Grist Magazine, one of my favorite environmental news web sites, has tipped me off to an interesting story hitting the presses about how the use of public transportation has reached levels not seen since 1957! Maybe skyrocketing gas prices are good for something. {more}

Public Displays of Affection Los Angeles with Secret Machines & Shepard Fairey
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Los Angeles Union Station
7:30 PM - 10:30 PM

For more information, visit CarFreeLA.com {more}

Not getting enough of bikes lately? Try the the 6th Annual Bicycle Film Festival. Hitting Los Angeles this Wednesday June 21st the Bicycle Film Festival is a celebration of bicycles through film, art, and music. Playing through Saturday June 24th, the festival kicks off with an art show inspired by bikes called Joy Ride, followed by a Bikes Rock Party at The Smell in LA on Thursday and finally two full days of all kinds of bike movies; including artistic shorts, music videos, documentaries and full length feature films. For more info, visit CarFreeLA.com {more}

Today Metro is promoting Bike To Work Day in Los Angeles County with partners and sponsors at the California Bicycle Coalition, Caltrans, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC), the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Bikestation Long Beach, REI, 7-Eleven, Ocean Potion Suncare, Costco, Clif Bar, Answer Products, the Aerospace Corporation, City of Los Angeles, Delta Air Lines, Foothill Transit, Ketchum-Downtown YMCA, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), City of Santa Clarita and Newhall Bicycle Company by offering free rides to anyone boarding with a bike and/or a helmet in order to promote Bike to Work Day! Click here for more information. {more}

Today, Earth Day 2006, CarFreeLA.com has been launched and is now available to help people all over Los Angeles find ways of minimizing their car use if not giving it up altogether. By working together we will find solutions. Check out www.CarFreeLA.com for more information. {more}

Car and Driver and Motor Trend Magazines have both recently reported on AAA's latest report that shows that the average American will spend $7,834 per year, or 52.2 cents per mile, to own just one car and drive it 15,000 miles. This figure includes all the costs associated with driving, such as licensing, registration, taxes, gas, insurance, finance charges, depreciation, and maintenance (but not parking). Considering that the U.S. Census says that the average American household makes $44,389 and works an average of 40 hours per week, that would mean that the average American household needs to work more than 1.08 hours per day to pay for one car. {more}

Well it has been a couple of months since I last posted to the Los Angeles Without a Car section, so I thought it was about time that I filled you in on where I was. I decided that if I was going to take on this monumental task of helping people get around Los Angeles without a car, then I was going to have to get a little more organized. I started by putting together this list of places that people who come to L. A. would most likely want to visit. Of course, this is not an all-inclusive list, nor was it gathered using the latest in scientific research; it is simply my attempt at a top 100 places to visit while in LA list, compiled from my experiences and many sources on the Internet. My plan is go through it, in no particular order, and provide as much information as I can about how to visit it from various parts of Los Angeles without a car. My resources will most likely include the MTA.net web site, the Foothill Transit web site, the California Commuters' Alliance web site, the getting around section of the Experience LA web site, and my own personal knowledge and experience. Since this project is conducted by me and only me at this time, it will take a little to complete, so I appreciate your patience. {more}

I recently did something that some people consider more dangerous and crazy that my 1 month trip to Egypt, I rode the bus/metro rail to the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) from my home in Pasadena. I figured that since I was going to spend most of the month backpacking, there was no reason not to start from my front door. {more}

Ok, I am being harassed about not having been very clear in what I am attempting to do here, so I thought I would take the time to put together a formal introduction to the section of my web site called L.A. Without a Car, also known as Living L.A. Vida Loca. {more}

If you are an extrovert like me, then one thing you probably, or will probably, love about public transportation is all of the human interaction you can have in a day. Today, while I was out working on my Los Angeles Without a Car series, I was riding the Metro bus and was lucky enough to meet an art student in her later years in life that chose me as the grand recipient of a hand-drawn caricature. She was working on a caricature of a lady from the UK who I had just met as well while waiting for the bus. She unfortunately had to get off at her stop in mid-drawing and the aspiring artist was somewhat disappointed. She then looked at me and asked if I would like to be her model. I agreed with a smile. {more}

Why did I choose Eaton Canyon in Pasadena as my first destination for my new L.A. Without a Car series? Well, there are many reasons. First of all, I know it well. I have been going to Eaton Canyon for about twenty years and I truly love it. It is one of the few places left in the Los Angeles area where you can walk amongst the trees and not hear cars or see pavement. Which leads me to my second reason, to dispel another preconceived notion about L.A…. that it is all steel, concrete and fake boobs. It is not. Thirdly, since this section is geared mainly towards tourists who have chosen, or may soon choose, to visit L.A., I thought that at some point many may feel a bit overwhelmed by the city and might need a place to relax. {more}

The First Entrance
If you are reading this section of my blog, you most likely already know that the idea here is to see L. A. without a car. So, my details will be primarily about getting to Eaton Canyon without your own personal gas guzzler... but, this does not mean you will not find this useful even if you do take one. On this particular trip, I ended up riding the Metro Bus to get there but I rode my bike home as it is a beautiful ride down for me. As I mentioned in Why Eaton Canyon this is one of the few places of natural beauty left in the Los Angeles area. I hope that you will have a chance to visit before you leave, but if you do please remember to leave it just as good, if not better, than the way you found it. {more}

As many of you may already know, I sold my beautiful Honda Hybrid about two months ago. I was offered a really good price, which more than paid me back the difference I had paid to purchase it so I couldn’t resist. I sold it mainly, however, because I have changed roads in life and feel that I do not need a commuter vehicle like that during this new stage. I am lucky enough to work from my home and am in graduate school online so a car for commuting purposes is no longer necessary for me. Although I do plan to purchase another vehicle, I have not quite found the one I want so, in the meantime, I thought this would be a great opportunity to do something that some consider crazy here in L.A. Live without a car. {more}