They like me, hey mikey!
The latest barrage of inquiries, compliments, and random chats on the road at red lights have come from a surprising source: bicyclists and motorcyclists.
The former group used to annoy me. I say this knowing full well someone's going to flame me. I should clarify this by saying a) I love to ride my bike and b) that bicyclists who follow the rules of the road and stay in the right of the lane don't annoy me. The ones that used to annoy me (and still do) are the ones that cluster together like a swarm of bees, take up the entire lane in a one or two lane road so you cannot pass safely, turn around and see you behind them, and still do nothing to move to the right or pick up the pace. We have a lot of those ones in my neighbourhood.
The latter group intimidate me somewhat. I mean, the leather and the helmets and the gutsiness (cause until recently - until I decided to purchase my Smart car, in fact - I figured it takes guts for someone to ride around on one of those things when there are so many idiots on the road in bigger vehicles) and the camaraderie and often the boldness that made up a motorcyclist made me feel a little shy.
However I find these two groups suddenly among the most interested in my car and starting up conversations wtih me. "Does it get more mileage than my motorcycle?" and "Good for you for choosing a better car for the environment" are the most frequent comments I receive from these folks. I was even told today that I was the "most stylin' ride on the road" I'm still blushing as I type this ;-)
And I receive these comments in the oddest of places. Now that it's summer and we're getting good weather, I've been driving with the top of the car down as much as I can. I've never driven in a convertible before let alone owned one, so I GOTTA use it. So most of the time the cyclists are approaching me as I sit in my convertible smart at a red light, and leaning right in over the side of the passenger door, chit-chatting away. Half the time my 3-year-old daughter is in the car next to me and it's kinda fun to watch her overcome her shyness to tell the person talking to us that we're driving a SMART car.
It's AWESOME :-)
The former group used to annoy me. I say this knowing full well someone's going to flame me. I should clarify this by saying a) I love to ride my bike and b) that bicyclists who follow the rules of the road and stay in the right of the lane don't annoy me. The ones that used to annoy me (and still do) are the ones that cluster together like a swarm of bees, take up the entire lane in a one or two lane road so you cannot pass safely, turn around and see you behind them, and still do nothing to move to the right or pick up the pace. We have a lot of those ones in my neighbourhood.
The latter group intimidate me somewhat. I mean, the leather and the helmets and the gutsiness (cause until recently - until I decided to purchase my Smart car, in fact - I figured it takes guts for someone to ride around on one of those things when there are so many idiots on the road in bigger vehicles) and the camaraderie and often the boldness that made up a motorcyclist made me feel a little shy.
However I find these two groups suddenly among the most interested in my car and starting up conversations wtih me. "Does it get more mileage than my motorcycle?" and "Good for you for choosing a better car for the environment" are the most frequent comments I receive from these folks. I was even told today that I was the "most stylin' ride on the road" I'm still blushing as I type this ;-)
And I receive these comments in the oddest of places. Now that it's summer and we're getting good weather, I've been driving with the top of the car down as much as I can. I've never driven in a convertible before let alone owned one, so I GOTTA use it. So most of the time the cyclists are approaching me as I sit in my convertible smart at a red light, and leaning right in over the side of the passenger door, chit-chatting away. Half the time my 3-year-old daughter is in the car next to me and it's kinda fun to watch her overcome her shyness to tell the person talking to us that we're driving a SMART car.
It's AWESOME :-)
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Comment
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Comment by Dariusz on August 17, 2008 at 5:14am -
One of the reasons I got this car (besides the looks and things it is about) because I thought it perfect for me and my 2.5 year old son. Hadn't had a change to take him on a ride in it yet, but hope one day.
Also, as I used to own many motorcycles, I remember my last one to burn comparable or more fuel than this car. I can understand motorcycle owners why they take notice.
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Comment by Rmichael on June 29, 2008 at 4:51pm -
I LOVED your post. Thanks. I was curious about kids in the Smart. My Sportacus has only transported dads and our 2 older boys (legally out of booster seats) but we have 2 girls (3 and 4 y/o) and we were thinking that I might transport one to and from daycare in the fall. Any thoughts on kids riding?
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