The force that shapes everything around us: Parking
I live car-free in NYC. A large appeal of NYC to me was not having to park. I don&#x27;t ~mind~ driving, but I absolutely hated having to deal with finding parking when I lived in other cities. Parking generally makes me feel stressed (competition for free spots), or makes me pay (using something like SpotHero makes it easy to find a spot, but costs me).<p>It&#x27;s not even just major cities either- I&#x27;m frequently in a college town in Illinois and parking downtown is a nightmare, and can easily add 10 minutes to your trip time, AND it&#x27;s paid. Visiting a city I&#x27;m not familiar with can add some stress too as you don&#x27;t know the best parking, unlike cities you are familiar with.<p>NYC has problems of it&#x27;s own (trains are generally reliable, but tend to have delays right when you need them), but for $33 a week I can get to most major neighborhoods in 30 minutes, walking straight to my destination. Add in $40 for a couple cabs when I prioritize a quicker trip, and I have amazing access to my city for less than $100&#x2F;week.