When Christine Gardner proposed a story about going car-free for a month, we hesitated -- until we found out she lives in Normal, Ill. How could we resist? Halfway through her experiment, and a world away from the life she temporarily left behind, the journalist and suburban mom reports on how things are going so far. Watch for a full report in Grist later this summer, and visit Christine's blog in the meantime to keep an eye on her travels and travails.
She finally talked to me.
The Orange H bus driver, the friendly one with the nice voice, finally spoke directly to me.
"I'd like to have your hours," she said.
I was returning home from an interview about the new performing arts center, a four-mile round trip that was taking three hours. In a lapse of judgment, I'd sat toward the front of the bus, and told the driver I occasionally wrote for the local paper.
That was enough for her to hear. Among other things, she told me about the pond by Kmart that was a breeding ground for mosquitoes and West Nile virus. I needed to write a story about that, she said.
An obese woman who smelled like old underwear sat next to me, even closer to our white-haired driver. She piped up to say that her doctor had found blood clots.
With a baby, a toddler, a stroller, and a bus pass, I've given up driving this month to see if it can be done. People have told me I'm crazy -- and lugging an economy-sized box of diapers down my quiet suburban street has brought that point home well enough.
Now, more than halfway through the month, I realize I'm not only crazy, I'm all alone.
People who don't drive in Normal, Ill., typically have reasons. They don't own a car. Or they like to get loaded on Wild Turkey before running red lights on Main Street. Or they're 103 years old or they talk to themselves.
All I wanted when I moved to Normal five months ago was to be an average suburban housewife. I wanted to drink coffee with other moms while my daughters played with other kids. I wanted to make healthy, gourmet dinners. I wanted to be part of this community.
But I quickly learned I had to drive across town to be neighborly. Seriously? Is this suburbia? Is Wal-Mart the glue holding our housewife lives together?
I think there's probably another way to live. Just because I don't reside in New York City, or Chicago, or Washington, D.C. -- places priced out of our middle-class finances -- shouldn't mean I'm married to the automobile.
So over budget and without much company, I've drifted through Normal, discovering new places (after getting on the wrong bus), paying too much for shampoo, watching the price of gas skyrocket, buying exclusively local produce and trying to figure out how to entertain a 2-year-old in 95-degree heat on a Sunday when the buses don't run.
I might be doing my part to save the planet, but at the moment I feel like I'm ruining my life.
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Chris Schults Posted 3:20 am
19 Jul 2006
Day 15: What feels lonelier?
Out-of-town friends stopped by last night on their way to St. Louis. While discussing my no-car project, someone said I should go without the Internet after I'm finished.
No way. That's where I talk to old friends, get my news and check the weather. Beside, it seems to me the damaging environmental and social effects of cars hardly compares with computers. Or does it?
Hands down, one said, the Internet would go before her car. She said she'd feel isolated without her car.
What's funny is I felt isolated with one. It seems to me they're designed that way.
Look out! It's a media shower!
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rsmithiwu Posted 4:15 am
19 Jul 2006
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serial catowner Posted 8:44 am
19 Jul 2006
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aquacura Posted 4:46 am
20 Jul 2006
Dave Sheridan
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bgfranco Posted 5:40 am
20 Jul 2006
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indigogurl Posted 5:57 am
20 Jul 2006
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elisasmurray Posted 6:05 am
20 Jul 2006
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oystercatcher Posted 1:16 pm
20 Jul 2006
Sadly when I came out of the library I had a flat rear tire and ended up walking the bike home about 2 miles on a muggy but pleasant afternoon. I replaced the tube with one of those having slime inside sure hope it works but considering that the old tire had 3 punctures from caltrops (pointy and very sharps seeds) I have my doubts.
I go to the farmers market twice a week buying lots of locally grown fruit, vegetables and salad fixins. When I get home I wash up most everything but am appalled at myself for the number of plastic bags that I end up wasting. I need a reusable, washable, portable, sealable container for some fruits and vegetables. Tupperware probably wont cut it on the bike ride back from the market but it is a possibility.
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norascats Posted 9:50 pm
20 Jul 2006
A trip that takes 20 min by car can take up to three hours by bus, depending on the routes. In Nyc, the focus is on getting to Manhattan quickly. Getting across town in the boroughs is a challenge.
Now I live in the country. I want to get a bike for routing shopping. And save the car for when I have to go more than 10 mi.
I also have two huskies who would benefit from being able to run with a bike.
Nora
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paulewog Posted 6:18 am
25 Jul 2006
I ride a bike to work every day(7 mile round trip), I stop at the stores I need to shop at, or the bank, on the way home.
If I drove it would probably take just as long or longer since I would have to wait behind those people dedicated to supporting a car habit, isn't it around $1000+ a month to support that habit?
Most people I know get this glassy-eyed look in their eye when they find out I live without a car, and ride a bike, they just cannot comprehend, sad.
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