Yes, that little car o' mine has already spun its odo to the 10,000-mile mark. Driving around 180-200 miles a day will do that for you pretty fast.
It's a bit of a pain to check the oil (theoretically -- I've never done it) because the engine is under the flap behind the seats on top of what little trunk space I have. To check the oil, I'd have to take most of the stuff out of the back, and tho the car doesn't ostensibly have enough room for a pack of cards, its actually quite spacious. Squeezed behind me are usually the following items:
29" unicycle with handlebar extention
firefighter gear (boots, bunker pants, coat, helmet)
various cycling items (hydration system, gel packs, kneepads, helmet, etc)
...as well as a few incidentals.
So I went by the owner's manual, which suggested that I only needed to change the oil every 10,000 miles. This seems like the setup to a joke, but the car has run fine with only a few hiccups along the way, none of which was oil-related.
HICCUPS
1. Door latches. In really hot weather, the doors don't always want to latch. It's their personal decision, and I respect that, but I find that they behave properly with a little coaxing, so it wasn't something for the dealer to fix when I went for my 10,000-mile checkup.
2. Headlights. They were aimed a bit too high, causing partial blindness in the drivers going the other way at night. People would flash their brights at me for apparently no reason; it took me a few weeks to figure this one out. A simple fix.
3. Brights. Speaking of brights, mine shudder on and off very strangely; this is apparently an easy fix that my dealer did NOT perform involving a loose wire. I'll wait till the 20,000-mile checkup for that one.
4. Gear shift. The shifter is a bit sticky at times, but some WD-40 may have fixed this. If not, I'll take the car in (and take care of those brights, too).
Considering that the car has averaged over 45 miles per gallon and that parking is always a breeze, I really can't complain. It has drawbacks other than its lack of a back seat, but over all I'm thrilled with it. There's no denying its cuteness factor, either.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The Menemsha Inn and Cottages: A Review
We have stayed at the Menemsha Inn & Cottages for a week or two over the past 8 summers. Perhaps it's time to consider other accomodations; word has it that the place is now owned by someone who lives in California, and it shows just the kind of hands-on care you'd expect from a boss who lives 3,000 miles away.
The MI&C was run by different management when we first arrived in 1997. The facility ran quite smoothly then, and we had a great time with no great complaints. Sure, the bathroom door was a bit sticky and never got closer than 5 inches from the jamb, but we're not big on privacy, so that wasn't an issue. There were a few other glitches like the bureau drawer that nearly crippled one of the children, but we were too busy taking in the sights to notice the slights. Better yet, when we arrived for our 2nd vacation here the following summer, there was a generous gift basket awaiting us (as returning guests) featuring some locally produced soaps and chocolates. That simple gesture helped us overlook the bureau (now sporting a broken knob) and the cripplingly thin and lumpy mattress of the pullout bed. We put the mattress on the floor each night and chalked it up to our own pickiness. After all, perhaps there were people whose backs needed to curve in 8 different places at night.
When we arrived for our 3rd stay, however, things were different. The management had been changed over the winter, and the wrinkles began to show. Gone was the gift basket, along with some of our esteem for the MI&C. It became harder to acquire a beach pass, too, and this was especially vexing the following year because we now had to tote around our most recent addition to the family.
The management didn't change drastically when a new owner took over last year, but we noticed a few alterations when we arrived this time. The room looked larger, and it took us a few moments to realize that two paintings had been removed, rendering an effect that looked vaguely Skandinavian (or as Shirra put it: like something out of an Ikea catalog, but not as fancy). The same two doors still stuck (and now a third did as well), and the bureau drawer still fell out dangerously (tho this time there were two broken knobs rather than one). There were holes where the picture hooks had been. And there was still no gift basket.
As bad as the interior decor was, the exterior changes were worse.
My kids love to hang out at the playground after breakfast everyday. This is a bit of a wonder since the playground here doesn't offer much other than some dilapidated games, a climbing tree that reaches dangerous heights, and a tricky tire swing that doubles as a wrecking ball. There is no slide, there are no monkey bars or swings -- it's nothing like our playground back home. It does, however, feature two items that you don't see in most playgrounds these days, and both involve rusty metal pieces sticking out of the ground exactly where children are likely to skewer themselves.
The first is a ringtoss game devised by Vlad the Impaler. I like how the spike juts out at a pronounced angle -- perhaps the first few kids who landed on it managed to tilt it a few degrees.New Englanders call it Horseshoes, but lawyers call it Dangerous Rusty Pipe Sticking Out Of The Ground .
Because one rusty hazard is never enough...
Just a few feet away is what is probably the top of some drain that is just wide enough for a really interesting story about a child who falls into it and is unable to extract himself for several days while the news media swarm about in hopes of higher ratings. I've lifted off the lid -- it's not attached to anything. I don't recall what was underneath, but I do appreciate the shape and sharpness of the handle, which is perfect for spraining and simultaneously infecting the ankle of a child who had forgotten for a moment that it was there -- too busy, no doubt, worrying about the nearby spike.

Another nice new touch is the swamp on the way to the playground and tennis court. I think they call it a stagnant water feature. It's a great way to increase population of mosquitos, but I'm not sure it's necessary -- mozzies were already pretty numerous in other years.
