I’m from Boston. I don’t own a car. I grew up in the city, with buses and subway trains and bikes and my own two feet. With $1.70 and a good sense of direction I could go anywhere I wanted. It was an incredibly powerful feeling. Then I moved to Westminster.
Westminster is technically a city, but really it is like a large town. I can walk downtown, where there are a few restaurants and a small library. I can walk to Food Lion and to Safeway, if I’m feeling brave. Sometimes I’m even so bold as to walk to Wal Mart and Denny’s. In general, getting around in Westminster requires a car.
Then McDaniel increased the routes that the Pickle drives.
The Pickle is a large green van (maybe a 16 seater?) owned by the school. The Pickle takes students from school to the main shopping areas, including the mall and Target. It also takes students to both the Baltimore and Washington metros on weekends.
Students can become Pickle certified pretty easily, by driving a short course and proving they can handle the vehicle. Once certified, students can use the Pickle to do things like go on field trips for class, make a trip with a club, or pick people up from the airport. In my Jan Term class last year, the Pickle drove us to various Maryland prisons (the class was about Maryland correctional facilities).
The Pickle is great because it makes Westminster accessible. Without a car, getting around can be tough, but the Pickle helps students like me who want to shop at Boscov’s but can’t walk to the mall. Now I just need a bigger dorm to put everything I’m buying….
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