So, I'll give you the somewhat quick story. I loved my car. It was a 2009 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI and it was my commuter car. It took me to work and back during the week and was great for taking the kids around on the weekends to the beach, sports, park, Del Taco; wherever.

Well, it finally decided to die and was as much to fix as it was worth. So, I had to say goodbye to my little TDI and sold it. I used the money as a down payment on a new car for my wife and took her stinky,kid infested SUV. I decided it wasn't worth it to drive her old SUV beast to work every day and had to figure out a new plan.

So, the following Monday I got on my mountain bike and rode down to the Metrolink train station about 5 miles from my house and hopped on! No idea what I was doing and was a little nervous that first morning, but I met one of the cycling regulars on the train who helped this newbie. A co-worker who is an avid cyclist commuter got on on the next stop and showed me the ropes to getting to work and what dangerous streets to look out for.

So after a week I decided I loved it and bought a better commuter bike; a Giant Escape 2 along with an Osprey backpack to put my work clothes and lunch in. After just finishing my third week, I can honestly say I DO NOT MISS MY CAR! The freedom of commuting is awesome and has made me more relaxed. I also get to ride my bike every day instead of being another car on the congested freeway.

So cheers to all the commuters out there! It's a hard thing to break out of the "I need my car" thinking, but once you do, it's amazing.

Lance