Just beyond the playground is a new structure with a garage door that someone has already managed to back into. This building, whose purpose is a mystery, seems to function as an additional repository of beach towels and sundry equipment for groundskeeping... or just target practice for the towel carts.

Finally, there was a time a few years ago when each cottage had its own luggage cart to help people transport bags from their car to their cottage. Then last year, the carts had disappeared, tho there was still one of them available upon request. I went to help myself to it this year and discovered that it was out of use -- no one on the island seems to know the location of a bike pump. I filled it myself and made good use of it. This cart appears to have come to the Vineyard with the first settlers.
The MI&C was run by different management when we first arrived in 1997. The facility ran quite smoothly then, and we had a great time with no great complaints. Sure, the bathroom door was a bit sticky and never got closer than 5 inches from the jamb, but we're not big on privacy, so that wasn't an issue. There were a few other glitches like the bureau drawer that nearly crippled one of the children, but we were too busy taking in the sights to notice the slights. Better yet, when we arrived for our 2nd vacation here the following summer, there was a generous gift basket awaiting us (as returning guests) featuring some locally produced soaps and chocolates. That simple gesture helped us overlook the bureau (now sporting a broken knob) and the cripplingly thin and lumpy mattress of the pullout bed. We put the mattress on the floor each night and chalked it up to our own pickiness. After all, perhaps there were people whose backs needed to curve in 8 different places at night.
When we arrived for our 3rd stay, however, things were different. The management had been changed over the winter, and the wrinkles began to show. Gone was the gift basket, along with some of our esteem for the MI&C. It became harder to acquire a beach pass, too, and this was especially vexing the following year because we now had to tote around our most recent addition to the family.
The management didn't change drastically when a new owner took over last year, but we noticed a few alterations when we arrived this time. The room looked larger, and it took us a few moments to realize that two paintings had been removed, rendering an effect that looked vaguely Skandinavian (or as Shirra put it: like something out of an Ikea catalog, but not as fancy). The same two doors still stuck (and now a third did as well), and the bureau drawer still fell out dangerously (tho this time there were two broken knobs rather than one). There were holes where the picture hooks had been. And there was still no gift basket.
As bad as the interior decor was, the exterior changes were worse.
My kids love to hang out at the playground after breakfast everyday. This is a bit of a wonder since the playground here doesn't offer much other than some dilapidated games, a climbing tree that reaches dangerous heights, and a tricky tire swing that doubles as a wrecking ball. There is no slide, there are no monkey bars or swings -- it's nothing like our playground back home. It does, however, feature two items that you don't see in most playgrounds these days, and both involve rusty metal pieces sticking out of the ground exactly where children are likely to skewer themselves.

The first is a ringtoss game devised by Vlad the Impaler. I like how the spike juts out at a pronounced angle -- perhaps the first few kids who landed on it managed to tilt it a few degrees.New Englanders call it Horseshoes, but lawyers call it Dangerous Rusty Pipe Sticking Out Of The Ground .
Because one rusty hazard is never enough...
Just a few feet away is what is probably the top of some drain that is just wide enough for a really interesting story about a child who falls into it and is unable to extract himself for several days while the news media swarm about in hopes of higher ratings. I've lifted off the lid -- it's not attached to anything. I don't recall what was underneath, but I do appreciate the shape and sharpness of the handle, which is perfect for spraining and simultaneously infecting the ankle of a child who had forgotten for a moment that it was there -- too busy, no doubt, worrying about the nearby spike.

Another nice new touch is the swamp on the way to the playground and tennis court. I think they call it a stagnant water feature. It's a great way to increase population of mosquitos, but I'm not sure it's necessary -- mozzies were already pretty numerous in other years.

Just beyond the playground is a new structure with a garage door that someone has already managed to back into. This building, whose purpose is a mystery, seems to function as an additional repository of beach towels and sundry equipment for groundskeeping... or just target practice for the towel carts.

Finally, there was a time a few years ago when each cottage had its own luggage cart to help people transport bags from their car to their cottage. Then last year, the carts had disappeared, tho there was still one of them available upon request. I went to help myself to it this year and discovered that it was out of use -- no one on the island seems to know the location of a bike pump. I filled it myself and made good use of it. This cart appears to have come to the Vineyard with the first settlers.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Sad Sight at the County Fair: ForTwo For Sale
At our local fair, I saw a large number of animals tied up in a barn, people gawking at them, occ'ly petting them. No one was unkind, but it's always sad, really, when you think about it. Except the bunnies. Those things were just made to be stared at in a cage - they're so cute!
Then my kids and I walked 50 feet over to where some car dealership from Kingston, NY was showing off its wares. There was a large number of cars parked outside, people gawking at them, occ'ly petting them. One of them was a yellow smart fortwo.
That poor little car didn't stand a chance. It wanted to run free, ride with the big boys and girls, but instead it was forced to sit there while sweaty dudes still holding their corndogs got inside to check out its roominess. It nearly made me cry.
