Car is King in CA

This past Thanksgiving week, I was out in southern California, to enjoy some warmth, blue skies and sunshine. :) Melinda and I stayed with her friend Nancy, who lives in Laguna Niguel. Thanksgiving was to be spent at their in-laws house in Apple Valley - about 100 miles northwest, a couple of hours drive.

Except on Thanksgiving Day....when EVERYONE in CA gets in their car to drive somewhere for the turkey meal. It took us FOUR HOURS! Ugh. You should have seen the massive traffic jams! I was thinking it would have been much more enjoyable to bike that 100 miles than sit in this traffic. If it hadn't been 100 miles, I would have tried it. :) Fortunately, the ride home was the normal 2 hours, thank God!

I had suggested to various friends while we were visiting, that they could give biking a try in their area. They would save a lot of money (even though gas prices have come down to about $1.89 a gallon), get exercise, and get to know their own neighborhood. You'd be surprised how many businesses are located within an easy biking distance. And you'd have FUN along the way. They could bike to run errands, to stores and restaurants they needed to get to, instead of always hopping in the car. Yes, it takes longer, but you get the exercise and fresh air, that you don't have TIME for otherwise! But everyone's kind of "married" to their car, and they don't think of anything else as an alternative.

I had brought my folding bike, the Bike Friday, with me, to get in some rides. Nancy and Melinda had a conference to attend in San Diego the following week. San Diego is located about 70-80 miles south of Laguna Niguel. I had brought along the Adventure Cycling Association's maps of the coast, and decided I would bike down to San Diego to meet them at the hotel. Nancy couldn't believe I would actually WANT to bike all that way - why bother, when you could get there in a car in just an hour and a half?

Well, there are MANY reasons to bike somewhere - whether it's near or far. Number one, as mentioned above, it's much more enjoyable. You're not just stuck in a car seat, looking at cars all around you. Instead, you feel the breeze, soak in the sun, meet the people along the way, stop and take pictures of funny signs or scenic spots. You work up an appetite and food always tastes better! You EXPERIENCE your surroundings instead of passing by and through them. It's like the difference between watching a movie, vs. actually being IN the movie. :)

I had a GREAT ride down the coast. Yes, it took all day, but you're so INTO your surroundings, time flies. You certainly don't feel that way in a CAR!!

First Year Anniversary

This month will mark my first year of living without a car. :) Hard to believe it's been a year already! Here are a few of my thoughts about being car-free:

1. I have come to enjoy and appreciate the slower pace, both in bicycling places, and using public transportation. I have done a good bit of reading in my public transit time, something I haven't had time for before. You'd think it wouldn't be possible for me to say I enjoy biking EVEN MORE than I have - but I do. I enjoy seeing the sights around me and exploring new areas. Cars zoom past me on the road...yes, they beat me to a destination, but I have more fun getting there. :) I also enjoy getting even more exercise than I did before. I appreciate the simplicity, ease and use of the bicycle.

2. I have saved about $2K in my savings account, which I add to each month. It's been neat to see the account grow, and I haven't withdrawn any of it. Someone mentioned that I could use the money to pay for any bicycling repairs or expenses I have. I suppose I could do that, if I didn't have the resources otherwise. I suppose I also could add more to the monthly amount that I deposit, but I was keeping it at the amount that equaled how much I had been spending in gas and insurance for my car.

3. I've explored getting around by bus, train, subway, plane, etc. Though sometimes it's been a little frustrating or slow to take public transportation, for the most part, I've managed alright and I've worked around some obstacles. I have made the adjustment in my mind of how long it will take to get to my destination. It's been neat to meet people in my travels who start up a conversation with me when they see me with my bike. It's been fun to share with them that I don't have a car and how I've managed to get around. Some people look at me with disbelief, and state they couldn't possibly live without a car. Others have told me they have enjoyed biking in the past and have been thinking about taking it up again. I tell them how great this area is with the bike paths, transportation, etc. and I encourage them to try it again.

