Quote Originally Posted by north woods gal View Post
I understand. Going bicycle, only/no car is a decision that should be carefully thought out. There's a lot to consider. Be glad to share my experiences if anyone is considering it in the future.
I didn't own a car until I was in my mid-30s. It wasn't necessary living in Philadelphia, Chicago or NYC, and in fact was more of a hindrance. It was easy to rent a car if needed in the former two cities, not so much in NYC but I was able to do everything there I needed by subway, bus, train or cab. When I first moved there, I went to rug store and bought a 9x12 and an 8x10 rug. The guy in the store folded them in thirds, rolled them, tied twine around them and attached plastic handles. Then we hailed a cab and put them in the trunk to get them home. Ikea ran buses from several locations in Manhattan to their store near Newark airport, Greyhound-type buses with luggage bays where you could put your purchases. I didn't have a bike then and there was no bike share or car share. In some ways I expect that it's easier to get around now than it was then.

When I moved to DC, I soon decided to get a car. Even though I lived and worked in the city, the transit system wasn't set up to get me where I wanted to go on weekends, there were no good grocery stores within walking distance of my apartment, and cab drivers charged by zone rather than using meters and they tried to rip me off once too often. It's definitely easier now with bike share and car share for people who live in DC or near Metro in the close-in suburbs. Still my current home is not near enough to Metro and there's no mass transit at all near my office, and I like to get out of town on weekends, so I'm happy with my car.