Car-free and lovin' it!

One of the big choices when I moved out here was whether or not to bring my car, and I decided to go car-less (see earlier post).  It's now been a month since I sold the car and headed East and I'm happy to report that I don't miss it at all!  Boston and Cambridge are both easy to get around (maybe easier?) without driving.  My favorite modes of transport have been:


1. Walking (http://mnmlist.com/joy-of-walking/).  Certainly the most low-tech of options, but the most preferred for short hops on beautiful summer days.  My apartment is exactly one mile from the LGO office, so the walk in the morning takes about 16 minutes if I hit the signals right.  All the streets have wide sidewalks around here and the city is generally pedestrian friendly, though sometimes crossing an intersection can feel like an interactive game of Frogger.  Most of the days I've been walking to school and taking a different mode home depending on the weather / schedule that I'm trying to hold.

2. Hubway (http://www.thehubway.com/).  The Boston-version of bike sharing, where you pick up a bike from any station in the city and drop it off at any other station.  MIT students can get a yearly membership for $25 and there is no per-use charge as long as you don't have the bike out for more than 30 minutes (hasn't been an issue so far).  There's a great mobile app with live stats on where bikes and empty slots are available and so far I've had pretty good luck.  The racks near Sloan fill up fast in the morning, but there's a second rack across the street which usually has room.  Just remember to bring your helmet (BTW, we get a discount on those too through the city of Boston).  With the walk to the station, ride to campus, and walk to Sloan, the commute is about 10 minutes.

3. MTBA - "The T" (http://www.mbta.com/).  This is the second city that I've lived in with an efficient mass transit system that actually goes where people want to go (Portland being the first).  Pretty much everything that I need is along the Red Line, from drinks at Harvard Square to the airport bus (and oh yeah, my place and MIT in between).  MIT students get a discount (see a trend here?) down to $35/month that gets us unlimited use of the T and busses in town.  I haven't tried the buses yet, but I haven't really felt a need to for anywhere that I go.  From my place to school is 8 - 14 minutes depending on the train schedule.

4. Zipcar (http://www.zipcar.com).  This is a great car-sharing program for short trips in the city (i.e. large grocery runs or moving vacuum cleaners and box fans).  As with everything, MIT students get a discount so it only costs $15 every year.  The hourly rate for cars ranges from $8.50 - $12.00 depending on the car type and day (Audi's on the weekends are more than Honda's during the week, go figure!).  So far I've only used it once but was impressed with the convenience when I did.

 5. Car Rental (www.budget.com).  As a truly last-resort, there is a Budget car rental counter two blocks from my apartment with a full fleet of cars.  I've only used it once, to rent a sweet minivan for a hiking adventure to New Hampshire a few weeks ago (see Ammar's pictures here).  Total cost for a 24-hour rental was $67 plus gas, so it's a lot cheaper than taking the Zipcar for a full day.




Between all these options, I really haven't missed having my own car out here.  That opinion may change a bit when the winter weather rolls around, but so far so good!