Here's the rub: This car isn't being sold new -- it's for sale "as is." And this "as is" state specifies that its warranty is no longer valid! The dealer bought it just to sell it and probably wasn't even the original owner. Too boot, the car has 500 miles on it, and the seats were already dirty (did I mention the corndogs?). Oh, and the price? "Well over $20,000," according to the salesman who didn't actually share what his boss actually wants for the car.
I don't think they're going to get over $20k. After all, who'd be stupid enough to buy a newish car with NO WARRANTY?
Whoever buys it, let me know how long it takes to get out the corndog and sunscreen smell. And how much over $20,000 you paid....
Then my kids and I walked 50 feet over to where some car dealership from Kingston, NY was showing off its wares. There was a large number of cars parked outside, people gawking at them, occ'ly petting them. One of them was a yellow smart fortwo.
That poor little car didn't stand a chance. It wanted to run free, ride with the big boys and girls, but instead it was forced to sit there while sweaty dudes still holding their corndogs got inside to check out its roominess. It nearly made me cry.
Here's the rub: This car isn't being sold new -- it's for sale "as is." And this "as is" state specifies that its warranty is no longer valid! The dealer bought it just to sell it and probably wasn't even the original owner. Too boot, the car has 500 miles on it, and the seats were already dirty (did I mention the corndogs?). Oh, and the price? "Well over $20,000," according to the salesman who didn't actually share what his boss actually wants for the car.
I don't think they're going to get over $20k. After all, who'd be stupid enough to buy a newish car with NO WARRANTY?
Whoever buys it, let me know how long it takes to get out the corndog and sunscreen smell. And how much over $20,000 you paid....
Monday, July 21, 2008
Driving a Big Red Firetruck
I wish I could attend more of the training nights with the fire department, but my tutoring schedule precludes it during the school year. I'm always glad when I can make it to training or a meeting, and tonight I had a chance to drive a firetruck.
We regularly cycle thru a regimen that includes dealing with car fires, ladders, hoses, air tanks, and so on, but tonight was the first time I've made it to a session with the trucks. We drove a pickup-style firetruck thru a short slalom course with a few pylons in the parking lot of the high school, and then we did the same route with one of the longer trucks. In both cases, we had to drive the trucks up to a stopping point to see how close we came to a cone, and then we had to do the same course in reverse! I was surprised how well I did -- backing up towards a cone in the dark while driving a huge truck is not something I expected to have much skill in, but I attacked the task with a sort of mathematical approach, and that worked for me. I also got some excellent advice from one of our members who drives a truck for a living. In a nutshell, it involved shadows.
I don't think I'll be driving a firetruck on my own anytime soon, but I'm glad I got to try them out this evening.
We regularly cycle thru a regimen that includes dealing with car fires, ladders, hoses, air tanks, and so on, but tonight was the first time I've made it to a session with the trucks. We drove a pickup-style firetruck thru a short slalom course with a few pylons in the parking lot of the high school, and then we did the same route with one of the longer trucks. In both cases, we had to drive the trucks up to a stopping point to see how close we came to a cone, and then we had to do the same course in reverse! I was surprised how well I did -- backing up towards a cone in the dark while driving a huge truck is not something I expected to have much skill in, but I attacked the task with a sort of mathematical approach, and that worked for me. I also got some excellent advice from one of our members who drives a truck for a living. In a nutshell, it involved shadows.
I don't think I'll be driving a firetruck on my own anytime soon, but I'm glad I got to try them out this evening.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
New Paltz resident loves to race unicycles -- Poughkeepsie Journal, 7.13.08, by Nancy Haggerty

Think unicycle and image 1 might be a clown or street performer teetering side to side at all of a mile or two per hour.
But now think 500 miles of unicycle racing, often at 20-plus mph, of riding roads that not only go up and down hills but also mountains.
Think Ride the Lobster, the recent 35-team relay held in Nova Scotia.
The June 16-20 race, officially 800 kilometers or 497.1 miles, included four days of 35-rider mass-start, roughly 120-mile road racing and one day of time trials and criterium.
It also included riders from as far away as Korea, Germany, Denmark Singapore, Britain, New Zealand and Australia.
By comparison, David Stone was a local.
The 41-year-old New Paltz resident teamed with John Foss, 46, of California and Dave White, 52, of Ohio on The Centurions. The name represents the fact the three, who met through unicycle conventions, have among them 101 years of unicycling experience, Stone the least at 28.
Stone, president/founder of the Manhattan-based New York Unicycle Club, had done long unicycle rides, including a New York City century in which he logged 102 miles in one day. But his longest previous races were only 10Ks.
"I treated this racing as if I had to do about six to eight of those each day for four days," he said.
Stone, who works in Manhattan as a private tutor, trained for two months, logging 13 to 25 miles a day, sometimes in Central Park, but most often on the rail trail out of New Paltz.
Going in, his team's goal was a top-10 finish and that's exactly what it got, finishing 10th in 40 hours, 27 minutes, 34 seconds. That was four-plus hours behind the winning German team and more than 19 hours ahead of the last-place team. But 10th was a battle, with the 11th-place squad finishing just seven minutes back.
"When I rode, I always thought, 'Never let up.' I didn't want to give up even a second to another team... I rode like gangbusters the whole way," said Stone, whose motto was "None shall pass" and who noted, "It was very rare when someone did."
