"Here's the story..." of a girl whose car got rear-ended back in September 2011 and has gone virtually car-free ever since. I say virtually because I was using my mom's spare car for about a month or so before I started solely relying on NJ Transit. But when December 2011 came around I got my first NJ Transit monthly pass. That's when I knew I was making this commitment.

As with all commitments, it hasn't been easy. I mean I live in NEW JERSEY where you have to drive to everything unless you live in a place blessed with connectivity. Needless to say, everyone thinks I'm nutso for doing this but I was actually considering giving up my gas guzzler before I got hit; however, making that decision on your own is much different than being forced into it. It's now been almost 3 months and I'm in deep. I'm learning to navigate my way on the train, bus, PATH, Metro-North, etc, and I've got my Zipcard for when anything else beside driving just won't do.

I'm starting this blog on a suggestion from a friend but most importantly to show what it's like for hard working people who have to rely on public transit for whatever reason. One of my favorite lines from a rap song is from Amil in Jay-Z's "Can I Get A..." where she says "Fuck that, how we gon get around on your bus pass?" and now that's me! I am definitely self-conscious about the situation. I feel like I'm in one of those E! True Hollywood Stories - the story of going from riding around in my Infiniti truck to now taking the bus. I could get another car but I just don't want another car payment. Plus, truth be told, I'm a little scarred by this incident. I worked super hard to drive/pay for my truck and BOOM someone smashes me and it gets totaled. I really would hate to be placed in that situation again where my investment goes bye-bye. I could just get a hooptie but I have to be honest with myself. I'm not really a hooptie girl. If by hooptie, we're talking an old school Benz ok but if that means like a 1987 Cutlass Ciera I'm not really d. I don't generally think of myself as materialistic but in this case I am with a capital M.

Many have lauded me for being green but I'm not doing this to be green. I'm going car-free to keep some green in my pocket and keep physically healthy. I've actually lost weight and toned up since being car-free 1) because I can't drive to the fast food places anymore 2) because I have to walk everywhere. It hasn't come without sacrifice. I can't just get up and go. I'm at the mercy of the train and bus schedules. If I go out in the city, I can't just stay until I want to - I have to catch that last train from Penn at 12 something otherwise my train home doesn't start running again until 4 (yeah, try hanging out with the crazies in Penn Station during this witching hour).

It's not all bad though. Riding the train eliminated the dreadful commute that I had and allows me to catch up on reading and my favorite shows through Netflix on my phone. I've also learned to appreciate the things that can only be seen from street level (i.e. outside of the car) and the value in online shopping :-)

So, stay tuned and get a glimpse into what it's like for this girl and her so-called car-free life...