2 ms·

On the coasts its a weird reverse class signifier in a way. Only someone of enough means to live in a HCOL city and afford to pay for Ubers could survive into t

On the coasts its a weird reverse class signifier in a way. Only someone of enough means to live in a HCOL city and afford to pay for Ubers could survive into their 40s with no ability to drive. Knowing how to drive even in a city, because you might occasionally need to is a far more normie middle class thing. I'm on a work trip in a HCOL city running $80/day in Ubers. If I was in a more cheapskate company they'd probably had made me rent a Hertz and drive myself for the week rather than blow $500 on Ubers. Knowing I'd never be put in that situation by an employer is another class signifier.

ghaff 3y ago
Of course, in the scheme of things, you're maybe spending a couple hundred dollars more on the Ubers? That's nothing for many (as you say higher class) positions. I spend around $400 round trip on a car to the airport on my home end. Parking is expensive and I've also had issues. Some combination of prices and convenience have in my experience shifted the norms though. I'd have reflexively rented a car in past times for a routine suburban business trip by air. Today, I'll spend at least a few minutes considering whether I sort of need a car for convenience/personal activities or whether Ubers would just be prohibitively expensive. I'd add that the inability to drive closes off a lot of options. I regularly do a lot of personal activities that wouldn't really be practical without being able to drive. It's not so much urban but rural activities.