>So what about Doug? or Michael? Or Wojtek? Closet drivers?
Not exactly closet. Since Baltimore, unlike London or New York, is but a huge suburb (except dilapidated), driving is a sad necessity. And that is precisely what pisses me off about cars -- our so called 'elected representatives' do everything humanly possible to make you buy one.
To illustrate that point let me describe other transportation choices one has in this "land of choices:"
Baltimore has one (sic!) light rail (trolley) line -- it connects the stadiums (built at taxpayers' expense of course) to the burbs, but has virtually no use for city dwellers;
Baltimore has one (sic!) subway line - it connects the Johns Hopkins Hospital (the largest private employer in MD) to the burbs, but has no use for city dwellers; BTW, here is an American joke: when we had a snow blizzard two years ago, a subway train got stuck in the snow for several hours (really!);
Baltimore has a number of bus lines, but unlike in European cities where several bus or rail lines converge on main city streets, especially in the downtown area, in Baltimore every bus line runs through a different street; given the 'grid' pattern of the city, that means one bus line every few hundred yards; the net effect is that there is only one bus line available at most stops, and that makes waiting for the bus rather long, rendering this form of transportation rather unattractive;
Unlike any other city, Baltimore does not have a transit system map, no schedules posted on bus stops -- which makes planning a trip virtually impossible; the only way to learn about schedules is to pick up a single-line booklet from the transit authority's office, or call transit information line - average time on hold is about 15 minutes.
Riding a bike:
technically possible if:
- temperature and humidity are not up to normal (80-90F; 80-90%); - one does not do grocery shopping; - one goes to a place where he/she can take a shower immediately after arrival (which excludes most public places); - your employer provides a bicycle rack or at least does not have a policy that prohibits bringing bicycles into the building.
Welcome to the land of choices where, paraphrasing Henry Ford, you can chose any means of transportation as long as it is a car.
WS