had long hair for a short while and it was never an issue.

[WildAboutHarry]

[quote=dualstow]I had long hair for a short while[/quote]

[MediumTex]

I had long hair for a short while

Since becoming an adult I have had short hair for a long while.

[WildAboutHarry]

[quote=MediumTex]Since becoming an adult I have had short hair for a long while.[/quote]

And depending on your genetics and luck, you may have little or no hair for an indeterminate period!

[MachineGhost]

That said, I have NEVER lived anyplace where I couldn't handle most day to day errands without a car - including Los Angeles, which has a better bus/subway system than most people realize.  I loved the bus to the airport from Santa Monica for 50 cents!  Sadly, the NYC subway fares have gotten high enough (and service unreliable enough) that I no longer buy monthly passes.  I've been biking a lot more instead.

Maybe in the actual city, but out in the suburbs only the train really reaches and then its not exactly practical like dualtows has it.  It's still a park and ride (or drop off) situation.  Although I believe the bus will go to most of these train stations, though not directly.  Class issues is very evident on public transportation.  I guess I should be lucky that there is even train service in suburbia.  I can't imagine that is common in many other suburbs in the country.  Still, the situation is frustrating.  If the only alternative is to move deeper into the overexpensive, overcongested, overcrowded and overdensity of 19.3 million people crammed into 4,850 square miles, that's a negative, not a feature.  Doodle sure seems to have it made, wherever he is.

I don't know about the wisdom of riding a bike in suburbia designed around the automobile and highways; the distances are vast and the safety is not great when half the morons driving are unlicensed already.  And the other half will soon be smoking pot.  It seems like I'm just going to have to give up suburbia to give up having to drive.  I don't think I can wait another 10 years for autonomous cars.

[MachineGhost]

I suspect it is a highly generational thing. For people of or near the baby boomers' generation, cars were liberating in that they gave you physical freedom--the freedom to go where you pleased. But to younger crowds (myself included), we seem to be less interested in travel in the abstract, and cars are certainly not freedom symbols because to us; freedom is symbolized by the flow of information. Computers, smartphones, iPads, Facebook, Twitter, email, Wikipedia, forums, video games, the accumulation of vast pirated media libraries--all of those things are far more representational of freedom to us. When we were growing up, these were the cool new things, the ways to get in touch with your peers, bond over, and share information.

And that probably means we have an unbalanced fondness for technology that will be even more cruelly exploited by marketers as we age, used to sell us even greater levels of comforting but ultimately unsatisfying tchotchkes… the very same way that many aging baby boomers have been convinced to accumulate large garages full of expensive cars, trucks, boats, and trailers that slowly rust into rolling junkpiles between their yearly outings and monthly payments.

+1.  For baby boomers, the car basically was required to get laid.  Now that its pointless to worry about that since all those women and their daughters and granddaughters are independent now (hattip to KShartle), a car seems more of a liability than a benefit.  Driving is still very dangerous.  Every day, at least one crash and one person dies just driving here in the Greater LA Area.  Why expose yourself to that crazy risk just for the most banal of reasons?

[MachineGhost]

Zipcars would be great, except that they're pretty pricey for anything longer than a day trip and it's often difficult to find one on short notice.  If that model were to become more extensive and cars more easily available and more reasonably priced for multi-day trips, it would be a terrific alternative to owning, licensing, insuring, maintaining, and housing a car.  Is anyone able/willing to figure out and post how much they spend on car ownership and use?  I'm genuinely curious.

Edmunds has a Total Cost of Ownership feature.  I believe its about 5K-10K a year and it goes up for more upclass models.

[MachineGhost]

Back in the 1980s people really got worked about about males with long hair (especially the police).  It was weird.

It's cuz you were a Devil Worshipper and listened to Satanic Music! 

I still have my long hair after almost three decades since I let it first grow out.  I still see no reason to "sell out" and cut it.  But it does get annoying having to share meme metaspace with WWE and other anti-intellectual types.

[MachineGhost]

I think if I were living in NM, I'd want some kind of desert-capable vehicle for exploring public land.  I'm sure there are some great areas to go shooting, camping, etc. in your area.  A medium sized pickup like a Tacoma or Frontier could double as a desert runner and a Home Depot hauler.

What's wrong with an Subaru Outback???  He's liberal enough!

[WiseOne]

Maybe in the actual city, but out in the suburbs only the train really reaches and then its not exactly practical like dualtows has it.  It's still a park and ride (or drop off) situation.  ...

I don't know about the wisdom of riding a bike in suburbia designed around the automobile and highways; the distances are vast and the safety is not great when half the morons driving are unlicensed already.  And the other half will soon be smoking pot.  It seems like I'm just going to have to give up suburbia to give up having to drive.  I don't think I can wait another 10 years for autonomous cars.

