A series featuring car-free women in LA.
Basics: 26-year-old editor. Lives in Los Feliz with a boyfriend, who’s car-dependent. Child free.
Car free since: October 2008.
Blogging since: February 2009.
Notable post: Kindness of strangers, or flirting 101 and TLC’s What Not to Wear and Blossom’s Mayim Bialik!
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On going car-free….
I’d been toying with the idea of selling my car since July 2008. But growing up in Southern California really conditions its residents to love driving. When I was 16, I couldn’t wait to get a car and once I did, it was bliss. Independence, freedom, access to Del Taco drive thrus whenever. Fantastic. With this mentality ingrained, I associated my car with my freedom and independence. Way to go, car marketing specialists.
[But] my 2004 Focus had problems from the time I drove it off the lot. Thankfully, most were covered by my warranty so I rarely had to pay for repairs. Often my car would be in the shop one week, out the next and then back in. Very frustrating. I still had places I needed to go, of course, and often rented cars. Lots of cars. These were sometimes covered by the warranty, sometimes not.
After my car went for a pretty long stretch without problems (about 2 months or so) my dad offered to buy my car from me. My younger brother had recently got his permit and they planned on teaching him to drive
in my small hatchback instead of my dad’s behemoth truck.
My dad bought the car and in some strange form of automobile justice, it was totaled four days later. Thankfully, no one was hurt but the lemon was finally dragged off the the junkyard.
I’d like to say that I’m car free mostly for environmental reasons. But the truth is that I couldn’t afford car expenses (car payments, insurance, gas) on top of my already overstretched budget — rent, student loans, AMEX and the like.
But then I realized that I could still go where I wanted and when. Of course I’d need to check the metro schedule first. The freedom of choice still existed but simply required a bit more effort. And, it’s actually kind of cool to live in such a metropolitan city and take public transportation. My best friend who lives in Salem, Oregon thinks I’m especially hip and city-fied.
How she gets around.
The bus has absolutely become my number one mode of transport. I bus it to and from work. Occasionally, a co-worker will see me waiting at a stop and offer me a ride. Interestingly, I’m earlier to work these days than when I drove.
My company pays for my monthly pass. I know, I know, I’m quite the lucky duck. But really, it’s only fair. They pay for parking in the office building for those with cars so why shouldn’t the same courtesy be extended to car-free peeps?
I live the very pedestrian friendly Los Feliz. The library, grocery store, hair salon, pet store, post office and every sort of restaurant are all within a 15 minute walk. For things a bit farther, I’m quite fortunate to have bus stops practically outside of my building. Though I do wish the 780 had more stops in Los Feliz — the measly two (Vermont/Prospect and Los Feliz/Riverside) are so limiting.
Lately, I’ve been searching craigslist for the perfect little bicycle to run errands close to home.
I’ve not driven since giving up my car. Occasionally, I’ll move a friend’s car from the driveway to the street but that’s about it. But I don’t think the whole 10 feet or so of travel qualify as officially driving? I don’t drive [my boyfriend's] car for several reasons. 1. It’s a stick shift. I’m perfectly fine driving manual on flat roads or even freeways. But our neighborhood is so darn hilly that I’m sure I’d have anxiety attacks anticipating myself rolling into the car behind me.
But, the biggest reason I don’t drive his car is because I’m technically forbidden. As it turns out, due to an itsy bitsy minor fender bender that I got into on the curvy stretch of Sunset behind UCLA in 2006, I’m ineligible for [my boyfriend's insurance company's] coverage. They not only rejected me as a potential client, they also sent him a letter explaining that should I get into an accident while driving his car, coverage would be invalid!
On the upsides and downsides….
Certainly saving money and making up for past smog contributions were my top reasons for giving up the car. Once I got rid of my car, though, an incredible thing happened. I was no longer stressed about money. I didn’t feel guilty going to an expensive dinner or buying new clothes. Very shortly after I gave up the car, I splurged at The Grove and bought a top from Anthropologie, shoes from Nordstrom and a bunch of fun cheapy jewelry from Forever 21. It was a hassle lugging all my bags on the bus, but what guilt free fun!
I used to worry that I’d left my car unlocked. I’d be sitting in class or at the office or at home and after hemming and hawing endlessly, I’d finally race to my car to find it locked. Naturally. Now that the car’s gone, these sorts of annoyances are toast. Love it.
I never realized how horribly stressful driving is. The honking alone is enough to drive someone to drink. Honestly, I don’t know why everyone in LA feels the need to honk over the most trivial thing. Like how dare someone wait a millisecond after the light turns green to floor it into the intersection. Or honking to say “Hey Jerkface, you didn’t let me over so now I’m going to honk honk hooonnnnk at you! Take that!” It’s so unnecessary. To be rid of all that insanity is a delight.
