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A few weeks ago, we talked about the challenges of parking – either too many cars, too small of a garage, or no garage at all. Life without a car means no car payments, car insurance, and no need to buy gas. But only big cities are truly set up for life without the car.

We recently visited our daughter and son in law in New York City – the Red Hook area of Brooklyn to be specific. When it comes to public transportation, NYC has multiple options: buses, trains, subway, and ferries.

Jeremy takes the ferry to work. The ferry stop is 0.4 of a mile away from their home. Sarah used to take the subway to work. But with their recent move to Red Hook, there is no longer a convenient subway line. When the weather is nice, she commutes via Citi Bike, a bike share/rental service. These new generation bikes even have pedal assistance.

On the front of the bike is a large basket for a backpack, shopping bag, etc. And with docking stations all over town – it’s a convenient way of travel. Okay – cold weather and rain make that option less viable, that’s when she takes  two different buses to get to work.

Those are the commuting solutions. What about shopping and dining? Red Hook has several choices for grocery shopping and small cafes and restaurants that are walkable. But they have had to adjust their purchases to what they can carry back home. That’s where delivery services truly shine. They buy most of their groceries from Fresh Direct , an online grocery store primarily serving the NCY area. Of course, there’s Amazon which we all know and love. For dining in Manhattan, they take the NYC Ferry – which is very affordable.

During our visit, we stayed in lower Manhattan and took the NYC Ferry from the Wall Street pier to the Atlantic Basin, Rook Hook pier. Our trip had one stop, so it was only 20 minutes pier to pier. The Wall Street pier was a short 0.3 mile walk from our hotel followed by a 0.4 miles to their flat.

The distance wasn’t the issue – it was the wind. It seemed no matter which way we turned, we were also dead into a cold, strong wind that I hadn’t pack for.

Upon our arrival at their flat (after I warmed up), we decided to take their backyard. It was originally completely covered with artificial planking which offered no green space. Just recently, they removed about half of the decking revealing a wonderful opportunity for a 10×12’ urban garden.

Off to the local nursery we went on foot. After our purchase, our salesperson offered to load our garden treasures into our car… No car – just shopping bags and 4 able bodies to walk our purchase back. Guy got the large camellia with a trellis, which acted as a wind sail and got heavier with each step. We returned the next day to get more plants because what we could carry didn’t make a dent in the open space.

Jeremy took on the task of building a planter and bench with the recently removed planking pieces.

All was going according to plan until the drill bit he was using broke. Home Depot didn’t deliver to their area that day, but it was just under two miles away – a quick trip on a Citi Bike. However, there’s wrinkle. There isn’t a docking station near the Home Depot, and leaving an undocked Citi Bike can be a very expensive blunder as they have already discovered. The solution was they both had to go to Home Depot so one could watch over the bikes. This really made me appreciate the freedom and ease of a car.

The next obstacle in creating their backyard oasis was the large flagstone they wanted to add between the greenery. Obviously, they need to have them delivered. Upon delivery, the challenge was getting them curbside to the backyard – which meant carrying them up 4′ of steps, through their flat, and back down 7’ to their backyard. Oh the joys of urban living!

Life Without a Car – 65+

Of course, Sarah and Jeremy are two able-bodied millennials. But imagine the challenges being a senior and being told you could no longer drive a car for whatever reasons. Now they have become exclusively reliant upon delivery services and ride share programs. While both have improved 10-fold over the last decade, there are still limitations. Many seniors find life without a car is very isolating and punishing.

As you might be able to tell – I like having the ease and convenience of a car. I am always looking for ways to make the garage the least intrusive to the streetscape and design of actual living space of homes I design.