With gas prices as they are, I’m sure I’m not the only one selling a car and trying to imagine my car-free world. I made the decision to wave the wheels goodbye a couple months ago, but for various reasons, haven’t put the auto on the market until now.
In the time between deciding to sell the car and selling the car, I’ve made a conscious effort to ween myself from the lure and luxury of the Corolla–preparing myself for the reality of no gas bill/insurance bill/parking tickets/traffic jams/repairs/convenience/rain shelter/freedom of the open road. Instead I’ve been riding the bus and walking and only using the car (out of pure laziness) about once a week.
I live in Fremont and have a bus stop about 45 seconds from my front door–makes it pretty easy to get around town. Coffee, movies, drinks, food, books, boutiques, gym, pedicures and just about anything else I need on a day-to-day basis are within blocks. The experience of living in a neighborhood (I previously lived on the island a.k.a. Magnolia) where just about everything I need is within walking distance proves the carless life is possible and actually, with gas at $4.25 and on the rise, desirable.
Now, I could go on and on about how Fremont is a fun/convenient place to live, but I’m biased. I live there. I love my house, my roommate, my garden, my neighbors. Not a lot of pessimism coming from me at this point. But to prove how much of a fun/convenient place Fremont actually is, I looked it up on Walk Score, a Web site that calculates the walkability of 77 Seattle neighborhoods.
My house in Fremont scored 85 of 100 for walkability. I feel that’s about right. I don’t have a favorite dive bar in the area and Trader Joe’s requires a bus ride or a walk up a big hill. If I got an 85 percent on a test, I’d be pleased. There’s room for improvement, but a B is a good place to start.
The actual point of calculating a Walk Score, more than proving to you that my neighborhood is fun/convenient, is that it’s a resource for people looking for places to move. What’s important to you? Do you like driving your Roadster? Find a community where driving is more necessary. Would you rather throw away the car keys and walk to all the hot spots? Find out which of Seattle’s 77 neighborhoods meets your walkability needs.
Here are some other neighborhood scores:
Neumo’s, Capitol Hill: 98 of 100
9 Pound Hammer, Georgetown: 83 of 100
The Eastlake Zoo, Eastlake: 71 of 100
Shorty’s, Belltown: 94 of 100
Hattie’s Hat, Ballard: 95 of 100
Type in your address and see how walkable your neighborhood is!
Filed under: Community News, Favorite non-profit, Green livin' | Tagged: community, fuel, fuel consumption, neighborhood, public transit, transportation
