When do you get used to driving everywhere?

[Vishenka69]

It was a novelty at first and I liked not having to share a car with DH but now I sometimes don't even want to leave the apt because I'm so sick of driving everywhere. We're not completely in the boonies and most places I need are within 10-20 minutes but I don't like driving when I'm tired/hungry/sleepy/cranky/have headache, which right now seems to be all of the above all the time. I guess I haven't been behind the wheel long enough for it to feel like second nature. Will there come a time when I will no longer be thinking "Do I really need it, if I have to drive 40 minutes each way?"

[DCJenn]

Re: When do you get used to driving everywhere?

I hate it. I got so spoiled in DC (as you did in NYC).

I just don't go places if it requires too much car time. It's one reason why I love living in the residential section of downtown San Antonio. I park on Fridays and don't typically get back in the car until Monday.

and with gas prices the way they are, I think long and hard about going anywhere out of the way. The oil companies are getting enough of my money as it is.

Jenn

[Vishenka69]

Re: When do you get used to driving everywhere?

We don't have areas that don't require any kind of driving (at least not nice ones that I'd consider living in). The residential downtown neightborhoods have sidewalks but only for a few blocks and any commercial activity (aside from eating) will require a drive anyway. I just wish there was a place that combined the positives of suburbs with the great things about a large city.

[poky]

Re: When do you get used to driving everywhere?

I'm a surburban gal. I like the *idea* of walking to get groceries, etc., but it's never worked out that I lived anywhere where I could really do that; I've always lived in the 'burbs (though now that I work from home, I kinda wish we DID live closer to stuff - I feel you on the not wanting to drive thing). The way we've always done it is that you don't get in the car to only do one thing unless it's to go to work, and even then, run errands before and/or after, if you can, on the way. Always combine trips; plan things out to make a big loop to all your errands/appointments, if you can. Save up grocery shopping/nonurgent errands (keep a list so you don't forget things) and do them once a week. Frequent places where you can park in one place and run several errands at once (awful as they are in a lot of ways, a lot of strip malls can be good for this).

Re: When do you get used to driving everywhere?

Never, if you're anything lke me... I am a hard-core city gal -- I don't like to drive any more than I absolutely have to. This makes our current situation fairly suckful for me: DH and I share a car, and we live 16 miles from his workplace. I work at home, but need the car to do most errands/shopping. I can take him to work and use the car if I need to, but I HATE HATE HATE doing that b/c it means getting up at 5 am and spending almost 2 hours in the car total for his commute, plus whatever else I want/need to do. I'd rather stay home, and walk a mile to the post office if I have to.

Most of the time I can work it so I use the car when he's off, or when he's on call -- at least then, it's only one round trip per day. And I always drive him for overnight call so he doesn't have to drive after being up for 24 hrs.

Of course, if I had a real job, I wouldn't have time for this $hit. Also, if I had a real job, we might be able to afford a second car...

The good news: we are moving to a place 3 blks from DH's med center in June. I can't wait!!

Sadly, the money we save on gas will be eaten up by an increase in our car insurance premium. It's probably one of the worst zip codes in the world for car theft, and the fact that we'll be living in a building with a secured parking garage doesn't make any difference with the insurance folks.

[Auspicious]

Re: When do you get used to driving everywhere?

I'd say give it a year. This isn't the same thing, but when we moved to Evanston my driving skills were very rusty--plus the traffic in Evanston is quite a bit hairier than what I grew up with--and I was let's say a not-so-confident driver. That was really going away by a year, and at a year and a half I noticed that driving was really getting back to feeling like second nature again like it had from ages 16-22.

I think a lot of big lifestyle changes (and the whole driving thing with NYC is a biggie, IMO), you gotta give it a year.

[Cumberland]

Re: When do you get used to driving everywhere?

I am hoping to live in a neighborhood where we can walk to everything when we move this summer. I used to live in the Virginia Highlands in Atlanta and could walk to the grocery store, pubs, garden stores, friends houses.... I loved it.

[v-girl]

Re: When do you get used to driving everywhere?

