@chenda
well, we moved back to a city for better jobs with better organizational culture and more professional management. which has been mind-saving and life-saving. working with incompetents is murder
but in doing so we chose to move to a central, costlier [pedestrian & bike friendly] location near work, rather than to car suburbs where [cheaper housing + commuting] add up to roughly the same.
it was a trade-off in terms of money, but i think we come ahead in terms of time and stress--we have more free time, and we're spared the horrid commutes, which means also more energy and productvity.
before the pandemic we walked, bicycled, used mass transit, and supplemented with the occasional uber or car rentals including uhaul. there are also electric scooters for rental somewhere but meh.
then we ditched the truck, which was paid for, but still needed insurance, registration, inspection, gas, parking, etc. plus regular repairs because it was an old vehicle and some upcoming ones were big.
this was the original plan moving here, but we tested that car-free was workable before getting rid of it. because here, unlike in older cities, the pedestrian friendly part is small, and the rest is six lane avenues and infernal interstate highways and residential subdivisions.
but we proved it was easier and cheaper and more fun for us with no car. why go suffer at costco, when costco can deliver?
i also priced out smaller vehicle options to replace the truck but they were money losers and a headache.we're in a time of transition so it's hard to buy a car "for the next 20 years". so we ditched the car, made a bicycle budget, and we're pocketing the savings now. this includes also better clothes that perform better outside air-contitioned metal cages.
but with the pandemic surprise (oopsie) it's been a bit more difficult to have no car, because we don't want to get on vehicles with other people. so right now we're not going far. which is okay. but we can still human-power it, which limits our range. but we like the neighborhood. plus we save even more money.
however, we're working remotely now, and we're also near fresh groceries, plus medical care should we need it, so all the basic necessities are covered really. what's lacking is more of a psychological need to explore at this point. there's no real physical
need to go anywhere though.
and i've been thinking about getting an "emergency car" to escape town in case of disaster, but if you look at something like the french blockade of past days i think disaster might be more easily escaped on foot or trail bicycle than stuck on a gridlocked highway
eta: this photo i think is from katrina:
http://www.retreatrealty.net/wp-content ... rina-2.jpg
i see a huge unused bike lane