I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing; just what we've developed our vast infrastructure around. My commute is 30 miles one way. Luckily, I go against all

I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing; just what we've developed our vast infrastructure around. My commute is 30 miles one way. Luckily, I go against all the traffic, so it's a rather relaxing commute. It's one of the few times I get 30-40 minutes to myself a day. We spend many weekends at my in-laws' place on the lake. Even though it's in the same state, it's a completely different view, weather, and life style. It's about a 200 mile drive and many great conversations have happened on that commute. I went to college in a completely different state about an 8 or 9 hour drive. It was perfect because I wanted to be away from everyone I knew. I wanted to be self-sufficient. When I was too poor to afford a plane ticket, I could always afford the 3 tanks of gas it took round-trip to drive home whenever I wanted; at any pace I wanted. The reflecting time I had on that commute was pivotal to my career and life choices. Plenty of out-of-state family vacations have been haphazardly planned over long weekends and a few days of PTO. We never need to worry about leave time, TSA security checkpoints, our fluid bottles being too large, my guitars I bring with me, or anything else. We just get in the car and go. One of my bucket-list items is as-complete-as-possible trip down Route 66. I want to see America as it was, before vast interstates took you through nowhere to get where you were going. Roads (and therefore cars) are an integral part to understanding the vastness of the United States. If you haven't experienced it, I highly recommend it. Lastly, our rental properties all require handyman work. Access to a truck bed most weekends out of the year has saved me countless hours and money renting and borrowing. I only wish electric vehicles were more available, absolutely no other qualms about the Americans-and-Cars debate.