Comments on: LA Sans Auto

By: Fun Joel

Fun Joel — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 22:13:17 +0000

I’m just echoing much of what the others on here have said, but I’ll throw it out there anyway.

I’ve been in LA since 10/03 (arrived from NYC) and foolishly blew my money on renting a car for a few months at the beginning (Rent-a-Wreck so it was RELATIVELY cheap, but still a drain). But I’ve been carless since 1/04. I too work at home, largely, so that’s a benefit. I DO NOT live near a subway, so I can’t speak to that. But at the same time, I live very centrally, so a number of great bus lines are easily accessible. I’m near Pico & Beverly Dr, so I have 2 different Santa Monica (Big Blue Bus) lines running down Pico and an MTA line running down Olympic. I also have an MTA line running up Beverly, that cuts across Beverly Blvd through WeHo.

I agree that the MTA trip finder is a must. Having friends or roommates who will drive you around periodically is also handy. The key is finding a good area to live in. SM and other beach areas have a lot more pedestrians, and pedestrian-accessible shopping. My area, and I’m sure others, are also more walking-friendly. Figure out where you might need to go most frequently, and then see if they are easily accesible by bus.

I too lack the bread to purchase a car, but prob will do so down the road. But I’m happy and lucky to be able to “get by” without it. I have no problems with work or shopping, and the only thing it really puts a crimp in is my social life.

Lastly, remember there are many BENEFITS to walking. You get some exercise, actually see and come into contact with some other humans, and get to enjoy God’s great natural wonders! Why else are you in LA?! Jacarandas in lovely lilac and aromatic bloom for a full month is one of my favorite things about LA, as are hummingbirds that hover a mere foot away from your head.

By: chris franklin

chris franklin — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 18:18:44 +0000

Cars: you know, “you,” “me” and the other drivers who normally fill the parking lots at grocery stores. Delivery keeps those “Cars” off the road, at least for a little while.

But, having a helicopter drop my food off is pretty kick-ass, I have to admit :)

By: lee

lee — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 16:09:01 +0000

Get a bike. It’s so simple. Great idea — unless you have a child. It’s just not practical. Try packing a 4-year-old and groceries on a bike. Try going anywhere as a family on a bike. Bikes are recreation — not transportation — if you’re not single and childless.

By: Josh

Josh — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 14:47:39 +0000

Cars aren’t the only wheels in town. Get a bike!

By: Rachel Cohen

Rachel Cohen — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 14:03:44 +0000

CT– Silverlake is about 18 miles from Santa Monica–not 30! Why don’t you meet halfway between–like West Hollywood?
If you want to really live in LA and explore all of the city, not just your little niche, you need a car. Buy one with a friend or buy a junker and learn to fix it.
Chris–if your grocery delivery keeps cars off the road–how do you get the food–by helicopter? Why not just make a trip with a friend or neighbor?

By: Ronen Lasry

Ronen Lasry — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 03:25:29 +0000

My first year in LA was car-less and carefree…I lived in Venice and worked in Santa Monica. I would ride my bike along the SM beach bikepath all of 10 minutes to get to work. On rainy days I would take the blue bus which took 30 minutes. It was pure joy.

By: celia

celia — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 02:41:45 +0000

I have two roommates who don't own cars, one never did and the other sold his once he moved downtown. They both took either the subway or bus to work, used one of those folding cart things to haul their groceries home from Grand Central Market, and relied on Flexcar, which is a car-sharing service, for their occasional driving needs. I take the subway or walk wherever and whenever I can. I use my car maybe every other week and when I do, I am so thankful that I don't sit in that traffic on a regular basis.

By: chris franklin

chris franklin — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 02:00:37 +0000

I ordered online groceries from Vons for the first time yesterday. Received them today for a 7.95 delivery charge. It was awesome. I am never going to the grocery store again if I can avoid it (an experience which involves a non-work hour walking around, wait in line, putting stuff on counter, parking, lugging 6 bags of groceries, blah, blah, blah). You have to do a $50 order min., but that’s like a weeks+ worth of food for me (and I would spend 2-3 times that at the local convenience store in a week).

Anyway, point is, if I didn’t own a car, but worked out of my apartment (or my office was a couple of miles away) and I lived in a nice walking-around place like Santa Monica, Venice, Marina Del Ray, West Hollywood, etc, I could see myself getting by without a car in LA; this is especially the case with great services like online grocery shopping. Yeah, I could manage with a computer and a cell phone and cash for a few extra services (and maybe invest in one of those Vespa scooters and a couple of helmets for a Santa Monica to Silverlake or Hollywood Bowl run).

Online grocery shopping sounds like an extravagance, but it is a service most working people should use. It keeps cars off the road and ,like I said, might help you to live without a car in LA)

By: Neil

Neil — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 00:57:57 +0000

I didn’t have a car during my first year in Los Angeles. I’m not going to lie and say it was easy, or that I wasn’t relieved when I finally passed my driving test. I do think it was actually good for me to not have a car my first year. I actually felt more integrated into city life than now, because now I’m usually by myself in the car. I would walk more and look more at my surroundings when I was on the bus or train. Now, I sometimes see a store that looks interesting while I’m driving, but I never stop and go inside because there’s no parking outside the store — and the car makes me too lazy to walk there. I’ve even gotten to the point where I drive to the Ralph’s a block away.

I would use public transportation as a way to explore the city during my first year and to begin to understand the lay of the land. I’m sure you’ll meet friends who can help take you to out of the way places, if it is necessary. Then, by year two, I would quickly buy the nicest car you can afford and join the rest of us on the 405.

By: michelle

michelle — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 22:36:43 +0000

I have a friend who is carless. She lives in Pasadena and works as a freelance patternmaker. She is always commuting between Pasadena, Vernon, El Monte, Downtown, Hollywood, etc. She makes do by using a bicycle in addition to the Metro and buses. I know it is hard for her and her commutes often take upwards of 2 hours. She works from home as much as she can. She is very earth friendly and balances the difficulties by feeling good about not contributing to the smog. But, she would buy a car in a heartbeat if she could afford one new enough not to need constant repairs.