Here's us: We lived car-free in two different houses in downtown Toronto for a couple of years. Now that Red is working for That Union, he takes the UnionMobile to work, because work is technically accessible by transit, but, practically speaking, loses him about three hours/day to transit, which messes with other things.
Up until I moved two weeks ago, I lived a 15-40 minute walk from Red and the Lad (15 minutes at my pace; 40 at the Lad's when he was very small), across the street from the Lad's school. I lived a 2-minute walk from the greengrocers' (plural because there were three greengrocers on two corners. It was a very convenient place to live.) Red's place is in Chinatown East, a 5-minute walk from various Chinese groceries.
So, starting from Red's, one or both of us would walk the Lad to school. When he was little, he would often take a kick-scooter; this made a 40-minute walk into a 25-minute walk). On truly disgusting days, we might take the streetcar up the big hill and the subway one stop across.
When I was working at the office and Red was at home, he mostly did the walk to school, then walked home. During cycling season, I would bike to my office. During glop season, I took the bus (from the subway station near my house) for 45 minutes, or the streetcar and subway (from Red's house), for about the same amount of time.
Shopping was mostly a matter of picking stuff up at one of the groceries on the way home from school/work: I lived a stone's throw from three greengrocers, a 10-minute walk from a grocery store, and a 15-minute walk from a bakery. Red lives around the corner from several Chinese groceries; for non-Chinese groceries, he goes to the grocery store about a 20-minute walk up the hill (one of the possible routes home from G's school).
We borrowed his parents' car for long trips, and car-sat while they travelled; when we had the use of a car, we did exactly what you mention, and arranged to buy furniture, go places you can't go on transit, etc.
In my new neighbourhood, I'm a longer walk from groceries, etc (like 20 minutes). So I plan a little more, and don't just go to the store at 6:00 because I want some beets for dinner tonight. Come cycling season (which for me is when the roads are more likely to not have ice on them, and also when I don't have a horrible cold), I'll use the bike for groceries.
What astonishes me about Red's having the car is how easily the Lad has grown to expect that we will drive places to which we generally take transit.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2012-01-30 09:38 pm (UTC)Up until I moved two weeks ago, I lived a 15-40 minute walk from Red and the Lad (15 minutes at my pace; 40 at the Lad's when he was very small), across the street from the Lad's school. I lived a 2-minute walk from the greengrocers' (plural because there were three greengrocers on two corners. It was a very convenient place to live.) Red's place is in Chinatown East, a 5-minute walk from various Chinese groceries.
So, starting from Red's, one or both of us would walk the Lad to school. When he was little, he would often take a kick-scooter; this made a 40-minute walk into a 25-minute walk). On truly disgusting days, we might take the streetcar up the big hill and the subway one stop across.
When I was working at the office and Red was at home, he mostly did the walk to school, then walked home. During cycling season, I would bike to my office. During glop season, I took the bus (from the subway station near my house) for 45 minutes, or the streetcar and subway (from Red's house), for about the same amount of time.
Shopping was mostly a matter of picking stuff up at one of the groceries on the way home from school/work: I lived a stone's throw from three greengrocers, a 10-minute walk from a grocery store, and a 15-minute walk from a bakery. Red lives around the corner from several Chinese groceries; for non-Chinese groceries, he goes to the grocery store about a 20-minute walk up the hill (one of the possible routes home from G's school).
We borrowed his parents' car for long trips, and car-sat while they travelled; when we had the use of a car, we did exactly what you mention, and arranged to buy furniture, go places you can't go on transit, etc.
In my new neighbourhood, I'm a longer walk from groceries, etc (like 20 minutes). So I plan a little more, and don't just go to the store at 6:00 because I want some beets for dinner tonight. Come cycling season (which for me is when the roads are more likely to not have ice on them, and also when I don't have a horrible cold), I'll use the bike for groceries.
What astonishes me about Red's having the car is how easily the Lad has grown to expect that we will drive places to which we generally take transit.