Overjoyed, ecstatic, almost in disbelief, I realized I was now in the class of students that has a car at school. Late last summer, I decided to bring my car to campus, thereby assuming I’d opened the doors of freedom and opportunity via the four wheels of independent transportation. Or so I thought.
Me and My Car!!
It turns out, public transportation isn’t so bad. After my first two years of cab-riding, hitching rides from friends, Campus Cruiser, and countless journeys on city buses, USC Trams, and the LA Dash, I’ve come to appreciate the existence of what I like to call “economy chauffeuring.” You’re not on your own schedule, but you can listen to music on your headphones or read a book, usually for less than the cost of gas.
I-210 Overpass
Now that I have a car, I recognize the benefits of public transportation, although I must admit that I didn’t use to. I always used to complain about how much faster transportation would be without so many stops!! Yet I also realized how much I learned by being dependent on the city’s schedule, having to pay attention to stops, and learning time-tables and routes. Plus, now that I have a car, I’m the one people bum rides off of!
I love having a car because now I can drive to La Canada-Flintridge, CA to visit my grandparents whenever I want, or go somewhere more new and far for dinner. However, I’ve also realized that having a car is a lot of responsibility (mine broke down the second week of school…), and not a necessity for most students. But still, maybe I wanted to bring my car because I just love driving… that feeling of power, speeding down a freeway at 65 mph, with only the sound of the wind, radio, and your thoughts to entertain you, and honestly, that feeling is totally worth it.
