Milestone

Well folks, it has finally happened: My car reached 100,000 miles this morning.

I usually walk to work, but this morning I drove in because I'm heading to NYC after work and I know I'll be home late and will appreciate my car being parked close to the train station for a quick ride home instead of a 35 minute walk.

When I moved to Princeton I was adamant that I wanted to live within walking distance to work. I have a love/hate relationship with my car and being able to walk to work makes that balance a little more even.

So here's the LOVE side of that relationship: I love a good road trip - as is evidenced by the 700+ miles I logged this past weekend. I love driving on the open road, I love listening to the radio and singing along at the top of my lungs or getting lost in my thoughts as I watch the scenery fly by. I also appreciate being able to drive to the grocery store or the garden center when I know I'm going to pick up something heavy. And being in NJ - the land of the Turnpike and the Parkway - there is no better way to get to see my family than hopping in the car. There is no doubt that there is a sense of freedom that a car offers, and I appreciate that fact.

On the flip side: I HATE driving in traffic. There are few things that make me more annoyed than sitting bumper to bumper in traffic. I hate that a car (even my little 35 Highway MPG Corolla) is not environmentally friendly. I hate finding parking. It's such a victory when you do score good parking, but the search can be infuriating and time consuming. I hate the extra cost - gas, insurance, upkeep, etc... that goes along with owning a car even if the car itself has been paid off.

I also LOVE being a pedestrian. I love having the right of way at the crosswalk (as is the law in both MA and NJ) and staring down cars that try to cross my path. This has almost gotten me killed a few times, but drivers need to be educated in the ways of the pedestrian (especially in Princeton). I love that walking doesn't leave you worrying about what time the meter will run out because obviously you don't need to find parking.

Since I knew living in NJ was going to have me sitting behind the wheel for lots of other reasons, I decided that I wanted to be able to walk to work. It gives me time to think, time to breathe the air, notice the flowers and say hello to my fellow pedestrians and the crossing guards that are there for the school kids. It brings me to work not stressed out, but rejuvinated (unless I'm running late and I had to sprint in). I hope in the future that I'm able to continue walking to work.

Growing up we had a well-loved and often-watched VHS tape with various Disney movies and shorts. One of the shorts was called Motor Mania. I think it sums up a lot of the reasons why I like walking to work, and also some of my frustrations with driving. This version includes a little intro, but the entire short follows: