No More Car!

We have arrived safely in Boston and are settling into our new home. Our home is actually in Auburndale which is a village in the city of Newton. Newton is a nice quiet community just west of Boston along the Charles River.

Our first major step in becoming green was to sell our car and decide to rely on public transportation and bipedal mode. What better place than the birthplace of American mass transportation, at least according to the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) website.

So far riding the T has not been a problem, except for the evening when the brakes started smoking on one of the cars and they had to evacuate everyone from the train. It was a little disconcerting to see smoke begin to engulf the T station. There was also the time when a train ahead of us was disabled and we had to wait until they were able to fix it. Other than that, it hasn't been a problem. The biggest challenge is just becoming familiar with the different colored lines and deciding whether I am inbound or outbound and not getting on the wrong line.

A byproduct of being carless is the exercise I am going to get from walking around everywhere. Hopefully the pounds will begin shedding off. In just these past two weeks I have already noticed a difference around my waist and in the way I feel.

What is most interesting to me about not having a car is how my mindset has changed. When going grocery shopping I am suddenly concerned about weight loads and distance as if I am a cargo plane. I no longer have the convenience of putting everything in the trunk of the car and driving home.

There have been a couple times in our exploration when getting from point A to point B has been a challenge due to the lack of a vehicle. Overall, however, being without a car has been liberating. It is nice not having to think about gas prices, car insurance, or just having the stress from driving. I know there will be challenges of not having a car, but I am excited about being one less car on the road. Besides, I have learned that driving in Boston is crazy!

Stay tuned for more adventures of learning to be green.