4. The hourly/daily rates of renting a Zipcar has risen the past year. It'd be nice if it hadn't, but inflation has hit everywhere, so I'm not too surprised. When I had donated my car, Zipcar opened my account with $500 in driving credit, which is valid for a year. I remember talking with a co-worker about that credit, and told her that I BET I could make that $500 last all year long. Through the year, I have rented Zipcars as needed/wanted (8 times). I used the last free Zipcar rental recently, so now I'll be the one paying the hourly fee. Even though I like having Zipcar as an option, I probably can get along without it even less.

5. Thanks, Melinda! Lastly, (but not least!) I thank and appreciate my friend and roommate, Melinda, for rides to/from the airport, train depot, Zipcar locations. I have tried to schedule my returns to not be late at night, so it will allow me time to then bike home. Sometimes though, when I have finished a trip to other areas, I have been delayed along the way (unexpected transportation delays). So, even though I have TRIED to be back in town early, I get thwarted. It would be even later, if I were to try and bike home. Yawn... Melinda has been kind and gracious to come to my aid. We sometimes catch a meal together when we meet up, and I pay for her's in appreciation. Also, if I am with her when she happens to fill up her gas tank, I help out towards that. I also have helped her out a few times where I pick up items or run errands for her on my way biking home - which saves her a trip out, and she appreciates that. So, we help one another out. :)

Up to NYC Again!

This past weekend I went up to New York City for the third time this year. This time, I took the Washington Deluxe bus service. A biking friend of mine mentioned he's taken it a lot in the past and that he was pleased with their service and bus schedule. I would have taken the Bolt Bus, as before, but for some odd reason, I could not get a later bus coming back on Sunday night. The last available bus on their schedule listed to be at 2 p.m., which wouldn't do. So I thought I'd try the Washington Deluxe bus and see how it compared with the Bolt Bus.

I rode my bike on Saturday morning, leaving my house at 6 a.m., to catch the first bus out, 7:45 a.m., at the Dupont Circle stop. The bus then goes on to pick up at 15th & K Streets, and then near Union Station. I chose the Dupont Circle stop because I didn't know how crowded the bus would be or get, and I didn't want any problems with my bike. There were about 10 or so people at the bus stop and I slipped my Bike Friday (not folded) into the farthest bin. I got a seat in the first row (seems like a lot of people don't like to sit in the front row seat - but I think it's nice - you get a better view). As we rolled away from the bus stop, a lady came up to the driver and said that the driver had left just a couple minutes earlier than the schedule stated, and that her boyfriend was right behind her, trying to get the bus. The driver checked his watch and the schedule, and apologized, and he went around the block to go pick up her boyfriend. There were a couple of other people who were there waiting too, so it's good he went back!

We picked up at the other two locations, and had a full bus. With Washington Deluxe, you can pay in advance online by credit card, but you can also pay cash on the bus. With Bolt Bus, everyone pays upfront online. I think this is better, in a way, because it saves time. On the Washington Deluxe bus, there was another employee who came on the bus to collect the money from passengers, while we all sat waiting on the bus. So, even though I got on the bus at 7:45, it was 8:30 by the time we left D.C.! :/ Also, with Bolt Bus, there is just one pick-up spot. After the bus loads there, you leave the city. I guess there's pros and cons to each bus service...depending on what you prefer.

The bus driver had heard there was a bad accident on 95, so he decided we would take a detour route - going over the Bay Bridge and through the Eastern shore, paralleling 95. He said it would add 15-20 minutes to the trip. But that's better than sitting in traffic. So, we finally got to NYC by about 1-1:30 p.m. - a long trip. One thing with taking the bus is, that even though you save a lot of money (roundtrip on the Washington Deluxe bus was $46 - and you can get lower fares on Bolt Bus), you have to deal with traffic conditions, and there's ALWAYS the back-up getting into NYC through the tunnel. You just SLOWLY creep with everyone else and "funnel into the tunnel." Too bad I just can't grab my bike out and bike into the city from that point. Though taking Amtrak costs lots more (over $100 each way), and you can have delays on the train, at least you don't have to deal with the traffic once you get to NYC. Pull into the station and get off the train, and you're up on the street in a couple minutes. It's more pleasant, not having to deal with the traffic, and see all the congestion on the roads.

