A series featuring car-free women in LA.

Kenya of Be Well Groomed

Basics: 40-year-old esthetician. Lives with her husband and five cats in Culver City. Child-free.

Car free since: 2005.

Blogging since: August 2006.

Notable posts:
>> Kenya’s pick: Get on the bus, Gus
>> green LA girl’s pick: Things to do without a car
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On going car-free….

My husband and I lived at the beach for the first 11 years together in Los Angeles. Living in Santa Monica made it easy to own/share one car between the two of us. We walked around our beach ‘hood most of the weekend and I worked on the west side during the week.

Then, about three years ago, we needed make a choice: do some major maintenance on our car, get a new one, or go without. We bought two very cool bikes, a monthly EZ pass and sold our car. We planned to try carlessness for a year but time flies when you’re having fun.

Our vehicular freedom started as a bit of a lark – it fit with our values and desire to “go green.” The more we discussed it, the more we realized the many benefits to us, the environment and our fellow Angelenos. We felt it would be a fun experiment and totally doable. Also it was a bit of “if not now, when; if not us, who,” meaning it seemed to fit with our ideals and lifestyle so why not try it.

My cousin Zack is serving in the armed forces in Afghanistan, protecting the United States Embassy. I’d really like for him to come home, along with all of our other men and women putting their lives in harms way. Not owning a car and choosing to drive as rarely as possible is our way of not relying on foreign oil and our own peaceful protest.

How she gets around.

The Los Angeles Metro system is my primary mode to get to work; I bike around town for errands … and I love to walk, too. But, as with just about everything in life, various elements make up the perfect mix: bus, bike, taxi, car share, rides, strolls, and car service. [For work] It’s either a walk/bus combo or self-propulsion via my Elektra cruiser. We are Zipcar members and use the service about two times per month.

Culver City is fairly centrally located and provides perfect proximity to cross town buses, restaurants, entertainment, grocery stores, markets, movie theaters, parks, yoga studios and all the little things you need in life. Plus, a quick trip on the Culver City 1 gets us back to the beach.

On the upsides and downsides….

A car-less life is a more fit life thanks to the walking, toting, biking. I feel like I’m in better shape now than in my early 30s when I traveled around the states for work and relied on weekend hikes to keep me in shape.

I love the change on our grocery store habits. If you have to bike or carry your purchases home, you buy far fewer packaged goods and far more fresh, living things. I run around far less than I used to (amazing how those *important* errands are less so when you don’t have wheels). This leaves me with more time for my business and nutrition course work. Riding the bus has helped me attack mountains of reading assignments!

I’m working on my nutrition certification and you can imagine the breadth and depth of reading requirements for this. My commute on the bus is now study time! I love the greater cross-section of people you see on a bus! People often ask me, “Aren’t there crazy people on the bus.” Not enough! Have you seen how people drive in this town! But seriously, there are more regular folks than those who might qualify as mentally challenged. Yes, occasionally you get the free entertainment of a fellow passenger who is clearly “cracked out,” but that’s the exception.

Sometimes the buses are really dirty. So, if you’ve planned a big night out, you either need to wear something that is washable or take something to sit on. Also, killer heels don’t mix with public transpo. I had to change my shoe wearing/buying habits! I walk a lot more. Also, for the first time in my adult life, I own purses and satchels that show wear and tear.

There are some places in Los Angeles that cannot be reached without a car (or taxi or driver); the bus systems do not cover all areas. So you have the added time expense of getting to the shared car before heading to your destination. Or, you have to arrange a ride.

Arranging rides is an art form; my husband is much better at it then I am. I don’t like anyone to feel obligated. I also feel I made a choice to do something, I’d like to stand by that choice. (also, I’m hard headed).

I don’t think I realized how exhausting owning a car is … the endless errands and running around. I am always pooped after a full day with the Zipcar. I really detested checking oil and getting gas. Now when I pass a gas station on my bike, I feel empathy for those folks (along with relief that it’s not me!).

But, I have to plan ahead to attend events and visit friends. As such, I have become a whiz at using Metro.net’s Trip Planner, online and on my Blackberry.

On car-dependent people.

I truly enjoy the look on most Angelenos’ face when they first learn that you are car free. “What?” they blink in disbelief (maybe a little pity thrown in). “Do you need a ride?”

Since car culture is so pervasive in this city, I’m sure there are people I meet who take me less seriously because I don’t own a car. I’m not specifically aware of this situation but wouldn’t be surprised.

Some folks are concerned about me being at bus stops at night and I do try to arrange trips with as few bus changes as possible to avoid getting stuck between buses at sketchy stops (have you ever noticed the poor lighting at many of LA’s stops?!?). But most of the time I feel more safe working the bus system than walking into a dimly lit garage, searching for my car.

As a skin care therapist, I encourage my clients to find ways to minimize the impact of stress in their lives as well as ways to de-stress. Not driving is a huge stress saver for me! And, the consistent walking is fabulous for calming the mind and oxygenating the skin.

Advice for the car-free curious.

Dip your toe in; start riding the bus first to a location that you know well. Choose to experiment in ways that you are most comfortable with: walking to the grocery store or farmer’s market; take the bus to work (you may get corporate perks for doing so!); buy a bike. Find organic ways to incorporate public transportation and bike riding into your life. Once these choices feel natural to you, find new ways that stretch you a bit. Plan an evening out without your car. Don’t use your car for an entire weekend; then, try a week and on and on.

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green LA girl’s notes: Kenya’s Be Well Groomed blog is about “skin care tips and mindful musings”: “Our lack of auto appendage is just one aspect of my blog; it fits in as a mindful choice to try something new that has a positive impact on the environment.” Follow her adventures there and on Twitter @bewellgroomed.

Photo courtesy of Kenya (right), who’s with her mom cruising Paris by bike

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