I expect half of them are now.  I hear a lot of people say they enjoy driving, but I don't know anyone with a high tolerance for traffic jams, and very few major metro areas where they aren't a part of daily life for drivers.

In the suburbs, you have to pick and choose your battles.  If you can run most of your daily errands without a car, you'll be way ahead of the game.  The fact is that suburbs were designed around the almighty car, and there's only so much you can do about it. Trains are not terribly useful in suburbia because they run too infrequently and the local towns seem to like nothing better than trying to stop people from parking at stations. 

This may be one of the charms of the NYC area, where there is a long-held tradition of abundant and universally used public transportation, but there are lots of options that have zero presence on the web or in print.  For example, there are the little "Spanish Transportation" buses that run along Route 4 in northern NJ  run literally once per MINUTE on average, and "secret" routes run by the private bus lines (weirdly, the main offices don't know about these routes, so even calling them won't get you the info).

BTW good to see you posting regularly again MG!

[Bob]

I had long hair for a short while

Since becoming an adult I have had short hair for a long while.

I had long hair "back in the day."  Now at age 61, I'm "longing for hair!"

[l82start]

I think if I were living in NM, I'd want some kind of desert-capable vehicle for exploring public land.  I'm sure there are some great areas to go shooting, camping, etc. in your area.  A medium sized pickup like a Tacoma or Frontier could double as a desert runner and a Home Depot hauler.

What's wrong with an Subaru Outback???  He's liberal enough!

He needs something a bit more imposing, for cruising the NM desert. 

breaking.jpeg (5.82 KiB) Viewed 4227 times

[Pointedstick]

If I'm envisioning a version of me with millions of dollars spilling out of my eyeballs, I think my bug-out vehicle would be something more like this:

[img width=600]http://cleversurvivalist.com/wp-content ... /90211.jpg[/img]

[doodle]

That said, I have NEVER lived anyplace where I couldn't handle most day to day errands without a car - including Los Angeles, which has a better bus/subway system than most people realize.  I loved the bus to the airport from Santa Monica for 50 cents!  Sadly, the NYC subway fares have gotten high enough (and service unreliable enough) that I no longer buy monthly passes.  I've been biking a lot more instead.

Maybe in the actual city, but out in the suburbs only the train really reaches and then its not exactly practical like dualtows has it.  It's still a park and ride (or drop off) situation.  Although I believe the bus will go to most of these train stations, though not directly.  Class issues is very evident on public transportation.  I guess I should be lucky that there is even train service in suburbia.  I can't imagine that is common in many other suburbs in the country.  Still, the situation is frustrating.  If the only alternative is to move deeper into the overexpensive, overcongested, overcrowded and overdensity of 19.3 million people crammed into 4,850 square miles, that's a negative, not a feature.  Doodle sure seems to have it made, wherever he is.

I don't know about the wisdom of riding a bike in suburbia designed around the automobile and highways; the distances are vast and the safety is not great when half the morons driving are unlicensed already.  And the other half will soon be smoking pot.  It seems like I'm just going to have to give up suburbia to give up having to drive.  I don't think I can wait another 10 years for autonomous cars.

Small to medium size city built prior to the popularization of the automobile. Very walkable / bikable. There are many of these cities around the country.

Another big one is to place a premium on location when looking for real estate....It is essential that I am close to work / grocery store / entertainment. If necessary I will turn down a better paying job that happens to be out in the boonies. Its a quality of life issue.

[MachineGhost]

If I'm envisioning a version of me with millions of dollars spilling out of my eyeballs, I think my bug-out vehicle would be something more like this:

That brings back wonderful memories of the RV in the movie Stripes:

[MachineGhost]

Small to medium size city built prior to the popularization of the automobile. Very walkable / bikable. There are many of these cities around the country.

Is there a list of places like these?  So far all I've managed to find is active-adult communities (interestingly, there is a magazine especially for writing and advertising them that I just subscribed to) besides all the usual "best of" lists which are too vague and general.  That walkscore site is relatively useless too.

[Pointedstick]

Is there a list of places like these?  So far all I've managed to find is active-adult communities (interestingly, there is a magazine especially for writing and advertising them that I just subscribed to) besides all the usual "best of" lists which are too vague and general.  That walkscore site is relatively useless too.

Good question. I would imagine there are a number of these places in New England, along the Deep South/gulf coast, and in parts of the country that have ancient Spanish roots. Of course, many that started this way have sprawled beyond reason and turned into suburban autopias. And many that have remained walkable are very expensive (New England). I think Florida and the Deep South are probably the places you're most likely to find them.