Going Wheel-less

Being the native Texas girl that I am, I quickly learned that having a life meant having a car. But when it came time to move to Mexico City, Jeremy and I decided to get rid of the two cars and one beloved scooter that we owned. With an estimated 5,000,000 motorists clogging Mexico City streets during peak times, we decided that we don't need to add to the megalopolis' grave contamination problem. And we also didn't need a daily dose of road rage.

Most of our friends here have cars, and have learned the art of weaving in and out of the city's lawless traffic. But we've become one with our friend, the subway or the Metro, as it's called here. It's cheap (about .20 cents), fast (you don't have to wait more than about 3 minutes for a train), and goes practically everywhere. Sure, you are lucky to get a seat and sometimes have to find creative ways to squeeze yourself into a train, but one thing is for sure--you'll never get bored. I've seen everything from musicians performing to guys who lie on broken glass for money.

Unlike cities like DC or New York where lots of businesspeople and professionals depend and prefer the subway to get around, having a car here is a symbol of status. Most of the upper and upper middle class wouldn't be caught on the subway.
I'm proud to say that I haven't missed driving one bit. In fact the times that we have gone back to the States and have rented a car, I take the passenger's seat. We realize that at some point we'll need to get cars whenever we head back to the States, but for now, I'm happy going wheel-less.