Things You Can Do in a City Without a Car

Earlier this month I tweeted about all the things I did in a 24-hour period without having to use a car.  A lot of people responded to say how impressed they were with me, but that wasn't the goal, so I am now a little embarrassed.  My point was not to highlight my schedule per se, but rather how easy it is to have a full life in a city and not ever get into a car.  




Just to provide another data point, here's all I was able to do within the past work week, again without ever needing a car:

* Went to and from work all five days, plus had 11 meetings away from my office and attended 2 other evening events

*  Dropped Asher off at school three times, brought Aaron home from swim practice twice, and took Jada to/from choir practice

* Did a full grocery run 

* Lifted weights or swam at the Y all five days

But this isn't some quirky competition.  There are real consequences that attend to a setting in which you can do a lot and never use a car.  To begin with, driving is really bad for the environment.  This is true even though cars are getting more fuel efficient, and some cars don't even use gas anymore.  A car-dependent lifestyle means firing up a two-ton metal box in order to do the most basic of tasks, like go to work or pick up a prescription.  And it means a land use pattern that is grossly wasteful.

Health-wise, my younger co-workers are quick to tell me that "sitting is the new smoking."  I hardly need to tell you that idling in a car isn't good for you, and that walking is not only exercise but leisure.  But it isn't just physical health.  Driving, usually in some form of aggravating traffic, is not good for the soul.  I suppose you'll tell me that music or podcasts or audio books are fun, and that may be true.  But give me a leisurely stroll through the architecture and activity of an urban setting, and even and especially the hustle and bustle of riding the subway during rush hour.  

Besides, running into someone while driving is, to say the least, not desirable.  But when walking or transiting, it is one off life's surprise pleasures, whether it is seeing a dear friend, catching up with a long-lost acquaintance, or bumping into someone who wants to give you work - all three a common occurrence for me, including, happily, this past week.  Or you can simply pass the time listening to tunes, playing Angry Birds, or (my favorite in-transit pastime) listening to Mandarin language audio.  

I am particularly pleased with my kid time while in transit.  My parents spent a lot of my childhood shuttling me to and from, but we didn't do a whole lot of talking, usually because I was in the back seat and whoever was driving had to concentrate on driving or at the very least face away from me.  In contrast, a typical week affords me multiple opportunities to converse with all three of my kids, a rarity given our busy schedules.  Indeed, besides vacations and dinner time, our highest quality times might very well be during the mundane task of getting them to and from school or some extra-curricular activity.  If anything, these chats are better than the ones we engage in on vacation or at dinner, because the setting of a city street or a subway car provides just enough ambient activity to break the ice and loosen the inhibitions (not to mention sometimes providing an easy topic to converse about).  

In short, my goal is not for people to marvel at me.  Or even, really, to marvel at what urban living allows.  Because what is telling about my non-car itinerary is how utterly normal it is.  But that's what makes it so great.