Enjoys speed aspect
Stone, a former high school runner who explained, "Speed is what I always had as a weapon in any sport," logged 87 of the final day's 180 kilometers, cycling mostly flats and downhills, his strengths.
He rode one three-mile, paved mountain downhill at 19 mph.
"On a unicycle that's way too fast to fall off," he remarked.
But while one opponent broke a leg crossing train tracks, even on gravel, Stone's team had no falls. It was on a gravel downhill, that the gravel-loving Stone hit 22.5 mph, his top race speed.
"That was just amazing," Stone said, adding, "I see gravel and it's almost like I get hungry."
Foss' wife, Jacquie, drove the team's support van routinely six or more miles ahead of the team's current rider. Then, at the van, a GPS tracking baton was passed to the next rider, who'd already be pedaling.
Stone, who owns 30 unicycles, rode a 29-inch, wheel-geared unicycle throughout the race. Other racers rode geared and ungeared unicycles of various sizes. The winning Germans, who took home a $4,000 prize (The Centurions split $125 for 10th place) used a more difficult to handle but very fast 36-inch, wheel-geared unicycle.
The race, run through areas that reminded Stone of the Hudson Valley, was designed to boost tourism. Rooms and breakfast and dinner were provided free to participants, who shared information and more with each other.
"Imagine a new golfer coming along and wanting tips on how to avoid a slice and he started chatting up Tiger Woods. It's never going to happen. ... The nice thing about the sport is it's in its youth. We're still so innocent," said Stone, who noted his and others teams loaned unicycles to competitors and one team actually built one for another team.
The camaraderie extended to fans. Schoolchildren lined parts of the route and gave teams care packages.
"... As a tutor, former teacher and father, the kids were the best (part of the race)," said Stone.
While his own kids, Fiona, 12, a five-year rider; Emmett, 8, a two-year rider; and Maeve, 4, were home in school and his wife, Shirra, was running her New Paltz shop, Knit and Be Happy, the GPS baton allowed them to follow The Centurions' progress online.
This was the first ever Ride the Lobster and if Nova Scotia hosts it again, Stone plans to be there.
He also dreams of someday unicycling cross-country with his brother, John, who has unicycled across the Alps, the Pyrenees and Norway.
More immediately, though, Stone plans to do a New York century ride on Sept. 7. And he's also talking about teaming with John and Emmett in a race.
The name of that team? The Rolling Stones.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Still Loving the Smart! Can You Say HYPERMILER?


The car has only gotten better. Or maybe I should say that the driver has only gotten better.
I've learned some hypermiling techniques, and they've paid off. My mileage the first few fillups was about 41-42 mile per gallon. My last two tanks averaged nearly 49 mpg. In fact, last week I managed to squeeze nearly 419 miles out of my 8.7-gallon tank, with about .2 gallons to spare (an average of 50.4 mpg).
Here are my hypermiling tricks:
1. Drive slowly. No car can really perform better at 70 than at 60, due to aerodynamics and other reasons, so I drive at a steady 55-63 mph, pretty much. I think my average speed these days is about 57 mph on the highway. Hypermilers say that this can improve gas mileage like nothing else, and in my old car, I saw that this was definitely the case. I think that driving 70 costs 15-20% of your fuel efficiency compared with driving 60 mph. I think I'd drive 50 mph if I could, but that's almost dangerously slow, so I'll stick near 60. I won't mind when highways go back to a 55 mph speed limit.
2. Avoid using the brakes. I let the car slow itself down whenever possible, and I leave space before the car in front of me when I'm in any kind of traffic. The smart car's engine slows itself down as soon as your foot's off the gas pedal, and the deceleration is pretty strong because the car actually has an automated manual transmission -- it's like a stick-shift that does the shifting automatically. I've had trips from Manhattan to New Paltz where I used the brakes a total of three times.
3. Avoid hard accelerations, too. I like the advice that you should drive as tho there is an egg under the pedal. I read that the smart car has the slowest acceleration of any American car. Well, that makes my job easier! It just means I have to be careful when entering traffic to leave enough room behind me that I don't need to 'gun it.'
4. Draft when possible. I usually don't get to do this on account of point #1, but when a slow truck lumbers along, I'll sometimes keep up with it, watching my ScanGauge to make sure that the drafting is actually working (and it is, but it's still a bit hard to believe).
5. Drive other than in the center of the lane. This is some advice I read on a hypermiler site. I'm not sure if it's true or whether it makes a significant difference, but the idea is that the lane tends to wear out in the area where most cars drive, so you will do better by driving a bit left or right of that line.
6. Air in the tires! Make sure your tires are properly inflated. Some hypermilers even over-inflate theirs, but I'm not going to risk it in my tiny car -- the tires are small and hard enough as it is!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Favorite Parking Spot Yet
I was in a rush this afternoon, but I didn't fret. After all, this is a Smart we're talking about.
I pulled onto my student's block and immediately found a spot -- right in front! At first I wasn't sure I'd fit, but when I drove beside the tiny space, I could see that my even tinier car would fit in nicely. I only had to move the car back and forth a few times to park it; the Smart Car's turning radius is quite small, allowing it to squeeze into the smallest spaces with relative ease.
