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Carless in L.A.

carlessinla

About Me


Visit our new Web site: www.carlessinLA.com

In CARLESS IN L.A., Katie attempts the impossible: going car-free in a city where cars are everything. An aspiring screenwriter who "gives a damn," she sells her minivan for a camera, then ventures out into the concrete jungle with a bicycle and the bus route map. Her goal? To have zero carbon impact while maintaining her life as a single woman on the scene. We follow her as she dates, tackles her long commute to work, and struggles to get to important meetings. But will her efforts make a difference? And can she keep her sanity (and mascara fresh) while finding out?

The narrative story of Katie will follow a strict set of rules; the primary objective is to eliminate any carbon from entering the atmosphere on her behalf. The rules are as follows:

Rule No. 1: No driving. Period. She must give up her keys and sell her car.

Rule No. 2: She can bike, walk, or take any transportation already en route to her destination (e.g. buses, light-rail trains). No taxis or similar forms of transportation. Carpooling is allowed, if and only if, the carpooler is already going in her direction or to the destination of choice. However, no pickups are allowed as this would add carbon impact.


Rule No. 3: During filming, everyone participating in the film is not allowed to use their cars, either. This includes anyone on the crew, even the cinematographers, who must learn to shoot and bike simultaneously. (:
(...and now...a poem)"Southbound on the Freeway" by May SwensonA tourist came in from Orbitville, parked in the air, and said:The creatures of this star are made of metal and glass.Through the transparent parts you can see their guts.Their feet are round and roll on diagrams or longmeasuring tapes, dark with white lines.They have four eyes. The two in the back are red.Sometimes you can see a five-eyed one, with a red eye turningon the top of his head. He must be special -the others respect him and go slowwhen he passes, winding among them from behind.They all hiss as they glide, like inches, down the markedtapes. Those soft shapes shadowy insidethe hard bodies - are they their guts or their brains?

My Interests

I'd like to meet:



Helen's Cycles - these guys are the best in town.

My Blog

Katies Perfect Vehicle

It's been scary-long since I've blogged!  Thanks to all of you who are still logging on and telling me that you can't wait to see the film (to which I always reply "I can't wait to see it either....
Posted by Carless in L.A. on Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:08:00 PST

NEWS flash

Hey, check me out! I'm on the news with fellow cyclist, Jimmy L., who runs the Bicycle Kitchen here in Los Angeles. A big thanks to him and those at the Bicycle Coalition for giving Lisa Bartley at ...
Posted by Carless in L.A. on Mon, 19 Nov 2007 07:23:00 PST

Carma

I'm finding myself a little blog-shy after all the time away...but here it goes!It's been over a year before I decided to take on this crazy little project that has changed my life extensively and for...
Posted by Carless in L.A. on Sat, 03 Nov 2007 03:25:00 PST

Crash

Have you ever been mocked by what Greek mythology has called "The Fates?" If you have, then you know it. If you haven't, I'm not sure I would wish it upon you, although it does make for good stories...
Posted by Carless in L.A. on Mon, 25 Jun 2007 05:54:00 PST

UPDATE

Five Months and Nine Days Later:How do I summarize months of commuting in a single blog? Like this:At first I was ecstatic. The car was the ultimate luxury. A living room on wheels. Just turn the ...
Posted by Carless in L.A. on Sun, 24 Jun 2007 02:18:00 PST

Day Nothin'

Well, my darlins...It's Day Nothin'. I have my car now. And how quickly my lifestyle has changed. Now, I make plans according to car time rather than bus or bike time, which, in turn, has made me s...
Posted by Carless in L.A. on Sat, 20 Jan 2007 01:39:00 PST

The Beautiful Odds

No more car to borrow. The adventure continues.I have received many a ride in this past week or so, carpooling, and, yes, people have generously gone "out of their way" for me. And yes, I have bike...
Posted by Carless in L.A. on Thu, 11 Jan 2007 11:34:00 PST

Ease on Down

Well, I'm back behind the wheel. The steering wheel, I mean. Of a car. I woke up pre-6:30 AM on January 2, the morning after Day 80, to take my dear friend, Cristina and my other dear friend, K., t...
Posted by Carless in L.A. on Fri, 05 Jan 2007 08:47:00 PST

The End?

Well, I did it! It's Day freaking 80 of this crazy thing. At 12:01 AM I will officially be allowed to emit carbon via transportation once again. And I must say, I ended it with a beautiful bang.For...
Posted by Carless in L.A. on Tue, 02 Jan 2007 05:12:00 PST

Day 75 -- Christmas Wish

It's Christmas!  I "hitched a ride on an airplane" to get back to my family here in Alabama.  Don't even ask how I got to the airport this morning.  It was quite the event.  You'll...
Posted by Carless in L.A. on Mon, 25 Dec 2006 08:42:00 PST