Everyone drives in the Dallas suburbs and most people drive in Dallas. I did hear something about Dallas' light rail -- some passenger got beat up by a group of teenagers who were skipping school. Yeah, not really my thing (though I have been on it a couple of times).

Re: When do you get used to driving everywhere?

It is one of the things I hate about Phoenix, I don't think I could ever get used to it. We have always had zero or one car before, but here we need 2. One priority for the next move is finding a place where I can walk to run errands and we can go back to one car.

[Vishenka69]

Re: When do you get used to driving everywhere?

Driving here is a whole different game than driving in NY. I still get annoyed for having to let everyone go ahead of me and by people who'll stand on opposite corners for 10 minutes with the whole, "No, after you." Sometimes I really miss cutting people off and honking. I guess that's what monthly outings to NY are for. )) When I told Jenn P this last summer, she gave me quite a look.

We do technically live close enough to a bunch of places that I could walk there but there are no sidewalks and PA loves one lane and narrow bridges across one of which I'd have to walk to get to Main street. There's a sidewalk along the Main St but none to actually get there, so people are expected to drive for a couple of blocks and then park and then walk. Seems kind of ridiculous to me.

I guess driving has never been second nature to me, so I'm just waiting until I get there. I agree that a year is probably a good window and hopefully in a few months I won't be complaining about this as much. Also in the summer, I won't mind going outside as much as I do in the winter.

[poky]

Re: When do you get used to driving everywhere?

Driving here is a whole different game than driving in NY. I still get annoyed for having to let everyone go ahead of me and by people who'll stand on opposite corners for 10 minutes with the whole, "No, after you." Sometimes I really miss cutting people off and honking.

Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT try to drive in Seattle or Portland. It'll kill you.

OTOH, you'd probably fit right in here in Cleveland. Though I guess they're not so much with the honking, but the cutting off/ignoring lights/ignoring lane markings? That, they've got DOWN. :P

[Vishenka69]

Re: When do you get used to driving everywhere?

Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT try to drive in Seattle or Portland. It'll kill you.

Why? In NY you have to change lanes so often that you'll constantly have one or the other blinker one and there's no time to turn them on or off when you're trying to keep an eye on the traffic. And honking is great for scaring the tourists to stay off the road. :>

Re: When do you get used to driving everywhere?

OTOH, you'd probably fit right in here in Cleveland. Though I guess they're not so much with the honking, but the cutting off/ignoring lights/ignoring lane markings? That, they've got DOWN. :P

oh yeah - Cleveland drivers are RUDE. I maintain that it's more pleasant to drive in LOS ANGELES than Cleveland.

Vishenka - Me? A look?

[Vishenka69]

Re: When do you get used to driving everywhere?

You seemed geniuenly shocked that someone would actually enjoy cutting people off. It's wasn't a judging look just a shocked one.

[Vanquisher]

Re: When do you get used to driving everywhere?

I totally agree that it depends on where you are driving and what type of driver you are and what annoys you most.

Where we are right now, there is very little traffic, and I LOVE that. I freaking hate traffic. It makes me crazy. I would rather take the tiny road off the side of the freeway that winds and goes 15 miles out of my way if I don't have to sit bumper to bumper. I like to at least feel like I am moving. They drive okay on the freeways here for the most part. Super fast. Which is good and to my liking. I hate when I get behind someone going UNDER the speed limit. In my opinion, the speed limit is the number of the minimum you should go. If the speed limit is 65, you sould be driving between 70-74. I mean, isn't that the unwritten rule? 5-9 mph over? Fast enough to get somewhere, but not too much over to cause tickets.

The things that bug me here are: No one goes through a yellow light. DUH. How are we going to turn left people? Get in that intersection and turn! Stop signs. After you, no, you go, no you. Dammit! You have the right of way! Screw it, I say, now, and I always just go. You want me to go? Fine.

Things that bug me everywhere I go: Road blocks. Drivers that drive the same speed as the person in the lane beside them so as to impede all of the traffic behind them. Ugh. Drivers that can't decide how fast they want to go. Cruise control, people. Keep it pegged at 65, move to the right lane and allow people to pass you. Only drive in the left lane to pass!

I like being able to drive and go places, but at my specifications.