For a week, we’re a two-car family. We’re watching my parents dog while they’re on vacation, and my mom loaned me her car for the duration. It was my intention to leave the car in the driveway except in case of emergency, but I was going to take the opportunity to switch out the boys’ full-sized car seats for booster seats. (If you’ve ever installed car seats into a two-door, pre-LATCH system Sunfire with bucket seats, you’ll know the pain of which I speak. But we got new CARS booster seats for the boys – Granny is going to be the coolest of the cool the next time she takes them for a ride.)
I’d toyed briefly with the idea of taking my mom’s car to work (shades of high school) but decided in the end to take the bus, as usual. However, when the bus showed up this morning, I walked on and realized that there were no seats. No seats. It’s a 40 minute ride, and I would have had to stand the entire way. Not going to happen.
So I pulled the bell and got off at the next stop and marched righteously back to the house, muttering to myself the whole way about how I pay a premium fare ($81/month) for my express pass and I’m three months pregnant and I’ll be damned if I’m going to stand up the whole way to work at six friggin’ thirty in the morning and what the hell are all these people doing on the bus anyway because it’s July and shouldn’t they all be on holiday or something?
It was a gorgeous morning to be driving with the sunroof open, hot coffee in my hand. I didn’t get to read the morning paper, but I listened to CBC the whole way in. My route of preference brings me first through pastoral countryside, where I can wave to the cows, then along the full length of the Rideau Canal. On the early side of seven o’clock in the morning, there’s no traffic to speak of.
No rude person tried to take up more than their half of our shared seat, no crazy driver lurched to sudden and unexpected stops, nobody’s oversized back pack bonked me in the head as they shifted back and forth in the aisle. It cost me a whole $7 to park half a block from work and the most traumatic part of the commute was choosing between the sketchy elevator and the even more sketchy stairwell in what must be the world’s scariest parking garage where I tried hard to not touch any surface with my bare flesh.
I’ve long acknowledged our days as a one-car family are limited, and I’m proud that we’ve lived in the suburbs for four years without a second car. But there simply isn’t room across the back seat of our Focus wagon for three car seats, and I absolutely refuse to spend an entire year of maternity leave stuck in the house at home with no car and three kids while Beloved drives back and forth each day.
And after years and years of subjecting myself to the whims of OC Transpo twice a day, I could get used to driving downtown by myself. It’s still a bargain at twice the cost of the bus.
As much as I bitch about my 55 minute drive to and from work, I am secretly glad that I have the freedom that driving to work provides.
We are running a bit late, no biggie. I don’t have to wait 25 minutes for the next bus. Its pouring buckets, with a small umbrella I’ll be ok and won’t be sitting in wet pants for half the morning. So cold your nipples will freeze right off? Crank up the heat.
But I do have to say, I miss walking. All the convenience is great but I sit on my butt for 55 minutes and once I get here I sit on my butt for 8 hours and the 55 minutes more on the way home. That, and by the time the weekend comes I only want to engage in activities within walking distance to the house.
I love the bus. I don’t like to drive. I do love to be the one that drops Reid off at daycare and gets to talk to the teachers (picking up would be too stressful some days as I have trouble leaving on time – part me, part my job). It’s good that we don’t have a second car or I’d be driving more than I should – and the cheapest parking is $12.
And, of course, you’re not going to be without a car on mat leave! You don’t have to go anywhere but you do need the option (even if only to drive until the baby falls asleep ;+)
I’m amazed that you made it as long as you did without a car. Living where I do, one can’t survive without a car. But good for you, for doing it! The environment is happier for it.
You got CARS booster seats?? Where??
Oh the car dilemna! I’m happy that we can look forward to becoming a 1 car family in a few years, but that is only due to the family getting “smaller” and having moved out of the suburbs. I hate spending the money on gas, upkeep, insurance, etc but I’ve also lived through the challenges of 1 car with an active family, and have spent alot of time walking or biking (although that’s not really so bad).
As for busing to work, this has never been an option for me (no buses go to my work – I’d still have to walk 2-3 kms to get there). In my mind taking the bus (and having someone else drive) seems preferable over navigating through rush hour traffic every day. But remember – I have never lived through the reality!
Nancy, TRU and on sale this week!
http://www.toysrus.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&catalogId=10052&langId=-1&productId=103557&N=24+&nvalue=24
Yeah, I’ve never really minded the bus in general. I like the fact that I can read the paper in the morning and a book in the aft and never have to worry about it. But when it rains, the bus drips on the inside. And when you are already feeling a little queasy, the lurching feeling combined with the heat and the presence of too many bodies in a small space is a bad combination.
I’d tolerate all that, but I will not stand the whole way.
You’ve gotta start wearing the maternity blouses so anyone not offering you a seat will feel like a total heel. Those seats at the front of OC Transpo buses are priority seating, anyway, aren’t they. If nobody moves, I doubt they’d dare say no if you asked. 🙂
Although a drive along the Rideau Canal in high summer sounds lovely…
BTW, I think you mentioned something the other day about your mat pants falling down. Have you ever looked into getting a “Belly Hugger” or “Bella Band”? That might help. I know that Milkface (in Westboro) sells Belly Huggers, ’cause I bought one there when I was visiting family in November.
Here’s a link to the “Belly Hugger” page on the Milkface website – not trying to advertise for them, but I have a prego friend who tried them and LOVED them!
http://www.milkface.com/detail.aspx?ID=49
Speaking of Westboro, is that the newest and best place to buy baby stuff? Every time I drive by there is a new baby store! I saw a new store called Hush Baby and it looks great. Anyway, Dani props to you for installing the car seats on your own. I’m in a panicked state because my husband is not going to Florida with my mom, sister and I and that means when we rent our car chances are we’ll have to install the car seat on our own!
About transportation – I drive to and from work and it’s very painful in the sense that it wastes a lot of gas and I have to pay 200 dollars a month for parking downtown. Very depressing. But at the same time I do love to drive. I loved taking the bus and subway system when I lived in D.C., though. It was relaxing and peaceful and I could read and listen to my music and people watch.
Hubby loves taking the bus!! I thought he would hate it as much as I do, but he laughs all winter long watching people scrape their cars and he enjoys the ride, reading or listening to stuff on his mp3. Not sure where you found that great parking because we worked it out that it was going to be at least three if not four times the amount of a bus pass.
Sadly though with the new addition of a bigger vehicle in our garage, we are up to three vehicles in our family. One is on the way out in the next week or so and the other stays as our second in command if we should need it. I refuse to be stuck without a vehicle for safety purposes if nothing else.
We ended up buying a “previously enjoyed” vehicle for the duration of my 2nd mat leave… Hubby drove it to work and I had the minivan at home to run errands, take the kids to the doctor and generally get out in the winter months. We sold it once I went back to work and kept the minivan as our main vehicle.
It’s sometimes tough being a one-car family but we’ve also managed to make it work the best we can. Although I must admit… once the girls get more involved in activities the real running will start and then all bets are off.