Car-Free Diet

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Guys: can I admit something here? Even though I own a car, I absolutely hate driving it. Driving in the D.C. area is one of my least favorite things to do! Not only can driving be stressful, but I currently own a 10-year old vehicle. I try my best to not drive it whenever I can, and to prevent any unnecessary wear and tear on my vehicle.

I knew when I graduated from school and moved back to the D.C. area that I wanted to move to Arlington. I wasn’t sure where I was going to be working, but the great thing about Arlington is that you can get pretty much anywhere in the area easily. You have the Metro, Metrobuses, Capital Bikeshare, the ART buses, and Uber and Lyft are right at your fingertips. I didn’t want to use my car a lot when I lived in Arlington, and luckily for me, I didn’t have to!

I was so excited when the folks from Arlington’s Car-Free Diet reached out to me so we could team up and show off Arlington’s car-less transit options! I love this city with all of my heart, and one of the things I love about it the most is that it is super walkable, and anything that you can’t walk is only a few public transit stops away.

I spent the day riding around on the ART bus line in Pentagon City. I had a photoshoot at The Bartlett, had to pick up a few items at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, and then I had to pop over to Crystal City for a quick meeting with a few new blog clients. At only $1.75 per ride and by paying with my SmarTrip card I got free two-hour transfers, making ART an affordable and quick way to get around town quickly.

It’s super easy to get around using ART: you can look up bus schedules and routes on ArlingtonTransit.com, pay with your existing SmarTrip card and get real-time arrivals on your phone.

In addition to ART, you can use the Metro, bike, walk, or telework if you’re looking to ditch your car. Now that the weather is getting nicer, I challenge all of my Arlington friends to choose public transit, walking or biking over driving in the month of April. Trust me, you’ll save a ton of money and time living carfree (and a few headaches — let’s face it, Northern Virginia traffic is stressful!)

Photos by Slodak Photography

Thank you to Arlington’s Car-Free Diet for partnering with me on today’s post! All thoughts and opinions are my own.