I Did It - December 2010 Update

Today marks two months since I sold my car, opting to rely on my scooter, bicycle, the bus, or carrier pigeon... many of my friends and acquaintances have asked me about it, so here I am with an update.

Certainly the chilly weather has made things tricky at times on my scooter commute around 7:45am. I have a great Patagonia windproof jacket, wool scarves and thick leather gloves for up top, but I'm not gonna lie, my legs were really cold. I tried wearing my rain pants one day, and that was useless. Finally I realized I just needed to wear my woolies! I pulled out my capilene long underwear, which fit easily under my clothes and now I'm perfectly toasty. Duh.

Since I was so used to riding my bike, the adjustment to a car-less life has actually been relatively minimal. I choose to do the bulk of my grocery shopping via bike, so I'm going to the grocery store every three days or so -- I could easily take my scooter (and sometimes do), but I want the exercise. With my Specialized Globe "wonder bike" (mine is dark blue, with fenders and a sturdy rack), I sometimes ride at night. Again, no big deal. I am fortunate that I live in sports-crazy Santa Barbara, so it's not strange to go to the store a little sweaty.

These are some of the adventures and experience that have stood out to me in these past 2 months:

• I took the train to Ventura for Thanksgiving with my best friend's family. She was already down there, so I scooter-ed to the Amtrak station, took the train, and she picked me up there. Important: train travel works best when you make reservations. I had made mine in late October, so I was fine.
• Someone contacted me from Portugal after reading my blog to tell me that he and his family (he is married with 3 kids) have chosen to scale down to one car, and that I have fellow green friends around the world! How cool is that? My good friends the Rusts in Seattle, despite having 2 kids under 3, are doing the same. People, it's possible.
  
• I took the bus whenever it was raining in the morning. I'm so grateful that there are two bus stops within walking distance of my house. The bus is easy, clean and generally on time.
  
• I picked up breakfast treats for a staff meeting, and was able to bungee-cord the covered tray onto the back seat of the scoot.
• I had an overnight project in So Cal. In the old days I would drive my car. But this time I took the train to LA's Union Station, then rented a car. I never had to drive more than 40 minutes at a time, which was a welcome relief. The train ride home on Friday afternoon at 3pm was SO. MUCH. EASIER. than dealing with traffic.

People often worry about me driving at night. While I appreciate the constant requests to be careful, please be assured that I always drive very carefully, FULLY AWARE that no one is looking for me. I also opt for the well-lit main streets at night rather than travel on side streets, dark neighborhoods or frontage roads.

Favorite recent scooter moment:
I was motoring quickly down State Street on the way to an early morning staff meeting for Providence Hall. I needed to pick up the staff meeting treats (mentioned above) ahead of time. I headed down De La Vina, and near the intersection of Mission and De La Vina I saw a school bus stopped on the road, lights flashing.

I'll be honest -- when I get the questions on driver's license tests about school buses, I never confidently know how to answer. That morning, my brain rapidly clicked through my options... it was pulled over to the curb, so I could safely pass? Or was I supposed to slow down to 25mph? Or should I stop altogether? Since I wasn't entirely sure, I decided at the very last second to stop behind the oh-so-small stop sign that is on the side of the bus (fully afraid that a car behind me might roll right over me). A big ol' Country Squire station wagon zoomed past me on my left. As soon as I stopped... a motorcycle cop pulled out from a hidden driveway directly across from the bus and nailed that station wagon! I was thankful and relieved that I stopped, let me tell you.

I'm still waiting for that dang-it-I-wish-I-hadn't-sold-a-perfectly-great-car moment, but so far, so good. Should I mention I spent $12 on gas last month?

Proud Scooter Owner

Okay okay, I'm so comfortable with myself that I'm willing to share a link of something that COMPLETELY mocks me. I read this today on Stuff White People Like.

Enjoy. Mock away. But admit you're jealous of my Buddy scooter :)

Within white culture, your choice of transportation method says a lot about you. For example a Prius says you care about the Earth, a bicycle shows you REALLY care about the earth, and a bus shows that you are probably not white. But these three options are not the only viable ways for a white person to get around, they have literally dozens of choices including Volvos, old Mercedes that run on vegetable oil, Subaru Outbacks, and Vespa Scooters.

As it stands, every single white person on earth either owns, has owned, or is dreaming about owning a Vespa Scooter. And why not? They are Italian, feature vintage design, low emissions, make the rider look more sophisticated, and they carry a little bit of risk. In fact, were it to have a liberal arts degree and a steady income, a Vespa scooter would possesses every important quality that a white person looks for in a spouse.

In addition to these superficial qualities, there are some very practical benefits to white people. Namely, scooters are perfect for gentrifying neighborhoods which are often short on parking and heavy on people who are impressed by Vespas.

If you are in search of a fun game, a white person who has recently purchased a Vespa can be a source of tremendous entertainment. Step One, get them talking about their Vespa (easy). Step Two, start asking them why they didn’t save money by getting a Honda or Suzuki that gets the same mileage. Step Three, see how many of the following justifications a white person will use during the ensuing rant: environment, parking, urban lifestyles, union labor, writers, fuel efficiency, Roman Holiday, study abroad, and being into Vespas before other people.

Finally, the Vespa has produced one of the great paradoxes in white culture. Vintage Vespas are infinitely cooler than newer ones, but the vintage models produce more pollution than most automobiles. If you know a white person going through this dilemma, just say something like “the amount of energy and carbon used to produce a new scooter will probably cancel out the emissions from your vintage one.”

Problem solved forever.

I will tell you -- not defensively, of course -- that I do NOT own a vintage Vespa, ahem... I own a Korean knockoff manufactured in 2007 with low emissions, thank you very much.

I will also gladly share with you my reasons for buying it ANY TIME you want :)... OK, I won't make you wait: environment, parking, urban lifestyles, writers, fuel efficiency, I look cool driving it, I get the "two wheels down" sign from Harley riders, and DUH I was so into scooters before other people. Double Duh.