Living Without a Car

I have now gone pretty much a year without a car, but it hasn't been so much of a conscious thought until the past month.
Being in Indianapolis my public transportation options have shrunk immensely, particularly in how often, how late, and how punctually buses run.  At the same time, I've been relying on my bike more, and since I happen to live in a very convenient location to both campus and my internship site, biking and even walking are not so bad and in some cases, I think just as quick as driving.  It's just those places where biking gets a little far when I run into issues.
Has being carless put a crimp in my style?  Yes, in some ways, admittedly.  There are some places I would like to visit or things I would've like to have done but haven't yet because I haven't wanted to figure out transportation or there simply hasn't been any connection.  (Note: This applies to Indianapolis, not Germany, where public transportation never hindered me).  Some of it is of course just the initial apprehension of going further out to a place I've never been and being able to get back.  Not that that's completely new - I also had stress last year figuring out various routes to and from school that also did not run as often as in the city.  In some senses, the main issue is learning to trust the buses here.  In Germany, I could be pretty sure that they would always be punctual and would connect you to the right places.  Here, I'm not so sure.
The one thing is that when you go carless, you adjust.  You build your lifestyle to take that into account and make it work.  I have to say that I'm very grateful for some nice bike rides around the city and for early mornings waiting for the bus in the fresh air.  It is nice to have that commute time to also be outside and to get exercise.  Really, it's a great way to stay fit and also be able to let your mind wander a bit more than if you were driving.  I do have to put more thought into planning my week dependent on weather and just how tired my legs are, but overall I can get to the places I need to go to (the places I want to go to are a bit of a different case).  It's a slightly different lifestyle than the one I'd have with a car, but so far, I have no major complaints.
One thing I will add is that I've become very aware of is how being carless almost makes a political statement.  Though I don't have too much experience on different bus routes yet, I would say that most of my fellow bus riders are from a very different demographic than me and I think there are far fewer student-types riding the bus here than in Pittsburgh even.  It makes me realize that in order for any change to come about with public transportation, I have to actually use it and show that people like me (educated and white) will use the bus.  I have survived with public transportation, and if I can do it, I think other people can do.  Like most things in life, you just need to adjust.