Being car-free, can you still go anywhere you want?

At El Cerrito’s Fourth of July Celebration, EC/RA Walk & Roll had a spin wheel that challenged people to figure out how to get to a variety of destinations without driving a personal car — such as by taking BART, Amtrak, buses, Marin County’s SmartTrain, light rail, ferries, rental cars. It’s true that one destination required a rental car for the whole trip, but most didn’t. Almost all the destinations required more than one mode of travel, mostly two. Traveling multimodal takes more thinking than it does to just open a car door, but if you know how to use Google Maps, you'll be able to figure out a travel strategy quickly. You still might have to buy a train ticket online or reserve a rental car.

The reward for that extra cognitive overhead? The travel part of your adventure can be part of the adventure, saving you long tedious car rides on interstate highways at the beginning and end. On the train, ferry, or bus you’ll be able to look at the scenery, work on your laptop, or even have a beer. The whole trip from going there, being there, and traveling home can be fun. And where will you start your journey? From your front door!