On the return bus trip home, both the Washington Deluxe Bus and the Bolt Bus load up at the same location. So, it's a bit chaotic scene - lots of car traffic, lots of buses lined up, and lots of passengers lined up for the various bus lines. I got in line early (3:15) for a 4 p.m. bus. My friend held my spot while I went to grab some food to eat on the bus. When I came back 10-15 min. later, the line had grown to 50-60 people behind where my stuff was! There was one lady who was "in charge" of checking people's reservations and keeping them lined up. Finally at 4 p.m., our bus pulls up. It'd be nice if she would've gone ahead and collected money from passengers when she checked their reservations. That would have saved time. When boarding began, she saw my bicycle and sort of gave a look like she didn't know if the bus would have room for it. There was NO way I was gonna get on the bus without my bike, of course. I told her that it folded, and she said, "Well, you better make it as small as you can, because we have a lot of people and bags." So I folded it in half, and the bus driver had me put it in on the other side of the bus, and I got a seat on the bus.

We didn't leave til about 4:30 after everyone was loaded and fare money was given. Fortunately, there wasn't much traffic leaving the city, so we got out pretty quick. We did run into a back-up at the toll booths at Delaware Memorial Bridge, which can often happen. But sitting there on the bus, looking ahead at the gazillion brake lights, it was sort of strange feeling. I realized that I'm SO used to riding my bike everywhere, and the constant forward motion, that to be sitting at a standstill and creeping along, was like getting stuck in tar. You slowly muck through it, and it isn't pleasant. With biking, if you encounter traffic, you just slide by past the cars and continue.

Why anyone would want to have and drive a car in NYC is crazy - especially for getting around the city. Really, getting around any city, biking is better and easier. I just read in the news today an article about how horrible the traffic is in D.C. - that we're right behind NYC.

One last thing with the bus trip - it was very quiet til we stopped at the rest stop off 95, when we all had a 15 minute break to use the services there. When people came back on, and had food, etc., they were more talkative. There was one guy who was reading quite outloud, tidbits from his New York Times newspaper. He was reading it to his wife, but of course, everyone could hear him. And he didn't read well either! Near him, a lady got on her cell phone and started loudly talking to her girlfriend about various life situations. I turned around and gave her "the look" a few times, to give her the hint that she was talking a bit loud, but of course, she was oblivious. So I put on my headphones and turned on my MP3 player to try and drown them out. At least when you're on your bike, you hear sounds, but you pass by them pretty quickly and they aren't annoying. So, I decided to get off at the first stop (near Union Station), although I had told the driver I'd get off at the 15th Street stop. I just couldn't take being on the bus any more and the people yakking around me. Plus I figured lots more people would be getting off at the 15th Street stop, and it would take longer. I'm glad I got off at the Union Station stop - only about 5 people did, so it was less hassle. It felt great to get on my bike and pedal off towards home and feel the mild air rush past.

Smart Cars

I just came back from a two-week trip in Germany and Austria. These Smart Cars are pretty common there, and always look so funny. I'm starting to see a handful around my area - in fact a neighbor around the corner just got one.

I saw this Smart Car parked in Vienna, Austria. I wonder if anyone has tried parking it like this in the U.S. and what would people think? Notice the cars are parked alongside a separate signed bike path. They have these separated bike lanes for bikes there. Some are separated with a curb, so no cars can enter it, which is nice. I saw a good amount of people biking while in Germany and Austria - most of them don't wear any cycling gear or helmets, and they do fine. I wonder what the accident/collision rate is for cyclists there? I also saw a lot of people walking, and not "needing" their cars with them to go everywhere. A lot of people use the subways and buses. You don't see massive traffic jams or clogged city streets like you do here. Of course, gas is more expensive there. But also, cities are more compact and you can get places easily via walking and public transportation. Another thing I liked was seeing they still have the old street cars running. D.C. evidently used to have them as their main transportation, but those were stopped in the 1960's...my mom used to talk about catching the street cars to go places. D.C. is talking about bringing those back on certain streets, but of course, it takes away from car lanes. Supposedly, there are plans for a demonstration line that will start running either on H Street or the Anacostia area, as of next year. It'll be interesting to see if it will work, and whether you really can "go back" to old transportation modes. Perhaps it would work well on certain streets and grow from there, depending on ridership.

Of course, I opt for bicycles as the top transportation mode. :) I took this picture of some businessmen conversing in Vienna, one of whom had arrived by bicycle - you can see his thin briefcase on the rack.

Up to Philly for the Day via Amtrak

This past Saturday, I got up early (5 a.m.) and rode my Bike Friday Tikit to Union Station to catch a 7:30 a.m Amtrak train to Philadelphia. (Here's a picture of the 30th Street train station in Philadelphia). I picked up some snacks at the station and got to the gate right after they had opened it up for boarding. How's that for timing? :) This was my first time taking the Tikit on Amtrak, so I was a little anxious about finding a place on the train for my bike, and whether I would be able to find a seat right nearby, to keep an eye on my bike. I removed my front pannier, and folded the Tikit - while hearing a young kid pass and say, "Hey, look! A folding bike!" :) I rolled it up to the gate and showed my ticket and made my way to the train. I got on where directed (after the Business Section cars) and lifted my Tikit onto the train. The car I entered had the open area where you can set luggage. So I propped my Tikit there and then took a seat in the front row next to that area. There was a lady sitting at the window seat, and she had a lot of Crate and Barrel shopping bags and a big basket with bottled beverages in it. These were in the luggage area in front of her, next to my Tikit. She was headed to a Bridal Shower in Philadelphia, and amazingly handled all these packages and the basket by HERSELF when she got off in Philadelphia! I thought I had quite enough to handle with my bike and pannier! :)

The lady sitting across the aisle from me was from Connecticut, and it was her FIRST train ride (she looked to be in her 50's or so). She said she wasn't a traveler and that this was quite the adventure. So I congratulated her on being brave and adventurous, and commented that taking the train is a nice way to go. She agreed.

The train left on time, which is always nice. :) When we got up to Philadelphia, I met up with a couple of new biking friends (Teresa and Barbara) to ride the Schuykill River Trail. I haven't ridden the trail in many years, and was surprised to see the development along the trail - new apartments, condos and office buildings. Also, there were additional trails branching off from this trail. It was a beautiful sunny day - you couldn't ask for a better day to ride! :) We stopped at Barbara's house for lunch, and then later stopped in Manayunk for dinner. Teresa and I did over 50 miles of trail riding, and getting to know one another along the way, sharing experiences, etc.

The return train home, unfortunately, was delayed. It was supposed to leave at 7:30 p.m., but instead we left at 9 p.m., so I didn't get to Union Station til 11 p.m. It was a LONG day, but definitely a FUN one!! :)


The next day, I had arranged to rent a snazzy red Mini Cooper Zip Car. :) I drove it up to Baltimore to meet with my sister and brother, to celebrate my sister's birthday. :) I thought it'd be fun to rent a fun car in honor of her birthday, and she enjoyed it. The dash on the car inside was like a space ship - with very modern instruments, etc. :) It also had quite the fast and powerful engine in it. It could easily cruise along at 70-75 mph!! Of course, everyone else around me was doing that speed and MORE! I wasn't the only one!

