After Not Dying in Death Valley:
I did the unthinkable and decided to test my mettle by living in Southern California without a car, with the intent being on trying to lower my personal carbon footprint (and saving on gas/insurance). Last Saturday I sold my car and now my primary form of transport is Moanahh II (above); combined with an assortment of trains, buses, bummed rides, and borrowed cars. It represents my first major step in fighting global warming in my way.
Today is my fifth carless day and so far everything is going well, the Metrolink trains and buses allow Moanahh II on with me and I haven’t been late to work in Downtown L.A. yet. Other than battling the cold winter mornings it’s actually a little easier than driving, although they both seem to take roughly the same amount of time. Some of you out there in blogland might just give it a try. I’ll keep you updated as the next couple of months progress through this experiment.
Other than becoming what my brother-in-law refers to as a full blown bum (i.e. no car, no permanent address, no permanent job, no bills), life has been going pretty well since my return from Singapore. I have spent vast hours in my favorite aisles at the bookstore (below), worked a bit on a couple of T.V. shows and concerts in L.A., and shot some pictures of the family at my cousins wedding.
I have decided on my next little getaway; In early March myself and a certain cute Asian girl are going to spend three months wandering around Peru, Ecuador, Columbia and possibly Bolivia. I know thats still 10 weeks away, but it will be the first chance for her to get away from her job and take off with me, so I just figured on waiting here and filling up my bank account for the rest of this years travel before we go.
7 Comments
Join the discussion and tell us your opinion.
Carbon footprint? Global warming?
Could it not be the $$ for travel saved as your primary reason?
Just a thought. Thanks for the fresh post son.
*gasp* cute Asian girl?! where?
The title “Rob Has No Green” might be a more accurate title. I don’t actually think you are a full blown bum, but you are on a slippery slope to becoming the first real life hobo I have known. Keep living the dream!
Congrats on ditching the car! I sold mine a while back, though I still catch rides with my girlfriend to the grocery store and whatnot. After cruising around Beijing I fell back in love with the bicycle – perhaps you had the same experience.
For the record, I’m not sure you could describe any day in Southern California as “cold,” nor could you describe riding in such weather as “battling.” Come to Wisconsin in December and commute at 5:30 a.m. – now that’s some battling!
Happy New Year!
Just watch out for those parking lots, you may still have a few bad lingering karma points for ditching Moanahh I.
Awk!
Rob!! Your photos are amazing. I know you hear that all of the time but…really…wow. I just spent several hours going through your blog and calling anyone within earshot over to the computer to show them off. Very impressive.
Congratulations on getting rid of the car. I haven’t had one for 8 years now and I love it. I was car-less in LA for a while and it was a little painful, as public transportation was only for crackheads (and hobos like us) and everything is so darn spread out. It’s worth it, though, to save the extra money for travel.
I’m looking forward to your SA trip. I’m sure it will be outstanding.
-Amanda