Beitlers in NYC

(Courtesy of The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language)

It was really hard for me to sell my Jeep. I loved that Liberty. Thankfully I sold it to a friend! Other than loving that specific vehicle, I really looked forward to not having a car to deal with when we made the decision to move to NYC. First of all, we’re saving about $500 a month – that takes into consideration two unlimited monthly metro passes. I can only imagine how much money we would be saving if Girts and I had long commutes when we lived in Seattle. As I live here, I learn other benefits to being a straphanger:

1) great people watching – I can’t even begin to chronicle the funny situations I’ve witnessed on the subway. One particularly funny scene… late one night an older, somewhat unkempt man was sleeping on the subway and kept moving his leg back and forth, like he couldn’t control it. At the next stop a young, very well-groomed man sat at a seat on the row perpendicular to the older man. The older man’s leg kept bumping the younger man’s leg. The younger man made these faces like you wouldn’t believe, but he didn’t move even though there were plenty of empty seats. Another man, who was sitting behind the older man, did get up and move after the older man head-butted him from behind. The greasy hair inspired a hilarious look of disgust.

2) if people-watching isn’t your thing…reading and iPods are also a popular subway activity

3) no worries about drinking and driving – Girts and I have been out late on numerous occasions and we didn’t have to worry about who needed to stop drinking when. In my case, if I was driving, I wouldn’t be able to drink at all.

4) no worries about where to park

5) no maintenance – no trips for oil changes, tire rotation, tune-ups, and no need to pay anything for the above maintenance.

6) limited contribution to global warming – you know mass transit and all

7) better legs – as convenient as the subway system in NYC is, I’m still forced to walk more, which means I’m in better shape

8) no gym fees – see above. No need to join a gym if you’re walking a lot. The four flights of stairs we climb to get to our apartment help, too!

9) no car accidents – my family has this horrible habit of worrying about people getting in car accidents. I no longer have to worry about Girts colliding with a drunk driver on his way home from work.

10) it’s a passive commute – this means that in addition to being able to people watch, read, and listen to music, there’s less stress. No worrying about traffic, other drivers, or running out of gas.

I’ve been without my car since June 11th. In fact, I haven’t driven since then. And I have to say I haven’t missed it. I thought I would at some point, but I really don’t. This summer I worried that when I finally started school and had to be somewhere at a certain time, I would miss my car. I do kind of miss the three minute commute, but my commute now gets me out into the busy city of New York and the route I take to my classes leads me through Washington Square Park, one of my favorite places in the city. So I guess that means good riddance.