Viva la Vespa

You know those cute little Vespa scooters you see in photos of towns like Barcelona and Paris? The ones showing happy couples zipping around crowded city streets, parking wherever the fancy takes them?

Big news: Americans are finally clued into what Europe's known for decades. Scooters are cheap, easy to park, faster than a taxi — and get an incredible 70 miles per gallon of gas.

Granted, Vespas aren't exactly Harleys. They're small, cute, and rather quiet. In fact, they're a bit nerdy. According to an article in the New York Times, "the depressed economy and rising gasoline prices have given more urban Americans a practical reason to consider this less-expensive way to move. But once they start riding them, many scooter newcomers discover what Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn learned filming 'Roman Holiday': these things are a hoot."

In fact, according to the article, part of what's fueling the rise of the American Vespa isn't the gas mileage. It's the ease, the fun and the Euro-hipness of the whole experience. When you're riding a Vespa, according to the New York Times, you're on board a "zippy, fashion-forward transpo-pod" — and what could be better than that?

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng