First, my Republican roommate moved to the valley, to be closer to work. Between the gruelling law firm hours and the long commute, she was toking up every night just to deal with the stress. Not an issue in itself — I mean, she’s great about sharing — but stress and long commutes are not good for the soul, body, or the environment…
Now, my other roommate’s moving to the O.C., for the same reason.
The valley girl’s been replaced, and we have some interviews lined up for the O.C. girl, but now, I’M thinking I wanna move — to Santa Monica.
Here’s my thought process. Between insurance, maintenance, registration and stuff, and gas, my car costs me like $350 a month.
If I moved to Santa Monica, a more neighborhood-y city, lived near a flexcar ($10 per hour), bought a Big Blue Bus pass ( $58) and cabbed it in emergencies, I think I could save myself $100 a month, which would prolly go towards the higher rents over there.
I’d also save myself a lot of car stress. No balding tires. No broken windows.
Doable? I’ll need the time to think this over. Even my super-green friend and Santa Monica resident Anna has a car, which makes me think there’s some dire need for a vehicle I’m forgetting right now. Will I inadverdently excommunicate myself from the rest of society by going carless? Or do I just have normal, car-divorce jitters?
I have a couple of friends in Burbank who manage to get along without cars, so I guess it is possible in LA. I miss public transportation, I really do. It was especially nice going out drinking and not having to worry about who was going to drive my drunken ass home …
Comment by Brian — January 2, 2006 @ 11:38 pm
What can I say — You gotta get outta Ontario. I thought that was a temp thing — What up?
Comment by Siel — January 3, 2006 @ 12:05 am
Haha! But then if you lived in Pasadena you would live in a bike friendly city, a pedestrian friendly city, a town with a small shuttle and both MTA and Foothill Transit buses, and even a few Montebello Transit buses, with flexcar and an electric train to USC . . . and a soon to come train-based bike station, and links to Metrolink trains to Riverside, San Diego, Ventura; plus direct cross platform connects to all of AMTRAK (rofl!!)
‘Course, SM Councilmember Feinstein is a Green.
Will we see you out for the Trojan Bowl tommorrow?
Comment by Roger, Gone Green — January 3, 2006 @ 9:11 am
But there’s no Flexcar in Pasadena — Also, there aren’t enough fun bars… Or young people at said bars…
What’s the Trojan Bowl? Kidding. But no, I will not be there…
I’m guessing that the bike valet didn’t get much biz during the rainy Rose Bowl?
Comment by Siel — January 3, 2006 @ 10:41 pm
Sure, the rents are higher but a lot of people bike here. Also, it IS more neighborhoody than most places so you can get what you need via a bike very quickly. I have had my car 5 years and I put a total of 24,000 miles on it. Most of those miles came from one year :)
Comment by ilan — February 2, 2006 @ 9:37 am
yikes, I forgot… here meaning Santa Monica…
Comment by ilan — February 2, 2006 @ 9:38 am
Hey ilan — About how often would you say you end up using your car? I’m a lil afraid that I’ll ruin my social life by getting rid of the car — My friends might get a lil sick of always driving out to see me, you know? (Good luck with the parrot, BTW :)
Comment by Siel — February 2, 2006 @ 10:33 am
go for it! since i have no job (aspiring grad student) i use my car ~1x/wk (eg drive to TJ’s, as walking to Wild Oats and Whole Foods was killing the budget, even buying on sale), but my bike needs an overhaul. however, i admit to having zero social life, as an old married person w/ 99% medical resident friends who don’t have time for such frivolities as an outside life.
Comment by lag2 — March 2, 2006 @ 9:52 pm
Wait — But I’m a young, unmarried person, and my sis is a med rez but is all the way in St. Louis — I’m a frivolous drinker with a social life! :o
Comment by Siel — March 2, 2006 @ 11:16 pm