Hating every minute of it, Americans are slowly learning to live with high gasoline prices. For a nation accustomed to cheap fuel, big vehicles and sprawling suburbs, the adjustments are wrenching.<\/p>\n
Cory Asmus of Temecula, Calif., just bought a $4,800 motorcycle for his 20-mile drive to work so he could cut his gas bill to $8 a week, from $110.<\/p>\n
Florian Bialas, a retiree who lives near Chicago, sold his 1987 Pontiac Sunfire for $3,000 and plans to relinquish his license when it expires in September. \u201cI can walk to most places where I need to go,\u201d\u009d he said.<\/p>\n
And Debbie Gloyd of Cleveland has parked her Chrysler Concorde and started taking the bus to work. \u201cI can\u2019t afford these gas prices,\u201d\u009d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re insane.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
With the nationwide average price for regular gasoline closing rapidly on $4 a gallon, people are bracing for a summer of pain at the pump.<\/p>\n
As the Memorial Day holiday approaches, kicking off the summer driving season, the record prices are provoking dread and upsetting some people\u2019s vacation plans. A recent survey by AAA, the automobile club, found a rare year-on-year decline, of 1 percent, in the number of people planning to travel this summer.<\/p>\n