MYRIDE- Kali Murphy: 2002 Volkswagon Beetle

In an age where mammoth SUV's command the streets, it takes a car like Kali Murphy's 2002 Volkswagon Beetle to put them all to shame, reminding folks that good things really do come in small packages.

"It's all zippy and small, and it just fits me!" Murphy gushes. 

Besides an adorable facade, driving around in a miniature automobile provides other pleasures. 

"It's little, so when I drive I don't hit things," she says.

Among its other extraordinary features is the radio display screen.

"It shows fishes, motorcycles, and scuba divers," Murphy explains excitedly.

Standing just taller than the "luna green" bug, Murphy explains where her love of the curiously round car began.

"I have always wanted a VW bug since I was little," she says, "because it's  just unique, less square than other cars."

The childhood dream stuck with Murphy until she reached driving age and received the fluorescent bug as a gift from her grandparents.

"When I first got it, I would go places just so I could drive." Murphy says. "That was until I realized I had to pay for gas."

Murphy's car is primarily an item of convenience, transporting her to school, work, and wherever the expanding responsibilities of a rising high school senior take her. However, as summer wanes, what's more exhilarating for a teenager than a pint-sized beetle and the open road?

"It expands my horizons," Murphy says playfully. "It carries everything I need in it, even half of my clothing."

PHOTO BY DANIELLE UNGER

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