[kabdib]

When I worked at Apple, I lived about half a mile from campus. I'd often go a week without even getting into my car; I could walk to everything important, including grocery stores. There were three very good bookstores within a 20 minute walk [now all out of business, btw].

I miss that.

[untog]

I can't imagine life not being that way. I live in NYC and can walk to everything important, or take a short subway ride to anything else. I've gone months without getting in a car- if I ever move I think I'd miss that a lot.

[sjs]

Same here in Victoria, BC. (population: ~300,000) I think downtown living in most cities is similar.

[untog]

Wow, someone from Victoria! That's a rarity. I went to UVic and lived in Vic for about three years. Getting around in Vic without a car is definitely a little more difficult, mostly because the bus service is so cruddy.

Still, I miss Victoria. I try to get back every year for the Beerfest.

[sjs]

Small world :) There are at least a few of us here on HN (that I know of).

Everything I need is downtown so I rarely bus anywhere. Living out by uvic would be annoying without a vehicle though.

[dsthysd]

I'm from Victoria as well. I didn't think anyone else on hn was from here.

[justinh]

It is the same way in Chicago as well. I went 2 years without driving a car at all, but obviously taxis were a necessity.

I was actually penalized when I renewed auto insurance for not carrying it for 2 years, despite not owning a car nor driving at all.

Robust public transportation should be a huge initiative for all major cities, and even more so ones that are growing quickly. The efficiencies, environmental impact, and convenience for citizens are too much to ignore.

[qeorge]

Same here, in Raleigh, NC. Haven't had a car in years. Its been the best decision I've ever made for my own peace of mind.

If you're willing to walk a bit and take some buses, you don't need a car. And you find really cool places while walking that else you'd never know existed.

[randall]

It's a huge reason why I constantly miss NYC. Right now I live in suburbia and don't get to walk very often.

You don't know what you've got till it's gone... etc.

[theorique]

I do this now in Cambridge, MA.

I really can't imagine myself living in a place where I'm required by circumstance to drive everywhere. Walking, public transport, taxis and Zipcar cover all the bases.

http://www.walkscore.com/score/Central-Sq.-Cambridge-MA

[tzs]

I worked down the street from Apple in the late '80s, early '90s, at a place on DeAnza a little south of McClellan, and lived in the apartments that border Stelling and the 280, so biked through that area a lot.

What were the three bookstores? I only remember "A Clean Well Lighted Place for Books" being reasonably close to that area.

[kabdib]

We probably lived in the same apartment complex then (late 80s, early 90s).

There were "A Clean Well Lighted Place for Books", "Computer Literacy" and Staceys.

For a while in '91-92, Computer Literacy was actually _in_ Infinite Loop building #1, and then they started to fail and went online or something.