So, it was a fun intermodal transportation weekend! :)

A "Training" Experience

Last week, I finished a bicycle trip from Buffalo, New York to Albany, New York. Instead of flying back at a cost of $500, I decided to get a ticket ahead of time on Amtrak. That only cost $100! Though it took all day to get home, it would be a pleasant way to travel. I hadn't taken Amtrak in a long time, and thought maybe it was like the airlines in that they would check your baggage and load it and transfer it at various points to your final destination. Not so. Evidently, I would have to do that. Unfortunately, the bike suitcase weighed 50 lbs., and I also had a duffel bag that contained my tenting stuff and clothes. I felt it would be too much of a hassle to try to schlep all of this around on my own, so I asked if it could be sent on a later train and I could pick it up a day later. They said no problem, and it didn't cost anything.

Since I had finished my bike trip a day earlier than expected, I changed my outbound train, and that only cost $20! I was used to expensive change fees on airlines, so this was a nice surprise. It was because I had an existing reservation and ticket. :)

It was nice to travel with just a little carry-on bag on the train that contained a book to read, an MP3 player for music and my bicycle helmet. I enjoyed reading, listening to music, taking pictures out the window and also checking out sights in the distance with my binoculars. It was very pleasant and relaxing. You also have lots of leg room, the seats are comfortable than airline seats and you can get up and wander around the train if you want to stretch your legs.

Our train was delayed in getting to New York City, by an hour and a half, so I had to trek across Penn Station to the Amtrak counter to get my ticket re-issued for a later train. I was glad I didn't have to carry all my bags that way, let alone getting into the ladies room afterwards. If I had had someone traveling with me, it wouldn't have been difficult, but on your own, it's much harder.

The train to D.C. was delayed a half hour, so I finally got into DC at 5 p.m. (a few hours later than I expected). But, I wasn't in a hurry - I had all day to spare, which was nice. It was a long travel day, but really, not too much different from my flight to Albany. Between transferring planes in New York City, and then an hour delay sitting on the runway while 40 (!) planes waited to take off, it took me (door to door) about 9-10 hrs. Same as the train!

My next Amtrak trip will be later this month, when I take it up to Philadelphia for the day, to bike with a friend on bike trails there. I will take my smaller folding bike, which will easy to get on and off the train. Stay tuned!

Go Greyhound!

This July 4th holiday, I'm going to catch a ride with my brother to Baltimore to visit and spend the night. On the return, I'm going to take the Greyhound bus back to D.C. The good news is that the fare is only $14 non-refundable one-way. The not-so-good news is that you have to arrive an hour ahead of time to get your ticket (even though you have a confirmation of your reservation and paid ahead of time), you still need to get an actual ticket. You can pay an extra $5 to choose your own seat and get priority seating, but that has to be done at the terminal, not ahead of time, nor online. The other bad thing is that if the bus pulls up, and is full, you have to wait and take the next one. I hope that this won't happen. I've chosen the 4:45 p.m. bus, which should get into D.C. by 6:30. This will allow for about 2 hours til it gets dark, in order for me to bike home. I'll bring my headlight/rear light just in case.

The ride to D.C. should take about 2 hours, which is an hour longer than if you're driving. I'm going to bring my folding bike, the Tikit, and put it in the baggage bin, and then ride home from D.C.

My brother offered to take me to the Metro subway in New Carrollton, but that's 44 miles from his place, and with the price of gas and the time it would take him to get to and fro, it just seemed better for me to try Greyhound. I'll bring a book and some music to listen to. It's a relatively short ride, and hopefully the bus and driver won't have any problems. There have been some accidents involving Greyhound... hopefully nothing will happen on my ride! Stay tuned for a report.

