Category Archives: Best of

bikepool

Posted on November 20, 2013 by nathan

About two and a half years ago, my job situation changed and I took on a massive commute. I make a 50-mile 2 & 1/4 hour one-way trip by subway and train (sometimes bike & train) to get to work. … Continue reading →

Posted in Benefits of being carfree, Best of, Biking with kids, Child-related issues, Going and staying carfree, Living locally, Problems and issues, Public transportation | Leave a comment

How common is courtesy?

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Angela

This past weekend, my family took a walk to see the red-tailed hawks nesting in our neighborhood. On the way home, Nathan was yelled at by a fast-moving biker for stopping to say hello to someone. At the time we … Continue reading →

Posted in Best of, Biking, Walking | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Embracing our Tiny House

Posted on February 4, 2010 by Nathan

Ever since we found out baby R was a boy, we’ve been thinking about real estate. We own a 650-ish square foot two-bedroom condo in North Cambridge (and about 40 of those sq ft are unheated enclosed porch). Our approximate … Continue reading →

Posted in Best of, Cambridge and Boston area, Small-condo living (tiny house) | Tagged , | 23 Comments

Not shopping with kids

Posted on January 26, 2010 by Angela

One huge advantage of our carfree lifestyle is that we don’t shop very much. I believe being without a car means fewer shopping trips, but I don’t have any research to back me up. If you’ve seen any, please leave … Continue reading →

Posted in Best of, Child-related issues, Frugality | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Advice for taking the car free plunge — Part II: Back-up Plans

Posted on October 4, 2009 by Nathan

This is part of a series in response to a question we got way back when from a family considering remaining car free in our neighborhood after their car met an untimely (or timely?) demise. In Part I we addressed … Continue reading →

Posted in Best of, Taking the plunge | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Advice for the carfree plunge, Part 1: Gear

Posted on August 31, 2009 by Nathan

We got a comment last week from Lauren asking for advice in taking the step from car-light family to car-free family. She writes: “My family (two grown-ups one 3.5 year old) have been day dreaming about being car free for … Continue reading →

Posted in Best of, Biking with cargo, Biking with kids, How-to, Taking the plunge | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Suburban Friends and the Carfree Family

Posted on July 29, 2009 by Nathan

We got a really great question on the When you really need a car post. BusChick writes (somewhat edited here): “The biggest driver (pun intended) of car use for us is visiting friends. My family lives in the city, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Best of, Problems and issues | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Biking with Kids in the Rain

Posted on April 10, 2009 by Angela

Earlier this week, I was nearing the end of the day, which is the time when I pick up my daughter from daycare on the bike and madly rush home.But it was raining. And the kid and I were completely … Continue reading →

Posted in Best of, Biking with kids, Our Xtracycle | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

Xtracycle shopping

Posted on March 6, 2009 by Angela

True confession time: I have no right to be writing this post right now. Between illness and bike problems, it’s been far too long since I’ve done a good shopping trip on a bike. In fact, thanks to the generosity … Continue reading →

Posted in Best of, Biking with cargo, Our Xtracycle | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Surviving carfree babyhood

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Nathan

We recently got an interesting comment from Charlotte of Chic Cyclist, on the thread about how we gave up our car. Charlotte writes: “some vestigial teenager in me clings to the ‘option’ of having a car somewhere, just in case. … Continue reading →

Posted in Benefits of being carfree, Best of, Biking with kids, Child-related issues, Living locally, Public transportation, Walking | Tagged , , | 13 Comments