Carless in Chicago

The time has come…to move our Subaru Forester to Prescott and become carless in Chicago. We’ve thought about this for a long time, and it makes sense.

• We only use the car once every 4 to 6 weeks, to run errands in the suburbs.
• Parking costs us $225 per month, which can better be applied to the monthly assessment in Prescott.
• We constantly worry about security where we rent an uncovered, unassigned space on Chicago School District property.
• Public transportation in Chicago is great and can get us pretty much wherever we need to go.

• On occasions when really need to drive we can try out ZipCars or iGo, or rent a car.

It all seems very reasonable, but it still makes me a little uncomfortable to think about not having the freedom to hop in the car and go. Silly, this concern.

If our plan doesn’t work out, we can always drive the car back to Chicago. C’mon Zippy, you’ve had an expensive check-up and have been gussied up with new platinum spark plugs, so let’s head out to your new home in Arizona. You’ll have a nice, clean and warm garage to live in there. When we visit, we’ll drive you in the sunshine through where the deer and the antelope play.

Folks, we’ll let you know how this turns out. To be continued at a later date.