I’m an environmentalist, and sort of anti-car, but I’m more anti-”car culture” than anti-car. I dislike the abuses of personal transportation: a car for every family member, driving to the grocery store down the street. Especially in a world where almost all our energy sources are dirty.

For that reason, New York City is great because, for the most part, you don’t need a car for day-to-day living, and if for some reason you want to leave the city center there are generally rail options (LIRR, Amtrak, etc.).

But it’s not easy to be spontaneous, to suddenly say on a Sunday, “Hey, let’s go off on Long Island for the afternoon.” The very rarity of such trips reduces familiarity with the rail system and necessitates planning which just becomes a headache.

It would be so easy to grab some minimal gear (blanket, food, etc.), hop in a car and just go, to explore, to follow a map on the way and have an adventure.

I miss having a car — and living in a city/town that’s a little more car-friendly.

For things like this weekend’s peak in the Perseid meteor shower.

Sure, I could look up a schedule and find a train to take me out on Long Island to see the shower, but the problem with trains is also knowing where & when to catch a train home. And not missing the last train if you’ve gone far enough out that they do have a last train. This happened to me a few summers ago when I went out to Splish Splash.

It doesn’t help that I’m sick this weekend.

So, as much as I think cars as they are now are dirty, ugly machines, I don’t think I’d feel the same in a world of clean, electric or hydrogen vehicles. There are other reasons people don’t like vehicles — they way city development in their favor can blight communities, the way they encourage hyper-individualism (road rage, etc.) — and they are real problems, but I think these have to do with public policy, and context, and not necessarily cars themselves.

I miss having a car. I remember one weekend in Minnesota I just up and drove to Wisconsin, for the hell of it. Can’t really do that sort of thing without a car. Things like ZipCar make it a little more possible, but have you ever driven in and around New York City? Blegh. Not worth it.