Rachel Borchardt
washingtondc
08/11/2009
Boy, it's almost been a month...! Hard to believe.
I've cleaned up my car, and should be posting an ad to sell it in the next couple days.
I had a "darnit I need my car!" moment this weekend, when learning that I'd be participating in the halftime events at the Washington Freedom game in Germantown, MD. There just wasn't any way to get there using public transportation, and the idea of reserving a Zipcar just to park it in a parking lot for several hours seemed silly. So, I ended up snagging a ride from a friend.
Those moments definitely make me worry. How will I carry 25 pound bags of cat litter home? What if I want to go visit my CSA farmer in West Virginia?
But then again, that's what Zipcar is for. And I've found that if I plan things in advance, it usually works out. I know I can do this!
08/02/2009
It's been close to 3 weeks now, and it now seems less like a life-altering change, and more like the way it's always been. And I really, REALLY don't miss navigating DC traffic one bit.
Still, it's nice to know that Zipcar's there when I want to get away for a bit... or pick up heavy things from Target or something.
I think I'm going to try and get my car ready to sell in the next week or so. It's been nice having this trial run to make sure that I'm going to be okay going carless. I thought I'd manage, but it's good to prove it to myself!
07/23/2009
I think today is day 8 of the challenge? I hit a milestone -- my first Zipcar experience! :) Until now, I've been using the Metro to get where I need to go, but today, I needed to get somewhere faster than Metro and walking could take me.
My favorite parts:
* I love opening the car by tapping the Zipcard! It's like magic, seriously. I feel like a genie.
* The radio stations are preset to things like "Jennifer", who I assume also, uses the car. :)
* The cars have names! I drove Pixie (which hangs out at American University, where I work). She's a Prius.
* I also didn't realize that you can extend your reservation via text. So neat!
So anyway, it was a good first experience and I hope to have others like it. And hello, only $7 an hour for hybrids!
07/20/2009
I'm into day 6 of the challenge, and it hasn't been as hard as I expected. The main thing I'm realizing is that I need to plan ahead, and to add in a bit of time for inevitable Metro delays. :) I'm definitely feeling more confident in my ability to make this work!
07/15/2009
So, today starts the Low-Car Diet... I keep telling myself "this will be easy, I barely use my car", but now that I can't, it's making me nervous. What if I'm late for practice? What if all the cars are reserved? I've reserved my first car for next week, and I'm taking the Metro to frisbee practice tonight (the $100 SmarTrip card definitely helps!). Wish me luck!