Project Empty: Running on Empty

[darkemeralds]

I'm seriously considering giving up car ownership, so yesterday I decided to find out what that might really mean: I ran all my Saturday errands without my car. I left the house on foot at about 1:30, and came home three and half hours later, at 5:00.

In the interim, walking about three miles and riding four buses, I shopped for clothes, visited my mom, got groceries at Trader Joe's and picked up some housewares at Fred Meyer, all in Northeast Portland.



Did it take longer? The same errands by car would have taken two hours instead of three and a half. But deduct an hour for the exercise I needed to do anyway (but very likely wouldn't have), and you've got a net "loss" of about half an hour. Since those were thirty minutes I spent chatting with strangers, enjoying some good fiction, and being tranquil, they really weren't wasted.

Was it more onerous than driving? The day was hot and humid and my furoshiki--containing clothes, housewares, and groceries--was heavy by the time I got home.

On the other hand, no parking woes, no traffic hassles, no eyeing the fuel gauge in consternation. A leisurely pace, some good exercise. And absolutely no impulse-buying (because...heavy!). So on balance, it was more of a breeze than a burden.



I couldn't go no-car if I didn't live and work in the heart of Portland. Things I need are close by, and if they're not, our transit system is fantastic. There's full support for bicyclists and pedestrians. Portland's own New Seasons Market delivers groceries. And there are ZipCars everywhere, for those times when I just need a car.

The climate may call for a rainhat but almost never for actual gear. And it's pretty here. Lots of trees. Nice gardens. Friendly people in the streets. Decent air quality most of the time. Good place to be out and about in.

So...know anybody who needs a nice used car? 'Cause I think I can really do this.

Comments

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Wow, you did that in the burbs? I'm impressed!

I'd like to think that with gas prices so high (and never going back down), even the burbs will sort themselves out into villages, with local services. Maybe even start putting in sidewalks. Imagine!

I know a lot of people think I'm nuts, but this massive change we're undergoing collectively strikes me as a pretty good thing. Painful, like resetting a badly-healed broken bone, but ultimately very healing.

I hope I'm right.

[llaras.livejournal.com]

I spent a lot of time on the bus! And I was working and going to school, so I'd often sleep on the bus, awaking just as it pulled up to my spot. It was like a superpower!

But my dad worked for tri-met for 13 years, so for most of this time I rode for free. I think until I was 21. Very nice perk.