After I left my student, I had to quickly find a place to park near my mom's building. Sho'nuff, there were TWO spots just large enough for a Smart Car but not for anything else (except a motorcycle!). I took the one across from my mom's. The other place was the gap her doormen always leave in front of the building for residents getting into and out of a car or taxi.
One of these days, I'm going to have to use that spot, and the doormen aren't going to like it....
I pulled onto my student's block and immediately found a spot -- right in front! At first I wasn't sure I'd fit, but when I drove beside the tiny space, I could see that my even tinier car would fit in nicely. I only had to move the car back and forth a few times to park it; the Smart Car's turning radius is quite small, allowing it to squeeze into the smallest spaces with relative ease.
After I left my student, I had to quickly find a place to park near my mom's building. Sho'nuff, there were TWO spots just large enough for a Smart Car but not for anything else (except a motorcycle!). I took the one across from my mom's. The other place was the gap her doormen always leave in front of the building for residents getting into and out of a car or taxi.One of these days, I'm going to have to use that spot, and the doormen aren't going to like it....
Friday, June 06, 2008
Smart Observations, Week 3
I'm still loving the car, three weeks and over 3,000 miles into owning it.
IT'S (NOT) A GAS
My average fuel economy has been around 42-43 miles per gallon. That's pretty impressive considering that about 15% of my driving is done around New Paltz, where the mileage is 'only' about 40 mpg.

Thanks to a wonderful forum for Smart Car owners (http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/), I've learned a really good trick to add a few MPGs when I'm driving on the highway: drafting. I find some big truck that's driving at about my speed and I keep no closer than 100 feet or so. The effect isn't tremendous because of that distance (drafting 10 feet back saves about 40% of the gas), but I'd rather be safe (and save only 10%) by staying further away.
YOU CAN STUFF IT!
I've managed to fit a surprising amount into the car. Right now, the car is loaded with my fire fighting gear, a unicycle, a few shopping bags, a bike helmet and a bike pump, and a good deal of cycling equipment...
and there's still plenty of room! I'm driving to Portland, ME next week for a unicycle race, so I tested whether I could get both of my big unicycles into the car at the same time. The answer: Yes, with plenty of space to spare.
PARKING
I love it when I'm about to pull out of a tiny spot in Manhattan and someone pulls up in a normal car to ask if I'm leaving; then they see how little space they'll have, and they just drive away frustrated.
Smart Cars make Minis and Beetles look enormous. Basically, a Smart Car is like a Bug minus the rear seat and trunk. That's the difference between a mini-car and a micro. This photo shows how much longer a VW Beetle is compared with my tiny car. The bug is nearly four feet longer.
IT'S (NOT) A GAS
My average fuel economy has been around 42-43 miles per gallon. That's pretty impressive considering that about 15% of my driving is done around New Paltz, where the mileage is 'only' about 40 mpg.

Thanks to a wonderful forum for Smart Car owners (http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/), I've learned a really good trick to add a few MPGs when I'm driving on the highway: drafting. I find some big truck that's driving at about my speed and I keep no closer than 100 feet or so. The effect isn't tremendous because of that distance (drafting 10 feet back saves about 40% of the gas), but I'd rather be safe (and save only 10%) by staying further away.
YOU CAN STUFF IT!
I've managed to fit a surprising amount into the car. Right now, the car is loaded with my fire fighting gear, a unicycle, a few shopping bags, a bike helmet and a bike pump, and a good deal of cycling equipment...
and there's still plenty of room! I'm driving to Portland, ME next week for a unicycle race, so I tested whether I could get both of my big unicycles into the car at the same time. The answer: Yes, with plenty of space to spare.PARKING
I love it when I'm about to pull out of a tiny spot in Manhattan and someone pulls up in a normal car to ask if I'm leaving; then they see how little space they'll have, and they just drive away frustrated.
Smart Cars make Minis and Beetles look enormous. Basically, a Smart Car is like a Bug minus the rear seat and trunk. That's the difference between a mini-car and a micro. This photo shows how much longer a VW Beetle is compared with my tiny car. The bug is nearly four feet longer.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
OK, Maybe More Like 43 MPG
I'm still playing with my little ScanGauge, but I forgot to make an adjustment to it that has had a significant effect on my mileage readouts.
After correcting for the amount of fuel actually put into the car, the ScanGauge seems to reflect more accurately the amount of miles I'm actually getting per gallon. I'm basing this on my careful record-keeping. Most recently I filled up 8.5 gallons after driving 368 miles, and that comes to about 43.3 mpg. Keep in mind that this reflects a combination of highway driving (maybe 80-85% of my driving), New Paltz driving (9-14%) and parking space driving in Manhattan (1%). I'm quite happy with this mileage.
It will be interesting to see how the car does when I drive round-trip to Nova Scotia in a few weeks. That should give some great information about the car's highway-only performance.
I should also note that I really drive like a gas-miser. I maintain a speed between 55 and 62 mph, and I sometimes draft behind big trucks (but not TOO close). I even put the car into neutral on big downhills once in a while. And I give the car high-octane gasoline, as the manufacturer suggests.
