It has already been over a year since I started living without a car in Koreatown, LA.

Honestly, I didn't plan to live without a car from the beginning. But these days, just looking at car prices makes me sigh.

In the past, leasing a car with insurance would cost around $400-500 a month, but now it easily exceeds $700-800 a month.

Considering the rising costs of gas and parking, it's really frustrating.

Especially when I get car insurance quotes for my Koreatown address, I can't help but wonder what kind of joke this is.

I don't have particularly bad accident history, so I don't understand why the insurance is so expensive.

I live near Wilshire and Normandy in Koreatown. Fortunately, my office is just two blocks away from my home.

So, two years ago, I returned my lease and started using Uber when I needed to.

At first, I thought it would be inconvenient, but living without a car turned out to be better than I expected.

When I go to the market, I go with my brother, and if I have an appointment a bit farther away, I call an Uber.

However, thinking about it, Koreatown is quite a good neighborhood for using electric scooters.

As LA continues to expand its bike lanes, there are now dedicated bike lanes and roads where bicycles can be used around Koreatown.

Of course, not all roads are tightly connected, and there are sections where the bike lane suddenly ends or where you have to ride alongside cars.

Still, compared to the past, the options for getting around by bike or electric scooter have definitely increased.

Especially when moving about 5 to 10 blocks in Koreatown, electric scooters are quite convenient.

Uber's base fare is burdensome. On the other hand, if you have your own electric scooter, you just need to charge it and can ride it whenever you need.

Of course, there is one significant downside to electric scooters: theft.

I think leaving an electric scooter on the street makes it one of the easiest targets for thieves, just like bicycles.

If you leave it anywhere and quickly run into the market, it could be gone when you come back.

Especially in Koreatown, you need to be very careful about security for both bicycles and scooters.

I recommend buying a sturdy bicycle lock or U-lock along with it.

Thin wire locks are easy to cut, so I don't trust them much.

And there's an interesting item.

You can buy a scooter vibration detection anti-theft alarm for about $10 on eBay or Temu.

When attached to the scooter, it emits a loud warning sound if someone touches or moves it. It sounds like a car alarm when you set it and press the button, haha.

Of course, just attaching this alarm won't completely prevent theft.

But when used with a sturdy lock, it can create a loud alarm that disrupts someone trying to quietly take it away.

Still, if possible, it's safest to keep the scooter indoors rather than leaving it outside for long periods.

And one thing to be cautious about while riding an electric scooter is that riding an electric kickboard on the sidewalk is illegal. In fact, everyone rides on the sidewalk, but hitting a person would be a disaster.

You should use bike lanes or roads where riding is permitted, and regular electric kickboards are legally limited to a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour.

Especially in Koreatown, there is a lot of car traffic, and many vehicles turn right or suddenly open their doors, so you need to be careful.

Personally, I think it's much better to ride defensively and safely.

These days, looking at electric scooter prices, there are many products available for around $200.

If someone spends about $100-200 a month on Uber, buying an electric scooter can be a very economical choice.

There are shared electric scooters, but if you use them frequently, the unlocking fees and per-minute usage charges can add up quickly. A friend of mine teased me about buying one after seeing that he spent $1000 in a year.

While personal scooters have an initial purchase cost, they are likely to be much cheaper in the long run.

Of course, on rainy days or when you need to do a lot of shopping, you still need Uber.

However, I don't feel much need to buy a car again.

Not owning a car means I don't have to worry about insurance costs, I don't have to search for parking spaces, and I don't have to care much about rising gas prices.

Above all, I love that I don't have to spend hundreds of dollars every month just to maintain a car.

Of course, for families or those who have to commute long distances every day, this lifestyle may not be practical.

But for someone like me, a single person in my 30s with a job close to home, it's worth considering.

In these times of high car prices and exorbitant insurance rates, not owning a car might be a viable lifestyle choice.

At least, I don't need to start my car every time I want to move 10 blocks in Koreatown.