Behind the wheel of a stranger's car, I adjusted the seat and mirrors, even as my adrenaline told me that it was wrong. I didn't know the car or its owner. Then I started the engine and pulled into Chicago traffic.
My husband, riding shotgun on our way out of town, hit the "begin trip" button on my phone's Turo app, a platform that lets travelers rent cars from locals. Moments earlier, a man named Gabriel had pulled up to our hotel, dropped the keys to his sedan in my hands and walked off with a casual farewell _ as if this was normal.
It was our last day on an autumn weekend trip to the Windy City, where we skipped the usual rental car. Instead, we hopped in Uber cars and cabs, cruised in a water taxi, walked and rode on "L" trains, the city's rapid transit system.
Chicago has ample old-school transportation options, and the sharing economy has added new ways to get around. Together, they make Chicago easy to navigate _ with the help of locals and without the stresses and costs associated with mainstream car rentals. My family, including my husband and our 9-month-old daughter, were ready to test-drive the modern world of ground transportation.
The weekend began as many Chicago trips do: lurching through traffic in the back seat of a cab. Especially on a weekday, catching the train at O'Hare International Airport can be a cheaper and faster way to reach downtown. But we landed under a dripping sky, and the thought of schlepping a car seat, stroller, bags _ oh, and squirmy baby _ through turnstiles, train cars and several city blocks in the rain sounded exhausting.
A $49 cab fare hurt, but a $60-a-day fee to park a rental car at the hotel would've hurt more. I love saving money almost as much as I love saving time, and this anti-car-rental weekend was already checking both boxes.
