I Love the LA Freeways!

Despite LA being known for having horrendous traffic, I love to drive here. I think that the highway system across the metro area is quite impressive. Even when I do hit traffic, it at least moves. Also, my 45-minutes-to-anywhere theory still remains intact. I love how everything criss-crosses everything else to create this web of alternate routes to anywhere you want to go. Viv's family out here has never given me the same directions twice for getting someplace, and I think that's the norm. Anyone out here has an arsenal of routes for getting anywhere and choosing a route for any one location is dependent on: 1) traffic at that point in time, 2) Time of day, and 3) a gut feeling that cannot be taught to visitors. You may ask, "aren't 1 and 2 the same or at least related?" No. There is traffic associated with rush hour, but traffic can occur at anytime. Getting hooked up with these alternate routes has been invaluable. It's allowed me to get places quickly and learn my way around the city.

Also, everyone refers to the different highways as the "blank." One of my staple routes on this trip has been: the 210 west to the 134 west to the 101. Often, the directions, such as east or west in my previous example, are often not necessary. Instead, your directions will couple a highway with a city. For example, the route above could also be said as: take the 210 towards Pasadena to the 134 towards Burbank to the 101 towards the San Fernando Valley. How come I-25 is not the 25, or how come we don't take the 36 to Boulder? I find it fascinating and right now I'm probably putting you all into a coma.

Oh, I have also only seen one cop out on a freeway. I've seen lots on the surface streets, but almost none on the freeways. There is also a lack of signs clarifying the speed limit. This combinations allows the masses to cruise around at incredible speeds virtually unchecked. I think looking the other way on the speeding is essential to traffic moving at all in this city. It is a thing of Beauty.