Steering

Last week, while idling at a stoplight on Santa Monica Boulevard, I gazed across the intersection and was startled to see that the car on the other side didn't have a driver. 

It didn't have any passengers either. It was one of those self-driving Teslas, on some kind of joyride through the bustling streets of West Hollywood.

For the next few blocks I experienced a wave of emotions. Initially, I was impressed with the technological wizardry such an invention required. Then I was unnerved that the traffic that surrounded me might not respond in the ways to which I had become accustom. Crazy drivers can still be predictable ones. But mostly, I was sad.

Driving is one of my most treasured past times. I am a true disciple of America's car culture. And while walking feeds my soul, there's nothing like driving to make my spirit soar. 

"Everything in life is somewhere else. And you get there in a car." - E.B. White