Variously considered a right, a responsibility, and the only status symbol that counts, here in America, cars 'R us. My family decided one day to go against that grain and we gave up our car, suddenly and without warning. Over the ensuing two-and-a-half years, we've learned a lot about living without, biked hundreds of miles, taken the bus to the hospital while in labor with baby #3, and discovered that there's nothing quite as cute as a baby asleep on your handlebars, but that doesn't mean the traffic on 39th avenue will cut you any slack.