Westporter Watts Wacker drives his Vespa to Staples football games. WestportNow.com photo
Todays Escapes section of The New York Times features Westporter Watts Wacker and his Vespa.
The 50-year-old futurist jettisoned his Camaro convertible last May for exclusive transport around town on his Italian-made Vespa ET4. ғI havent looked back,Ҕ he wrote in a essay for the newspaper.
Excerpt: I feel more at home, more me, on my Vespa. I have my nonconformist tendencies. For example, I wear shorts every day, even in church, even on my scooter.
ӓSome people laugh at me, but I don’t care. I’m not trying to be Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider.ђ There’s no overcompensating on a Vespa…
Riding my Vespa is so much fun I can hardly stand it. There’s the appeal of being in the elements, feeling the sun beating down on you ӗ all of the stuff that convertibles offer plus you get 65 miles per gallon.
דMy 14-year-old daughter loves to ride on the back; I coach her lacrosse team, and when we ride home from practice she holds her sticks. I ride to work, to the center of town, to high school football games…
I have my own commuting ritual. Every morning I sling my computer bag over my shoulder and zip straight to Starbucks. I pick up two cups of coffee, put them in a tray and ride one-handed to my office. (One product improvement I would suggest for the Vespa is cup holders.)
ӔWhen it’s really cold I pull on a pair of insulated Carhart overalls over my shorts. I’m planning on driving this thing 24/7/365. Except when it’s snowing.
