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I lived in White Plains (125 Lake st) for about eight months without a car. I took the bus to the bus depot, which is right beside the train station, and took the train to work. Some mornings, I walked it. For me, the only thing that really sucked is that I got out of work at 9p and the bus route that goes down my street stopped running service after 7 or 7:30, so I walked home every night.
I eventually bought a car because lugging groceries proved to be more of a choir than anything.
Friends wasn't an issue - I moved to New York without knowing anyone. Only moved here for a job. Then yes, later, the car allowed me more freedom.
I only know of one person who, to this day, doesn't own a car nor have a driver's license. She also makes a LOT of money and lives in NYC.
Depending on where you end up in White Plains, living without a car is doable. Like I said, shopping (groceries mainly) was a pain because I lived a mile down Lake Street from Broadway, and at the time it was about two miles to the nearest grocery store. Now there's one about half a mile away from my old place.
If you live in the downtown area you can do fine without a car. I grew up in downtown white plains. You do have options if you want to live close by the train. There are two supermarkets (with one right in the middle of everything). The care will free you up if you want to make some daily excursions. You could take the Bee line (bus) but it's a bit of a hassle if you want to do anything long distance, I think short trips on the bus are just fine though (plus the service ends very early).
Rents are generally expensive in WP but you can look around. I have seen studios renting for 1050 (about 450sf, I think is crazy) and one bed for 1300. These would be in a non luxury older building without amenities such as garage, social areas. The higher the floor, the higher the rent. Luxury buildings can go for 1800+ for a one bed. I love White Plains but it is a very expensive city. Electricity varies, I paid $58 for a large one bed and that included gas (no much cooking). If you don't have kids, you can live perfectly well without a car. It should not be a huge deal to carry groceries for one person. Of course a car will give you the flexibility to drive to places other than NYC such as the beaches in CT/NJ etc. Areas I would avoid renting at are Ferris Avenue and South Lexington Avenue near Post Road. Regarding public transportation, the Metro North in WP is great and very dependable to go to NYC. The Bee Line are the buses in the area but they would not provide a reliable mode of transportation for an active person. They are slow, some routes finish early and/or do not run on the weekends.
White Plains offers a lot: movies, a ton of bars and restaurants. It has its own hospital and library as well as gyms and many small grocery stores. There is a well defined night life which may not be as exciting as NYC's to some but to me is wonderful. If you want to learn more about life in WPs just Google "City of White Plains, NY".
Hope this helps!
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