Car-free and Digital-free

[Rayt]

Haven't driven a car in 16 years, don't really need one in Tokyo.　Kinda worried if I ever move back to the US though and have to drive again.

Yeah. I almost got killed last year in the US when I pulled onto the road the wrong direction and saw all those cars coming head on towards me. I was so used to the right hand drive.

 

[semrich]

After a long time averaging 35K miles per year in the States I haven't owned a car for six and a half years because I'm living in the city with all manner of public transit options. I find it very liberating with all the choices and having a camera with me most of the time I can just stop places that look interesting for photographs, walk a bit, get another bus, ferry, or whatever and go somewhere else.

About the camera, in the end you will know what to do, I find myself happy many times with just one camera and one lens.

 

[StefanJozef]

Where I live there are good transport links, but I do own several bikes, including a couple of fixed wheel machines, all made of steel, that I use on a regular basis. There's nothing better than getting out of town up into the hills or single track roads or tracks on a bike with a G1. I see lots of opportunities that I would miss travelling in a car.

 

[RussK]

Unfortunately, that's the way we've chosen to design our cities. Suburbia is designed around automobiles, not around people. Hence, growing numbers of Americans are getting fat and sick as a result of lack of exercise. Merely walking to the grocery store just isn't an option for many. However, some, like myself, have chosen to live in an old style close-in urban neighborhood where my grocery store is a mere four blocks away, there are 6 restaurants within that radius as is a movie theatre, optometrist, dentist, pharmacy, dry cleaner, local elementary school, etc. My bike commute to work is 6 miles each way. The flip side is that my 1800 sq foot house sits on a 33'x80' lot. Many Americans would consider such a small lot sacrilege, and therefore, choose to live out in Suburbia. They've made that choice. The car, or some variant thereof, is here to stay for most.

Get the best camera and lens (or two) you can afford and don't look back.

This sounds like my neigborhood in Portland (39th & Hawthorne)

 

[Bike Tourist]

Just to update:

My Nikon digital gear will buy me an M6TTL + 35mm Summicron non-asph, enroute now to join my Bessa T Heliar 101 next week. That should keep me happy and occupied for awhile.