When Ellen first moved from New York to Los Angeles, she decided not to own a car as a “test”, she says. “I grew up without car culture in Vancouver, and I wanted to try it out for a year.”
Five years on, she still has no plans to buy one. “It’s certainly a stereotype that you can’t not drive [in LA], but a lot of people do get around without them. I sometimes dream of getting one for road trips, but I think I’ll just rent for now.”
Now imagine doing that without having in your pocket the knowledge that this is voluntary, your life isn’t on the line, and if it fails you can go back to your real life.