So okay.  I’m a dreamer.  I won’t argue that by any stretch.  I get cool ideas in my head and really think that I could do it.  reality comes by and either nods or throws me to the curb.  So i dream lots of crazy dreams, little dreams, good dreams and shitty dreams.  It’s my cycle, it’s what i do.

And i would also like to say that I grew up in middle class, two car, private school, dance and music lessons life style.  I grew up in suburbia where we drove all over the place.  most of my childhood was spent in a car.  It’s ingrained in me.  And as a dreamer, i’m not going to be crazy enough to think i can choose to completely leave everything i’ve grown up knowing and embracing a completely new lifestyle.  I know that somethings will stay with me and i know that i can change a lot more than i think.  balance you know?  it’s a good thing.

But i have dreams of lifestyle changes i would loooooooooooooove to implament 6 months ago.  I want to use my car less.  Very less.  like a weekend car.   Now, realistically i live in Rochester, NY and we get biking weather about 3-6 months out of the year (being optimistic of course)       granted, i currently live still in suburbia with my parents.  and the job i hold (for the next week-ish) requires the ability to drive more than just work and back.  So realistically it wasn’t very realistic to cancel out the use of the auto at that moment.  obviously-ish.   but a job change is happening.  I’m looking for a job in the city.  and hopefully one day in the far off unrealistic future i’ll own a home in the city.  once these two paths cross, the world will explode and i will venture out biking to work.

in an ideal world, as i said, i would live in the city, work in the city, and use my car to venture out shopping, or to my parents in suburbia.  the area i’m looking to live would actually allow me to bike to church too.  *awesome!!!*  And i fully understand biking to work (a professional job with a dress code) could be tricky, but it’s called plastic bags, and a change of clothing.  and sweat, who cares about sweat ;)  but there are many people who bike to work and deal with that.  another thing is weather.  weather is an issue.  Jimmy said that as long as you don’t stop, biking in the winter is fine.  HA!  but that’s what public transportation is for.  lowering the use of a vehicle, partaking in what is provided, and being conscious.   My mother said something about how there’s a cyclist she sees on her way to work when she drives and she feels that it’s severely unsafe and annoying… i don’t know how she worded it, it just made it seem like it was inconvenient for her and made her feel nervous driving.    obviously, if i were to bike at night i would purchase proper equipment to light myself up so i am visible.

I dunno, i feel discouraged..  just because i feel that they think i’m crazy, i’m still striving for this dream though.  kiss my tushy.

OH and the old people.  how can we do anything about that?  I don’t know.  They’re already helping themselves out somewhat. Living in Condos with lots of other people.

I think the thing we would need to do, is create the sort of communities and city neighborhoods that would eliminate some or  most of the need to drive. This would be through having corner grocery stores that were actually practical.
*side note*  when visiting my grandparents in Syracuse on st. patty’s day, grandma showed my mom and I an article about some guy that started a grocery store in the city.  Syracuse is working hard to renovate their old buildings in the city.  This particular project is in the Amos Building and will have luxury apartments on the other floors and this grocery store on the first floor.  How cool is that?  and it’s not just some lame grocery store, i think they’re making it a “luxury” one.  For the life of me I can’t find any google articles on it specifically.
*end side note*  But if we do things like that.  Put some restaurants and coffee shops  and grocery stores in the city, in these little communities,  and neighborhoods.  Just think of NYC.  they do it real well.  My sister has a bunch of stuff way close by and a fairly easy transit system to use.

That’s the other thing.  Create a public transit system that would feel safe, and easy to use.  Old folks move slowly and don’t like anything complicated.  So if you’re introducing something new to them, like putting a quality transit system in a city, you’ve gotta make it user friendly.  You gotta sell this stuff.  get the widowed women talking.  If they feel safe, then you’ve got a successful thing.

But you’ve gotta build up your city commerce back to the street level neighborhood stuff, you’ve gotta get a good transit system and you’ve gotta move them back into the city.  The other thing is.  they’re old, they don’t do stairs well, so the majority won’t be buying the colonial and cape cod houses.  but the high rises are trashy looking.  SO somehow that would have to be reconciled.  because we want to keep the integrity of the city without continuing to build the same old trash that we’ve been building for the last 60 years.

That’s my two cents.