Walking the Walk: Car Free in Indy – Week 1

My butt is on fire, my legs feel like they are ripping out of my jeans, and my toes are tired.  Yes folks, I have been walking to the ends of the earth for the past week, living a car free lifestyle in Indianapolis, Indiana.  For the past 6 months, my (ex) boyfriend and I have been sharing a car, something that has been very easy considering we lived downtown and close to everything and thus I was able to walk to work or he was able to take the bike most days.  Well, as the story goes, we broke up, he moved out, and I have been left carless.  Tragic, I know.  Instead of entering the car buyer’s market, I have instead opted to give it a go (no, not IndyGo, not going that route quite yet although I am sure that experience will be coming in future weeks) and try living car free in Indy. 

I decided to go car free for a number of reasons.  First, I have never been much of a driver and have never had to hop behind the wheel much.  In Columbus and Cincinnati, I bussed it to work and back and walked almost everywhere else.  So far in Indy, I have had to drive more often but still in very short distances, as I live close to work, the gym, the grocery, and all my nightlife options.  Second, with my ex leaving town, never to be seen or heard from again, my cost of living has doubled, forcing me to cut some expenditures from my life.  I love the location of my apartment and don’t want to give it up, so something else had to give.  Third, as an urban planner/designer and an urbanite in general, my general philosophy and personal ethic promotes walkable, dense urban environments where pedestrians are king and the car takes the backseat.  I figure it’s about time I start walking the walk, ditch the car, and promote a lifestyle I think we ought to be designing around and catering to, especially in our downtowns. 

My first week without a car did not go off without a hitch.  On the first day, I came home to find my bike missing.  After a frantic call to the ex, I found out the bike was left outside and probably stolen.  Ugh!  There went my only wheeled transit.  On the second day, I had to borrow my friend’s car so I could make a mad-dash down to my other friend’s apartment on the far south side where I had left my keys in his car just moments before by mistake.  Ugh!  On the fourth day (Christmas Eve), I had the enjoyable experience of taking Mega Bus to Cincinnati, on my way back home for the holiday.  I was one of four people who actually got on the bus from Indy, the rest were traveling through from Chicago.  The trip was quick and painless, although it was quite depressing to see a bus packed with young people from Chicago heading to Cincinnati.  Most likely, many of these people were going ‘home’ for the holiday, back to where they grew up.  At some point, they all left the ‘Nati in search of greener pastures, to a place where their apparent car free lifestyle was supported: Chicago.  Brain drain at it’s finest.  Ugh! 

Despite a few mishaps, being car free in Indy has thus far been a positive experience (my legs may say otherwise).  I can say this only because of my friends who have so far been willing to take me shopping, home from the gym (that is the longest walk), or to the bar.  I see now that my schedule will often depend on what they are doing and will have to be flexible and willing to suddenly drop everything and go if I need a ride somewhere and someone can take me.  I guess this will be the biggest adjustment and something I must learn to live with. 

As my legs continue to grow in size by the minute, my butt firm up by the hour, and my walking wardrobe becomes cuter by the day (new boots here I come), I thought it would be fun to document my car free experiences and see how long I can last.  So here I am, at the end of week one.  Bring on week 2.  Time will tell, step by step.