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I was born and raised in Queens, NY. During my 18th year my parents decided to relocate to Virginia. I decided to stay in NYC as I want a career in finance and had just started College (Baruch). I had my driving license as most of the people I knew in Queens wanted a car and it was a 2 fare zone. I went to live with my sister in Brooklyn however and all that changed. She lived right near the subway and mass transit was everywhere. I loved Brooklyn and made a home here for myself finally settling in Clinton Hills. Years went by without me ever driving or even owning/leasing a car.
Fast forward to this year, I am 46 and just relearning how to drive. I kept my license current however and recently started a leasing a car ( I work in L.I. now). The first few weeks were frightening but I am getting used to it. I know a woman my age that has lived in NYC all her life who doesnt have a drivers license!
Anyone else out there not driven a car for years? Will you start to drive again?
I haven't driven in years either although I do have a NY driver's license (which works very well as id!). I would hesitate driving a car at this point except in an emergency situation without doing some practice driving with another driver sitting next to me in the car.
I haven't driven in years either although I do have a NY driver's license (which works very well as id!). I would hesitate driving a car at this point except in an emergency situation without doing some practice driving with another driver sitting next to me in the car.
It's better to get in the car by yourself and just practice by yourself.
Driving a car isn't much harder than driving a car in a video game. You keep the car in the two lines. And it's like learning how to ride a bike or how to swim. You don't forget, and the way to get back into the routine is just to do it.
I commute to work mostly by bicycle and while I'm relatively anti-car for densely populated areas like NYC, I love the convenience of having one.
I drive it almost on a daily basis to do shopping, run errands, or just simply to get away from the city whenever I want to.
I bought a car the second year I moved to NYC. That was 14 yrs ago, and aside from paying some stupid tax (aka parking tickets), I don't regret it and I find that my QOL would be lower without it.
I didn't want to drive for many years. I remember when I first went to Jury Duty, they asked how many people had a driver's license and half of the people in my room said they didn't---I was surprised. I know plenty of people who have never had a license, such as my mom.
I went through three permits and didn't get my license until I was twenty-seven. I had put it off for so long because I was SO full of anxiety. I never took lessons from a place but I was thankful I had a very patient husband who could deal with my anxiety---he taught me how to drive. It took a long time to feel okay about driving and I still have anxiety but nothing like it was.
I will say that if I hadn't gotten my license, I wouldn't have the job I enjoy now (because it's not in the city) so I'm very glad that I did. The commute sucks but it's basically a dream job for me. As much as I hate driving in the city, it was worth it. I also enjoy the freedom/convenience of having a car. I love being able to wake up, drive upstate, to the beach, to the store---doesn't matter where, I can just up and go as I please. My husband and I live in a neighborhood where parking sucks but we purchased a coop where parking is usually pretty good.
I couldn't imagine ever driving before and now I can't imagine NOT driving. That being said, I still walk as much as possible and will take public transportation as much as I can. I would bike if: (1) I hadn't been hit by cars before so I'm too scared to be in the street and (2) I had better knees.
I know some people who have moved out of the city and had to get used to driving again. It all comes back to you.
The best part about having a car in NYC is using it to leave. The worst part is using it to come back.
This is why you time departures and getting back into the City carefully.
Find on normal weekends and so forth traffic is light or what is expected for whatever time of the day or night it happens to be. OTOH major holidays are another story so one chooses the route and times carefully.
If you want to get to and through one of the Hudson River tunnels in a reasonable amount of time on Thanksgiving for example, you hit the road before noon.
Coming back into the City from say Staten Island or NJ on holidays again much depends upon time and route. I always take the GSP to TP and then Lincoln Tunnel and find traffic does not slow down until you get to the approaches. Much of that is traffic using the cash lanes. If you have an E-Z pass just stay to the left and there is rarely a problem. From Staten Island I always take the lower level and after the GP to BQE suck it up and pay the toll for the Battery Tunnel. There is rarely big traffic on the FDR going up the Eastside so am home rather quickly.
In fact if anywhere on the South Shore or say west of Richmond Avenue and know traffic on the SIE is bad to and over the VZB, will again just suck it up and go through NJ to one of the tunnels to get back to Manhattan. Yes, it does cost more but sometimes that is the price one has to pay to preserve sanity. Plus if it is late and you've been eating all that good food and are getting tired you just want to get home.
I wasn't referring to the traffic. I hate coming back, period.
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