After correcting for the amount of fuel actually put into the car, the ScanGauge seems to reflect more accurately the amount of miles I'm actually getting per gallon. I'm basing this on my careful record-keeping. Most recently I filled up 8.5 gallons after driving 368 miles, and that comes to about 43.3 mpg. Keep in mind that this reflects a combination of highway driving (maybe 80-85% of my driving), New Paltz driving (9-14%) and parking space driving in Manhattan (1%). I'm quite happy with this mileage.
It will be interesting to see how the car does when I drive round-trip to Nova Scotia in a few weeks. That should give some great information about the car's highway-only performance.
I should also note that I really drive like a gas-miser. I maintain a speed between 55 and 62 mph, and I sometimes draft behind big trucks (but not TOO close). I even put the car into neutral on big downhills once in a while. And I give the car high-octane gasoline, as the manufacturer suggests.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
50 MPG!
Well, I managed to hit 50 miles per gallon on today's round-trip into Manhattan and back.
Since the drive into NYC is a bit slanted down as you head in, the mileage is better in that direction. In my Aztek, I managed to hit 33 mpg on one of my last trips in by maintaining a speed of about 60 mph. On the way back, however, I couldn't do much better than 27 or 28 mpg in that car.
The Smart Car, on the other hand, is so light and fuel-efficient that it would be hard to drive it fast enough to get such bad mileage. In general, it gets about 35-40 miles on a city gallon (assuming by 'city' that one means 'New Paltz'). And on the highway it does extremely well, generally scoring in the mid-40s for people who aren't leadfoots.
But I'm a feather-foot. I don't drive as fast as 65 mph, even, and rarely even crack 60. As a result, my mileage is amazing. On the way into NYC today, I reached 52 mpg even tho the last mile was a fairly steep uphill in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. As I drove into Manhattan later, my mileage was still in the high 40s for the short trip. And on the way back to New Paltz, I again kept my speed about 60 mpg and found that my mileage was 48 mpg, for an average on the day of about 50 miles to the gallon! In fact, the round-trip 170 miles used only about 3 gallons of gas, which is a lot less than the 6 gallons I'd use in the Aztek. At this rate, the car will save me about $60 a week!
Since the drive into NYC is a bit slanted down as you head in, the mileage is better in that direction. In my Aztek, I managed to hit 33 mpg on one of my last trips in by maintaining a speed of about 60 mph. On the way back, however, I couldn't do much better than 27 or 28 mpg in that car.
The Smart Car, on the other hand, is so light and fuel-efficient that it would be hard to drive it fast enough to get such bad mileage. In general, it gets about 35-40 miles on a city gallon (assuming by 'city' that one means 'New Paltz'). And on the highway it does extremely well, generally scoring in the mid-40s for people who aren't leadfoots.
But I'm a feather-foot. I don't drive as fast as 65 mph, even, and rarely even crack 60. As a result, my mileage is amazing. On the way into NYC today, I reached 52 mpg even tho the last mile was a fairly steep uphill in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. As I drove into Manhattan later, my mileage was still in the high 40s for the short trip. And on the way back to New Paltz, I again kept my speed about 60 mpg and found that my mileage was 48 mpg, for an average on the day of about 50 miles to the gallon! In fact, the round-trip 170 miles used only about 3 gallons of gas, which is a lot less than the 6 gallons I'd use in the Aztek. At this rate, the car will save me about $60 a week!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
SMART CAR Observations, Day 1
MILEAGE
I'm getting mixed signals from my Smart Car.
I filled up in Joisey (which happens to have the cheapest gas in the nation despite a law that requires them to pump your gas for you) on the way into Madhattan yesterday. Parking was a breeze, but I reparked to be even closer to my office (see the entry below from yesterday). Heading home, I basically had no traffic and only used the brakes 2 or 3 times, max. When I got to the Noop, I decided to fill up again, just to see how much petrol I'd used... and it came to 1.5 gallons for the previous 89 miles, or about 60 mpg. That just didn't make sense: I was driving uphill-ish, and there was a really stiff wind the whole way home. I expected no better than 40 mpg.
Today I drove in, maintaining my usual 60-65 speed the whole way and rarely using the brakes. It was a lovely, gust-free day. I expected better. I only got about 90 miles on what appears to be 2.25 gallons, or about 40 mpg. Considering that the car is actually rated for 40 mpg on the highway (and that I was driving downhill-ish at a low rate of speed), I deserved at least 45 or even 50 mpg, didn't I?

I'll have to sort this out soon. And towards that end, I've purchased a product called a ScanGauge, an after-market doodad that gives readouts of all sorts of important info for people like me.
HANDLING: Wind and Bumps
The car handles pretty well. Yesterday was really windy, and at times I felt like I had to fight a bit to keep in my lane, but later other drivers told me the same was true for them, so I didn't feel like I could blame my tiny car. Bumps, on the other hand, are for real. The Smart Car has smaller wheels than normal autos, so it picks up every bump you hit and even a few that aren't there. I found a great solution on the Internet, but I'm not sure it's for me.
