[nabs-l] Grocery shopping, and transportation questions

[Kerri Kosten]

Hi All:

I have some more questions about grocery shopping and transportation.
Instead of making two separate posts, I figured I'd just put all my
questions in one post...they are somewhat related to each other.

I'll start with the grocery shopping questions.

In the apartment building I live in, there is no elevator.
Unfortunately I live on the third floor, which is up four flights of
steps. What is the best way to carry lots of groceries up the steps?
Would it be okay, when having lots of groceries to set some of the
bags on the floor in the hallway by the door, go up with as much as I
can carry, then come back for the rest? Is there any better way to
carry groceries than in the plastic bags the grocery bagger puts them
in? I've been told about burlap sacks that you can carry on your
shoulder...does this reduce the load much? I want to make this as easy
as possible.

How often do you usually go grocery shopping? When you go, do you just
get the things you absolutely need, and keep the load as little as
possible or do you usually take advantage of the fact you are at the
store and get lots of stuff?

My next questions are about transportation. I live in a college town.
I guess it's your typical college town. It's big enough to be
considered a small city or large town...we have five Krogers, four or
more Walmarts...tons of restaurants and bars, two malls...two movie
theaters. It isn't a major city though.

We do have a bus system but I've never been encouraged to use it. I've
just been expected to take cabs everywhere.

One of the problems though is that the town is not really a walking
town...there are parts of it you can walk in but not very many. When
things/places are built, often pedestrian accessibility is left out.

There doesn't seem to be any blind people; there is no NFB chapter.
So, naturally the majority of the people, including most of the
students drive. From what I've read on their website, the bus covers
many areas, but usually until only 6 o'clock, unless it's downtown
where the students are. I don't live downtown though. Because of this,
I find myself having to take cabs almost everywhere. Cabs here are
about $5-6 each way. Is this normal for a college town? Is this
expensive for a cab?

Are my only options to either take the bus when it is available or take cabs?

Should I just not worry about the expense and take cabs when and wherever?

Is learning to use the bus hard or is it as simple as calling and
asking the right questions?

>From what I can tell, from where I live, in order to take the bus
again since I'm not in the downtown student area I will have to take
two buses to get anywhere and it usually takes about two hours. Is
this normal for a large town/small city?

The closest major city to me is Pittsburgh. There is a bus that goes
there twice. In order to take a grayhound bus, or AM track train you
have to somehow get to Pittsburgh. Is the bus going twice daily
reasonable?

For those of you who live in college towns similar to this how do you
find a balance between taking cabs, using family and friends, and
taking the bus?

What is the cost monthly of owning a vehicle compared to taking cabs
all the time? I'm sorry to ask this...I've never been told.

I guess I am just asking these questions because I want to make sure
I'm not getting screwed so to speak. I don't mind taking cabs, but
sometimes I feel like I'm just automatically expected to spend the
money just because...if you know what I mean by that! I've been told
owning a vehicle is several hundreds of dollars a month when the cost
of maintaenance, car payments, insurance, and gas is added up but
again these have just been from sighted people who don't take cabs. It
seems like most other blind people I know don't take cabs unless they
absolutely have to and I hate having to do it all the time. In one
sense I feel like I'm being told to go ahead, don't worry about it,
owning a vehicle is expensive too...but then on the other hand so many
blind people don't seem to like doing it. I know each town is
different...but if I want to go somewhere and it's after 6 and the bus
doesn't go are cabs or family/friends my only options? I've never gone
completely broke or run out of money by taking cabs but again...I feel
as if I'm getting mixed messages and I want to make sure I'm doing the
right/best thing. From where I live you can't walk anywhere as there
are several things across the street but it's not actually a street
but a major six-lane highway...so walking is out. I'm not married and
live alone. Do those of you who live in towns like this find
yourselves having to also take cabs more frequently than other blind
people? I know my questions seem a little crazy but I thought I'd ask
them all in one post.

Thanks so much!

Kerri