[Charla]

I guess they take a bus or cabs to get around town, right? What if they needs to travel to a neighboring city...or state?

 

[BoatDog]

I'm guessing busses and taxi's Charla - but don't know!

 

[imported_kiddsmom]

Trains, maybe?

 

[imported_kelli]

in SF, i didn't drive.. i took BART everywhere.. public transpo is so much better in big cities.

If i needed to go out of town, i'd rent a car.

Neighbouring cities (say within an hour) often have rail service.. trains that go every hour or so.

 

[Charla]

Hmm...maybe so. On tv, people are always taking cabs everywhere. I've always wondered how they go out of town or state. And how do they grocery shop?
When I go grocery shopping for my family of 4 (and sometimes 6 when I have my stepkids) I have to completely fill up the back of my SUV with bags. And what if
you live in a high rise? How do you get all those bags up there?

 

[BoatDog]

Kidnap the bag boy - esp. if he's a hottie!

 

[Charla]

in SF, i didn't drive.. i took BART everywhere.. public transpo is so much better in big cities.

If i needed to go out of town, i'd rent a car.

Neighbouring cities (say within an hour) often have rail service.. trains that go every hour or so.

Ahhh!

 

[Ender's Mom]

I take buses. I can take a bus to Madison to visit my family.. not greyhound but there is a different company set up to mostly serve the students who are from Madison/Milwaukee but go to school in Milwaukee/Madison respectively... also some commuters travel this way. (they are 77 miles apart)

Grocery shopping: Make small trips OR... go with a friend who has a car. I try to plan my grocery shopping around their schedule if I can.

Online grocery delivery: Peapod... expensive... but they will carry the stuff up the three flights of stairs for me

 

[imported_Belles mom]

And how do they grocery shop?
And what if you live in a high rise? How do you get all those bags up there?

I grew up on the 32nd floor of an apartment building on the south side of Chicago. They had their own little grocery store right in the building. They also would deliver for the little old folks (for a fee of course). My dad drove of course, and once in a while would go to a major store.

 

[imported_gabbys mom]

My girlfriend lives in DC (well, outside of DC). They don't have a car because it's not worth it- parking fees are astronomical, it's cheaper to take the train in, they have a "car share" type thing if they need to go out of the city, etc.

It's a different way of life. You don't grocery shop once a week or once every week and a half like we Midwesterners do. She stops at the corner grocery store on the way home from work every day or every other day and has a canvas grocery bag that she brings with her. She is from Saint Louis but prefers the DC way.

 

[AngusFangus]

Yep, that sounds like how my sister did it. She lived in Chicago for a couple of years. She said grocery shopping was a major PITA. She rode the L everywhere, and shopped daily for what they were eating that night. That would STINK if you ask me! I like to go as infrequently as possible. Right now it works out to about every 7-10 days. And I'm like you Charla, I am loaded up when I come home!

When my sister moved from Chicago she brought her car back home with her. It was covered in three feet of snow and had to be dug out and jumped off.

 

[Di]

WoW that really would be culture shock for me! I have 5 major groceries stores in a 5mile radius from my house, gives us options to bargin hunt - I actually hate to shop, but only think how expensive and what a pain it would be to shop for a family in those circumstances!

 

[Trickster]

I know that many people in London (UK) don't drive. In big cities it is very easy to rely on public transport as it operates pretty much 24/7. There are always buses, trains, trams, the underground, taxi's, etc. Thinking about it, and I am thinking of London here, it is much easier to get around WITHOUT a car because the traffic on the roads is terrible.

Because I live in the country that really spurred me on to learn how to drive as soon as I hit 17. Although I haven't been driving for all that long I couldn't imagine not having a car now.

 

[Labs4life]

If you figure a couple of car payments,insurance, fuel and repairs the difference for higher groceries and public transportation might be worth it. What's the average cost for owning two cars $1,000.00 a month?

I still like shopping at the smaller establishments. I like bakeries for baked goods,butcher shops for meat etc.

It would be nice to walk a couple of blocks for some good restaurants and shops. Taking a quick cab ride to a sporting event no parking hassles, plus you get to have few drinks. So you have to rent a car to go to Aunt Suzie Q's birthday, 50 bucks plus gas?

The transportation aspect doesn't bother me, I'm okay with that. I'm just not a big fan of urban living. I can barely tolerate suburbia. Now tuck me in the woods away from everyone and let me into town once a month for supplies. I'd like that better.

 

[imported_Aim]

33% of the people in my city do not drive. We have a great bus system. I've taken it quite a bit, especially when we first moved here and only had one car. It's pretty easy to figure out and you can get anywhere in the city within about 30 minutes or so.

In Toronto, it is much easier to live without driving because of the subway and streetcars. You can even take your dog on the subway, as long as it is well behaved.

 

[BudGirl8]

I can see the advantages both ways I guess but I would not like to be beholden to someone else's schedule. I also would freak out about not being able to take my dog to the vet if she got sick, not being able to get myself to the doctor if I got sick, etc. Waiting on the corner for the bus if I'm running a fever doesn't exactly sound fun. Neither does riding the train.

It would be nice to be car payment, insurance, fuel tank agony free however. I also have the privilege of paying for parking to get to my job too and I work in little ol Kansas City, not even downtown either.

Give me a ranch back home in Colorado anytime. If I could only find a way to pay for said ranch I'd be happy...

 

[Charla]

What about if you have a baby? Are there carseats in cabs and on buses?

 

[Trickster]

Many buses don't even have seatbelts so I guess you would just hold the baby. On trains mothers with babies have seating priority. As for taxi's, my great uncle is a London cabby and he keeps a child seat in the back for use as and when needed. Not sure if this the norm. I think if you were traveling with a young baby (0-1 years) you would have to call the taxi firm first to arrange the journey.

 

[Labmom2Sun]

My friend in Manhattan takes cabs and the subway all over the city. She has a car she keeps at her parents' house in the 'burbs when she needs it. I get the feeling a lot of people in NYC don't cook so don't need to grocery shop much. My friend just buys essentials and eats most of her meals out.

 

[imported_kelli]

man..not driving would save me $600/month.. that's a lot of money!