Meanwhile, I try to avoid known bumps (after enough trips, you know a highway like you know your way around your house), and I guess this is one area that I just don't care too much about. I got used to my friend JJ's rattly car in Denmark back in 1989, and once you've driven in something that's constantly being tinkered with, any other car is butter by comparison.
PARKING
Of course, this is the main reason some of us buy this car. Correction: We buy it because it's so cute and unusual, and we use the parking excuse as justification. Either way, there is no denying that the Smart Car is not only easy to park -- it's FUN to park! You almost don't want to take a normal-size (17-19 foot) space, just because fitting into a tiny spot is so much more satisfying. As noted, I actually moved closer yesterday when I found a tiny spot one block nearer to my destination -- a spot that only a Smart Car or a moped could have squeezed into. Parking alone can justify this car for my sake, because the areas I'm searching for spots in are generally tree-lined sidewalks without meters or angle parking. I don't think I'll ever have to park at a meter again. And who'd want to? It hardly seems fair to pay $1.50 an hour for half the space of an average car. Meters do me no good, anyway, because I need 4-5 hour parking, and the city hasn't figured out how to accommodate my needs.
SCRABBLE
That makes the Smart Car a great bargain in
time saved. I can get a space within minutes and use the rest of the time to play online Scrabble®.
I'm getting mixed signals from my Smart Car.
I filled up in Joisey (which happens to have the cheapest gas in the nation despite a law that requires them to pump your gas for you) on the way into Madhattan yesterday. Parking was a breeze, but I reparked to be even closer to my office (see the entry below from yesterday). Heading home, I basically had no traffic and only used the brakes 2 or 3 times, max. When I got to the Noop, I decided to fill up again, just to see how much petrol I'd used... and it came to 1.5 gallons for the previous 89 miles, or about 60 mpg. That just didn't make sense: I was driving uphill-ish, and there was a really stiff wind the whole way home. I expected no better than 40 mpg.
Today I drove in, maintaining my usual 60-65 speed the whole way and rarely using the brakes. It was a lovely, gust-free day. I expected better. I only got about 90 miles on what appears to be 2.25 gallons, or about 40 mpg. Considering that the car is actually rated for 40 mpg on the highway (and that I was driving downhill-ish at a low rate of speed), I deserved at least 45 or even 50 mpg, didn't I?

I'll have to sort this out soon. And towards that end, I've purchased a product called a ScanGauge, an after-market doodad that gives readouts of all sorts of important info for people like me.
HANDLING: Wind and Bumps
The car handles pretty well. Yesterday was really windy, and at times I felt like I had to fight a bit to keep in my lane, but later other drivers told me the same was true for them, so I didn't feel like I could blame my tiny car. Bumps, on the other hand, are for real. The Smart Car has smaller wheels than normal autos, so it picks up every bump you hit and even a few that aren't there. I found a great solution on the Internet, but I'm not sure it's for me.
Meanwhile, I try to avoid known bumps (after enough trips, you know a highway like you know your way around your house), and I guess this is one area that I just don't care too much about. I got used to my friend JJ's rattly car in Denmark back in 1989, and once you've driven in something that's constantly being tinkered with, any other car is butter by comparison. PARKING
Of course, this is the main reason some of us buy this car. Correction: We buy it because it's so cute and unusual, and we use the parking excuse as justification. Either way, there is no denying that the Smart Car is not only easy to park -- it's FUN to park! You almost don't want to take a normal-size (17-19 foot) space, just because fitting into a tiny spot is so much more satisfying. As noted, I actually moved closer yesterday when I found a tiny spot one block nearer to my destination -- a spot that only a Smart Car or a moped could have squeezed into. Parking alone can justify this car for my sake, because the areas I'm searching for spots in are generally tree-lined sidewalks without meters or angle parking. I don't think I'll ever have to park at a meter again. And who'd want to? It hardly seems fair to pay $1.50 an hour for half the space of an average car. Meters do me no good, anyway, because I need 4-5 hour parking, and the city hasn't figured out how to accommodate my needs.
SCRABBLE
That makes the Smart Car a great bargain in
time saved. I can get a space within minutes and use the rest of the time to play online Scrabble®.
Monday, May 12, 2008
First Park

I parked in a tight Manhattan spot for the first time when I arrived to tutor this afternoon. By coincidence, one of the other Smart Cars in the area was parked nearby. It turns out that we're sandwiching my doorman's car.
Shirra took a cute shot of me in an even smarter car. This baby gets an unlimited amount of miles per gallon of gas -- it operates on foot power, tho it's a bit of a tight squeeze on the driver.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
One Smart Man, He Felt Smart
It's adorable!My Smart Car is now resting comfortably in the driveway after its trip home from Manhattan. Maeve and I took the bus into The City yesterday in time to sign a few papers and then head to my mom's in the new car. Maeve loves the car and was happy to be the first person to set foot inside it (as well as being its first passenger). Driving it in Manhattan is a bit odd, partly because the engine shifts gears in a manner that is slower and hurky-jurky compared with a normal automatic. This is because the engine is a sort of manual / automatic amalgam. It takes a bit of getting used to.
On the highway, I occasionally found that we were really speeding. I usually set by Aztek's cruise control at 60 or 65 mph, but the tiny Smart doesn't have this feature, so I will have to be more conscious oft speed; yesterday I hit 80 mph a few times.
