Hmm, yeah, I can see what you mean about a car giving a little more independent space. I guess it's the fact that I could get off whenever I wanted? I could look on my phone or listen to something without having to worry about driving the car as well. Or, I guess managing a car has always felt more responsibility than privilege to me.

I guess also "an hour or more stuck in between everyone's armpits" is also like a worst-case scenario, and it happened to me infrequently enough that I didn't mind overall. Or, Tokyo rush hour might have been like commuting on the LA interstate? Neither are very fun, but driving along the Pacific Coast Highway is a more ideal kind of thing. I think I've had a lot of commuter rail situations like that too which have made up for it.