When I tell someone that I don’t drive they act shocked, as if I didn’t have a gym membership or tickets to Outside Lands. Although I will eventually get my driver’s license, I’m not in a rush. I grew up in London, taking the tube and walking everywhere. I quickly learned how to get around the city without a car. 

During the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic I challenged myself, out of boredom, to walk from my apartment near Downtown San Francisco to Ocean Beach and back. Lately I’ve been trying to take fewer Uber rides to save money so I’ve been walking around 14,000 steps a day on average. Not only do I get a different perspective of SF, I also take a lot of photos to document where I’m going. 

While walking, I used to listen to a lot of Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones’ songs. These long walks were meditative, allowing me to observe San Francisco’s landscape in a different way. I watched how the neighbourhoods, people’s clothing choices and amount of visible tattoos changed. Once I arrived at Ocean Beach, I’d put my feet in the sand, watching the waves go in and out. During the first few months of quarantine, this felt like a social event. 

Each neighbourhood in San Francisco is like it’s own theme park. The rides vary in extremes. Some parts are more expensive and exclusive than others. Nob Hill, a home to rich retired couples, is quiet, reminding me of old Hitchcock movies. North Beach is packed with tipsy literary scholars and tourists. The Marina evokes the theme of crypto savvy, health conscious, legally blondes. The Tenderloin is sadly similar to an outdoor haunted house. Walking lets me take in the sociological aspects of a city. While walking, I can notice the series of subcultures within each district. In cars I’m often going too quickly to develop a map of the area in my head. I’ll probably never know how to get around LA without Google Maps because I only can recall neighbourhoods that I’ve seen in movies.  

Going without a license doesn’t leave me stranded in San Francisco. I’ve taken ferries to Sausalito, Angel Island and Oakland. There are also trains to Santa Cruz, Monterey and Los Angeles. During college I had to commute from SF to Marin and the East Bay for classes. I used to take a ferry near my therapist’s office. These ferry rides prepared me for my sessions, letting me sort through my thoughts beforehand. 

I also used to take BART, a line that goes between Oakland and San Francisco. These rides were particularly memorable because of the many characters on the train. Crazy people often got on board, sang, played guitar and ranted about double stuffed Oreos, while drinking milk from the carton; these trips were truly memorable. It may not have been my preferred mode of transport but it got the job done. I learned how to keep my head down, while subtly observing the passengers. Although I should probably learn how to drive at some point, I’ll put it off for a little while longer.