Carless in LA

I was born and raised in a small town in Georgia, where everyone had a car because that's the only way there was to get around. It was either drive or stay home. Unexpectedly, I discovered that I shared that same mentality with millions of other people living and working in none other than Los Angeles, the second most populated metropolis in the nation. Sure, everyone's aware that there are buses and trains around, but the majority of the Angelenos I met honestly believed that their mass transportation system was nothing more than another sleeping venue for the homeless.

The first time I took the Number 2 from Sunset and Ivar in Hollywood to Sunset and San Vicente in West Hollywood, I was the talk of Fiesta Cantina. No one could believe it! "You actually took the bus?!", they'd say, astonished. I had been renting a car for the first two weeks of my stay, but the price of gas and insurance fees ended up killing my bank account, so I was forced to go with another option. After an experiment with a $26 3­-mile taxi ride, I bought my very first prepaid Weekly Metro Pass for a mere $17. That quickly proved to be the best seventeen bucks I had ever spent­­--the price of two mediocre cocktails at your average West Hollywood bar.

At first I was slightly dismayed. The timetables were confusing, and the routes were somewhat undependable during the late night hours. But after a while, I began to learn the ropes. If you have a little bit of patience and a little knowledge of the main routes, you begin to realize that this is definitely the way to travel. No more road rage, honking, parking fines, countless hours wasted trying to find a spot on a weekend night­­--just pure, unadulterated, Metro-­riding bliss.

So, whether it's your first time in the city, or you're a traffic­-mastering local, you should definitely consider giving the Metro a chance. Not only is it infinitely less expensive, but you also get a chance to see the city in an entirely new perspective. And the frequent riders are actually very friendly and helpful. I've never met someone on the bus who wasn't eagerly willing to give me a few pointers on how to master my new­found friend.