Freak of Nature (Lake Forest, CA, USA)
You could have called me a freak of nature today. I returned my lease car of the past 3 years - my trusty Toyota Tundra pickup truck at the dealership today. To symbolize my freedom from owning a car I decided to walk back to my friend’s home - 4 miles away...in the afternoon Southern California sun. Why a freak? Well I used my 2 legs instead of 4 wheels. Which is definitely not how people get around in Orange County, and much of America (I can say this now that I’ve actually seen a lot of America - I have the pictures to back this up too!).
After having lunch with an old friend near the dealership I refused his offer for a lift back to my friend’s home. For the record, I saw two joggers and two young kids shortly after I left the restaurant. The whole rest of the way I saw - ZERO - people walking my way. Two people total on the other side of the street. Hundreds of cars passed by no doubt.
The last time I felt freakish like this was in my final months of going to my workplace in June - August 2002. I started biking to work. 17 miles each way. Once a week at first. Then twice. Three times. It culminated in a week where I biked in everyday. 34 miles/day for 5 days. I even managed to ride the local bus system on another day. My first time on transit in Orange County. It was tricky because I had to bring my bike too because of limited times the bus actually runs in Orange County. I recall on the bus ride in the morning there were only a couple of people on the bus. I would bet good money that 90% of my former co-workers (400+ people) have never ridden a public transit bus in Orange County. And I only lived here 6 years. I can’t really fault my fellow citizens here completely - the layout of the cities makes car ownership imperative for all but a few.
It didn’t really take me that long to bike into work. Riding on a bike trail with no traffic lights meant I was just a few minutes slower than going by car. I might have actually been faster going home one day. Besides, I didn’t need to go to a health club for the day. My workout routine was built in - naturally.
I don’t expect to own a car for the next 2 years - if not even longer. This is small potatoes compared to one of the friends I stayed with in New Orleans. She went at least 6 years (Might be 10) without a car. A few years in San Francisco, a few years in Washington DC, a couple of years in the Peace Corp, and year or two in Eastern Europe. Sure I will rent a car at time but I am free from slavery to it.
With this I direct you to my little article - 15,000 miles to Nowhere
PS: If you’re tired of my car ravings - have you ever stopped to consider how many car ads are on television? Prime magazine spots? Before watching a movie?
After having lunch with an old friend near the dealership I refused his offer for a lift back to my friend’s home. For the record, I saw two joggers and two young kids shortly after I left the restaurant. The whole rest of the way I saw - ZERO - people walking my way. Two people total on the other side of the street. Hundreds of cars passed by no doubt.
The last time I felt freakish like this was in my final months of going to my workplace in June - August 2002. I started biking to work. 17 miles each way. Once a week at first. Then twice. Three times. It culminated in a week where I biked in everyday. 34 miles/day for 5 days. I even managed to ride the local bus system on another day. My first time on transit in Orange County. It was tricky because I had to bring my bike too because of limited times the bus actually runs in Orange County. I recall on the bus ride in the morning there were only a couple of people on the bus. I would bet good money that 90% of my former co-workers (400+ people) have never ridden a public transit bus in Orange County. And I only lived here 6 years. I can’t really fault my fellow citizens here completely - the layout of the cities makes car ownership imperative for all but a few.
It didn’t really take me that long to bike into work. Riding on a bike trail with no traffic lights meant I was just a few minutes slower than going by car. I might have actually been faster going home one day. Besides, I didn’t need to go to a health club for the day. My workout routine was built in - naturally.
I don’t expect to own a car for the next 2 years - if not even longer. This is small potatoes compared to one of the friends I stayed with in New Orleans. She went at least 6 years (Might be 10) without a car. A few years in San Francisco, a few years in Washington DC, a couple of years in the Peace Corp, and year or two in Eastern Europe. Sure I will rent a car at time but I am free from slavery to it.
With this I direct you to my little article - 15,000 miles to Nowhere
PS: If you’re tired of my car ravings - have you ever stopped to consider how many car ads are on television? Prime magazine spots? Before watching a movie?
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