xtcian

say good morning, gracie

10/6/09

We got a new car yesterday - a pretty big deal, considering we'd had Rosie (Lucy's name for the 2004 Prius) for six years, in one of the happiest car relationships I can recall. Everything about Rosie was awesome - utterly reliable with MPG still in the 40s after being driven across the country three times (and back), not to mention the insanity of LA traffic.

Upper East Side, 2003

Rosie was only the second new-generation Prius sold in New York state. When we parked her in Greenwich Village, people would stop and gawk inside her (hard to believe that was only 2003). I drove Tessa to the hospital in Rosie, and then back home with a little pack of awesomeness called Lucy. It's the only car Lucy's ever known, having spent many miles on open Western roads, traversing the country from her perch in the back seat. When she heard we might be selling Rosie, she got a little teary-eyed, and I have to confess, I sorta did too.

snapped this with my old Treo while Tessa was in labor, April 2005

driving to northern California, September 2005

halfway to Altamont, Utah, August 2005

saying goodye to Rosie yesterday

She'll stay in the family, however - we sold her to my sister Michelle and our soon-to-be-brother-in-law Jon, so she can provide as much succor in Santa Cruz as she did down here. Besides, we had to welcome our new car: a "Winter Gray Metallic" 2010 Prius, which Lucy has named Gracie:

Prii are in high demand right now, but this is the first time we actually waited for - and managed to procure - the precise car and color we wanted from the get-go. Gracie has the sunroof and the solar panel on top, which powers the air conditioning fans - there's even a USB port, which is probably old hat to some of you autotechnophiles, but a novelty to us. Another first: a leather interior. Never had one before, and my arse is still sliding off it.

We've been averaging around 50 mpg on our first day, and the ride can only be compared to Luke Skywalker's floating car. Probably the best feature (with a goofy-ass name) is the "Plasmacluster" between the two front seats - kind of a bridge filled with electronic goodness, allowing a purse or backpack to be put underneath. Like the 2004, you push a button to start the vehicle, but the new version doesn't even pretend to have a key slot - you're supposed to keep it in your pocket.

Here's the kicker, especially for Southern California: the solar roof allows you to "pre-cool" the car in direct sunlight several minutes before you get in. No gas, just the sun, paradoxically making your car chilly on blisteringly hot days. SIGN ME UP!

Somehow, we've been able to pull off one of the rarest tricks in Los Angeles - we've been a one-car family our entire time here. It has been a Rubik's Cube of scheduling, given the meetings that take place in Burbank and Hollywood, not to mention the various activities of our PumpkinPants, but we're proud to have pulled it off for so long. I hope Gracie has half Rosie's stamina.