The car has garnered many admiring glances in town so far. As far as I know, of is the only Smart Car residing in the Noop. I even took of to a fire call last night. Luckily it's large enough to hold my fireman gear, but to fit my unicycle, I'll have to put down the passenger seat or buy an attachment made for carrying bikes.
And yes, parking it is going to be a breeze!
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Smart Purchase
I found out today that all systems are go for my purchase of a Smart Car tomorrow. Maeve and I are very excited; she's coming with me to pick it up.
SUPPLY & DEMAND
Smart Cars are in low supply. I'm not sure how high the demand is for them right now, but with gas prices at about $4 a gallon and destined to rise, I'd guess that they're generally not easy to get ahold of. When I called Elaine at the NYC dealership a few days ago, I was told that my request couldn't be honored until early 2009. I upped my chances by telling the her that I had no preferences for the style or model. Amazingly, when the most recent shipment came in, one car was left, and it sounds like a cutie: black, with red cloth seats. There is also some trim, but I didn't care enough to remember about it, so I guess I'll find that out tomorrow.
GASOLINE
I made what I hope was my last commute in the Aztek today. By adhering to 60 mph the whole way down, I could achieve between 31 and 33 mpg, depending on conditions. On the way back to New Paltz, my best mileage was no better than 28 mpg due to the uphill nature of the return trip. Smart Cars tend to get about 45 mpg, so the dealers say, but I have a feeling that I'll be surpassing that since I tend to drive so slowly. I'm shooting for about 55 mpg. Since the tiny car's tiny gas tank only holds 8.9 gallons, I'll still want to conserve gas! I'm figuring that if I drive 40,000 or more miles per annum, I can save myself about $2,000 a year in fuel costs alone.
INSURANCE
We have Geico, which seems to have the best rates, and because I'm essentially retiring the Aztek, our insurance premiums aren't going to increase too drastically -- no more than a few hundred dollars annually. I also agreed to get Lo-Jack, an anti-theft and security system.
Maeve and I are taking a bus into Manhattan so that we can drive back in the baby car. We can't wait.
SUPPLY & DEMAND
Smart Cars are in low supply. I'm not sure how high the demand is for them right now, but with gas prices at about $4 a gallon and destined to rise, I'd guess that they're generally not easy to get ahold of. When I called Elaine at the NYC dealership a few days ago, I was told that my request couldn't be honored until early 2009. I upped my chances by telling the her that I had no preferences for the style or model. Amazingly, when the most recent shipment came in, one car was left, and it sounds like a cutie: black, with red cloth seats. There is also some trim, but I didn't care enough to remember about it, so I guess I'll find that out tomorrow.
GASOLINE
I made what I hope was my last commute in the Aztek today. By adhering to 60 mph the whole way down, I could achieve between 31 and 33 mpg, depending on conditions. On the way back to New Paltz, my best mileage was no better than 28 mpg due to the uphill nature of the return trip. Smart Cars tend to get about 45 mpg, so the dealers say, but I have a feeling that I'll be surpassing that since I tend to drive so slowly. I'm shooting for about 55 mpg. Since the tiny car's tiny gas tank only holds 8.9 gallons, I'll still want to conserve gas! I'm figuring that if I drive 40,000 or more miles per annum, I can save myself about $2,000 a year in fuel costs alone.
INSURANCE
We have Geico, which seems to have the best rates, and because I'm essentially retiring the Aztek, our insurance premiums aren't going to increase too drastically -- no more than a few hundred dollars annually. I also agreed to get Lo-Jack, an anti-theft and security system.
Maeve and I are taking a bus into Manhattan so that we can drive back in the baby car. We can't wait.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Mountain (Unicycle) Man
I decided to give mountain unicycling another go. I had tried it when we first moved here -- our 'backyard' was the excuse for me to buy a different unicycle -- but I hadn't gone riding in our woods in over a year. It was time to suit up. Here is a picture of me in all of my gear, minus the 'me.'
I'm wearing a helmet (to protect the noggin), sunglasses (eyes), gloves (wrists), leg armor (shins and knees), ankle protectors (duh), and a fanny-pack water system (lower back).
I chose a spot at the top of a nearby hill and decided on a few different 'lines' that I would try. It took me a few tries to make it from the big tree to the thin stump. Several minutes and a few attempts later, I'd made it from the stump to a steep slope. I only needed a few practice runs in order to make it down that slope. Then I was ready to put it all together, and within two or three tries, I'd made it all the way from A to Z.
I'm looking forward to muni'ing again tomorrow.
I'm wearing a helmet (to protect the noggin), sunglasses (eyes), gloves (wrists), leg armor (shins and knees), ankle protectors (duh), and a fanny-pack water system (lower back).I chose a spot at the top of a nearby hill and decided on a few different 'lines' that I would try. It took me a few tries to make it from the big tree to the thin stump. Several minutes and a few attempts later, I'd made it from the stump to a steep slope. I only needed a few practice runs in order to make it down that slope. Then I was ready to put it all together, and within two or three tries, I'd made it all the way from A to Z.
I'm looking forward to muni'ing again tomorrow.
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