Well (Bill), have you ridden the Boston "T" the New York system in Manhattan, the Washington Metro, or the London Underground or the Paris subway? If you had, you would see that stations a mile or less apart really add to the convenience of the system. I would suggest you visit those cities and ride their transit systems. I would never rent a car in Boston or Manhattan but their transportation systems are affordable and easy to use. They get me almost exactly where I need to go and they do it pretty quickly.