The bus lines are amazingly easy to navigate. I used to be pretty intimidated by them. But lately, I’ve been taking new lines with no problem at all. A few weeks back, I needed to take a bus from the office to a doctors appointment in Beverly Hills and then take a bus home to Los Feliz. Piece of cake.
By far, the best thing about busing is the reading. I’ve read more since switching to the bus than than I ever have in my life. It seems so luxurious, I get to read leisurely while someone else deals with the nasty traffic. My commute in the morning is just under an hour while the ride home can take up to an hour and a half. All of this time, usually is devoted to reading. I feel really lucky.
I’ve seen the city in a whole new light. When you’re driving, you’re focused on the road, other drivers, the radio station, whatever. And when you’re in car with someone else who is driving, it’s kind of rude to stare out the window, right? But when you’re on the bus, you can look up and down the streets at anything and no one will think less of you. It’s cliche, yes, but I see something new everyday. Last week, while at a red light, I noticed a poster of a hair model in the window of a cheesy salon — the model was a guy I went to school with! I had no idea he went into modeling! Hurray for him.
I’ve always been an avid people watcher. Though, aren’t we all? On the bus, on the way home from work, people really let down their guard. You can tell what a rough day someone’s had by the way a head leans to the side on a tired neck. Conversely, it’s sometimes adorable (and yes, sometimes vomit inducing) to see a couple cooing romantically. It’s odd, the bus is both a private and wholly public space. You’re given such little personal space; but even so limited, even while busing it, I think people reveal their true selves. The way a person carries their shoulders, sleeping, staring straight ahead, putting on makeup, even reading while riding the bus says something about our individualities. I’m quite curious to know what my fellow riders think of me…if I’m even on their radars.
I try to run during my lunch hour so I’ll usually carry a gym bag with me on the bus. When it’s not crowded, usually the morning commutes, no problem at all. But if it’s a packed ride home, the bag becomes such a pain. You’ll get dirty stares from riders equating the space your bag occupies with lost leg room or some nonsense.
What really stinks is that there are some lunatics who coast metro. Serious nut cases. I’ve only had one experience when a truly deranged individual singled me out and made me feel horribly uncomfortable. For the most part, though, crazy riders usually spout off at imaginary friends or poor suckers who accidentally make eye contact with them. Reading helps, if you’re concentrating on a book, they’ll usually pass you by. In all honesty, 99% of my bus adventures are uneventful and not scary at all.
After reading through Cassandra’s amazing Car Free Monday Post, I realized that, hello, there are just as many (if not more!) nutty people driving on the roads. And these monsters use their vehicles to express their aggression! Tail-gaters, honkers, people who speed up to pull up next to you so they can flip you off? What’s up with that?!
A lot of my friends live in Orange County. I thought that giving up the car would mean I’d see them less since I couldn’t head down there nearly as much. However, they’ve all been such sports about driving up to visit me! They love the idea of walking to restaurants, shops etc.
On car-dependent people.
When I tell someone I take the bus, they give me these looks full of pity and concern. As if I’m too delicate to take the bus or above it somehow. Clearly, I’m neither. Sure, there are times I freak out at a heated situation but just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I should be sheltered from such harsh realities.
Someone once said to me “Ugh! You’re taking the bus?! With the dregs of society?!” But it’s not that way at all. Busers are no different from car drivers. Except I suppose, they’ve got a bit of extra green in their wallets from not dropping cash on car expenses.
Advice for the car-free curious.
Bring a book. It’s the best defense against unwanted attention. Don’t bother with a magazine (unless it’s something without pictures) because someone will no doubt look over and try to start conversation based on the photo spread. Big sunglasses also help.
And unless you’ve got awesome posture and balance, don’t bother wearing heels—or even wedges while busing. I usually wear flats and change into heels once I get to work.
Check the metro schedules before you leave. Buses are generally on time, I’ve found. Before you know it, you’ll have your line’s schedule memorized.
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green LA girl’s notes: If you love situational comedy or observational humor, you’ll love Rosemary’s blog, which shows bus riding with all its familiar and unexpected experiences. “So often friends would ask me about my bus experiences and I’d struggle to come up with any fun stories,” Rosemary says. “But blogging is so immediate; I’d whip out a post just an hour or so after a funny/scary/cute/weird bus adventure. With the blog, I’m able to flex my writing muscles more than I ever have before.”
Booking It Bus Style sometimes gets off the bus to cover other car-free aspects of Rosemary’s life.
Photo by Denise Chacon
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