*******July 7, 2008 - RESULTS OF ATTEMPT:

Well, it was a No-Go for Grehound, though I gave it a shot. My brother and his friend brought me to the Greyhound Terminal on Sunday, arriving an hour and a half before the departure time, to get my ticket. The terminal is not located in the best area - and both my brother and his friend commented ENDLESSLY about both the bad, seedy location, unsafe area, and also about the "unsavory" patrons in the terminal. Funny thing though, one of the people we happened to bump into in the terminal, turned out to be a pastor in my brother's church! Huh- interesting the KINDS of people who take Greyhound, eh? :)

Anyway, I got in line to get my ticket. The man working the counter must have given umpteen "speeches" to people before me who were attempting to get on the bus going to New York City, because he started to give me that same speech...about that the 4:45 bus was most likely going to be full, and that they would have to wait for the next bus at 6:15. But he hadn't heard me correctly when I told him I was going to D.C. "Oh - sorry about that," he said, "I haven't heard anything about the DC bus." So I got the ticket, and we had an hour to wait til the bus came. While we were waiting, a long line formed for people going on the NYC bus. In between that time, an announcement or two were made about buses that were soon arriving at the terminal. Then I saw a bus pulled in, with the destination of "D.C." on the front, but no announcement was made. The bus number didn't match the number on my ticket. I went outside to check with the bus driver, who was standing outside the bus, starting to take tickets from people. There was a line of about 7-10 people who formed out of the blue. I asked the bus driver about the bus, and he said yes, it's going to D.C., but that he only had ONE seat available! :( Since I wasn't in line, I was simply out of luck. :( Nice system, eh? :( I felt sorry for all the rest of the people going to DC (and NYC) who were going to be disappointed and have to wait perhaps long hours before being able to get on a bus..... Who knows how long they had waited already?? I heard one person say they had been there since before 1 p.m. :(

So, I told my brother what happened (he was inside at the sundries shop), and asked him to drive me to the Metro subway. He was pissed about the whole event, and that he had offered to take me to the subway before we had gone to the Greyhound terminal. He thought the whole ordeal was a waste of time. Granted, it did waste our time, and I felt bad that it had wasted my brother's & his friend's time... I gave my brother $20 for his gas and time. But I learned a lesson about Greyhound and how it operated. I learned I won't be taking Greyhound until they have a better system in place. Funny thing, however, is that the Bolt Bus I had taken to NYC in May, was OWNED by Greyhound. WHY can't they run the rest of Greyhound like they run Bolt Bus?? Seems like if it works so well for the Bolt Bus, it'd work good for the Greyhound buses.... Oh well, live and learn.

So I got dropped off at the Metro subway, and the ride back to Alexandria was uneventful. When I got off the subway and was getting my stuff in order on my bike, a lady came over, smiling and sort of laughing - and asked about my "cute" small Tikit bike. :) So we had a nice chat about bikes and about living car-free. She said she had owned a couple cars a while back, but it had gotten too expensive to own and maintain them, and how her cars would often get banged up in the parking lot. She's given up on cars, and just takes public transportation. She lives on Rt. 1 in Alexandria (a major bus line), and has no problem with it. It was nice to meet a kindred spirit who uses public transportation locally. :)

Hopefully my experience on Amtrak will be a better time, when I take it at the end of August, to Philadelphia to meet a friend to go biking for the day. Stay tuned...

Oh, by the way, while I was at my brother's, I mapped out for him and his friend, a way to bicycle commute to their jobs. His friend and I then bicycled his route (about 9.7 miles), which took about an hour. It had a few good up and downhills, which would be a nice work out. It had a spot or two of "hairy" traffic areas, but he could tinker with the route to make it better. The route currently is on quiet suburb streets most of the way. I encouraged him to try it out sometime. He is currently borrowing my brother's small car to make the commute, and is interested in getting a car of his own. He said he spends about $70 every two weeks in gas. It would be nice if he could try going car-free, at least until late Fall. I know winter bike commuting isn't for everyone, but you can do it when the weather is decent... I don't know if he'll give it a try, but he's got the route and the ball (or wheel, should I say) is in his court.....