[quote=davelj]I lived in DC and Chicago for a total of about five years and didn’t have a car. I just rented one when I needed one and otherwise used cabs, the El and the Metro. It was great. Can’t do that here, however.[/quote]
Depends on where you live. If you live and work in Downtown you could probably get by with a carshare set up. Same if you live in UTC and work at UCSD – you could take the shuttle bus for the daily commute. I have a friend who lives in Encinitas and commuted to Sorrento valley by coaster, daily.
I will agree that the infrastructure of public transit is much better back east. I lived outside of Philly but was on the R-1/3/5 lines. It was great, I could take the train to downtown or even the airport. (No long term parking on vacations!) I had neighbors that had big families with one car. The parents commuted by train to work. (And location near the train line added value to my resale.)
But, San Diego public transit stinks for the most part.
