When I started thinking about wanting to live in a place of my choosing, and a made a list of things that made up the ideal place for me to live, having access to a train based mass transit system was on the list of must haves. In the USA that narrows the list of cities, New York, Boston, Philladephia, Washington DC, Atlanta, San Francisco, LA, Chicago. There are a few other small systems, and increasingly light rail, at street level. Some of these were ruled out as being in too cold of a climate, I interviewed for jobs in DC and San Francisco. DC ended up being the winner. I bought a condo a ten-minute walk from a station.
The idea of living in a place were I didn't need to drive everyday, where I could get around, while sitting back watching the world go by, started with those visits to London and Paris, 30+ years ago.
I couldn't agree more. Being near a rail station or a regional rail is very high on my list. Who wants to drive to every thing??? I don't want to have to rely on my car for every little errand. I use it in Bucks if Im going into New Hope. Doylestown is a walkable city. I can even walk to my regional rail with in two blocks, and be in Philly, NYC, DC, and Boston, and not even use a car.
ReplyDeletePhilly has a nice system. With National Airport being on the line, I have flown around the country, without driving.
DeleteI agree that living in a place with easy access to a [good] commuter train system is ideal. The three years we lived in Georgetown, we didn't even own a car.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine is trying to rent in DC, in some places parking is $500 a month extra.
DeleteLiving in a tiny town there is no mass transit, though we have access to trains if we wanna train it to New York or DC or Miami, But, also living in a tiny town, everything is within five miles, so the commutes are nothing.
ReplyDeleteIn Lexington KY, traffic was so poorly designed that my five mile commute, sometimes took 45 minutes.
DeleteI wish we had such a system here. When I lived on the other side of town, I used our light rail system quite often but it is no longer convenient on this side of town.
ReplyDeleteThe DC Metro system was a godsend for me when I had to commute everyday to New Carrollton, MD from Springfield, VA.
ReplyDeleteA good metro system is an absolute must for any modern large urban city!
ReplyDeleteGood public transport is very important to me and will get me around long after my driving skills diminish.
ReplyDeleteI love the DC Metro. The Paris Metro, not so much. Maybe it was because I was still using a walker while attempting to navigate it. I found the London Underground efficient, but very hot in the summer. Amsterdam's tram system is a lot of fun.
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