Ma Bell Meets Henry Ford
Both grandmothers are out of the hospital, and recuperating. That's my good news for today. One of my grandmothers is only 20 miles from here, so I'm going to try to visit when I get the green light to do so. If you have a relative you like that you haven't seen in a while, and they're within driving distance, go for a visit. You'll be glad you did.
Twenty miles, though, does not necessarily translate into a short drive. Going down the 405/San Diego Freeway can be hellish. From the top of the hills (known as the Santa Monica "Mountains," these are hills, especially compared with the foothills and peaks of the Sierra, let alone the actual mountains to the east, the San Gabriels.) at the Sepulveda Pass all the way to LAX is usually bumper to bumper during daylight hours. During non-rush hour periods, it ranges from tolerable to "There's no accidents, no construction, so why the $%&#@*! is it packed??" During rush hour, it's a parking lot. The stop-and-go traffic on Sepulveda isn't always the best alternative either. After LAX, it generally gets smoother, and I can actually pretend again that I'm on a freeway. My best times from home to Redondo approach a half hour, but there have been times (especially times like, say, right after the fireworks on 4th of July) where it's been close to an hour, sometimes more.
Driving in L.A. is an experience in itself. I've driven all over the country, and driven in many major cities. Usually in the older cities back East, the streets are narrower, packed with parked cars, and generally have more construction/deliveries/whatnot going on that the style and speed of driving isn't the same as cities out West. After living in D.C. for many years, I can personally attest that there is no point in driving fast, or attempting to drive as one might elsewhere. For one thing, there are so many potholes, worn-out spots, and pieces and bits of asphalt everywhere that your shocks are going to wear out a lot faster than you'd normally expect.
NYC is not a fun place to drive, and there really isn't any point in doing so anyway. The subway system is *everywhere*, and there's one flat fee for using the subway, so public transportation is *the* way to travel there. The one time I drove there, I regretted it; it's an old city with more than its share of one-way streets, and parking prices in the garages are guaranteed to have your jaw drop to the floor faster and harder than you ever thought possible.
Boston is murder. I didn't even need to navigate through the "Big Dig" construction to learn very quickly that Boston tops the list of the all-time worst cities to drive in, at least here in the States. Bostonians tend to have their blinkers on: the drivers don't seem to see the pedestrians, and vice versa.
Now that I'm an Angeleno, I've noticed my driving style has changed. I take quite a few more risks than I used to, I'm a bit more aggressive in my driving, and I definitely am not as cautious as I used to be. I still follow the rules of the road, though. I can't say as much for the rest of this town. Living here definitely contributes to my list of pet peeves. Topping the list so far is the fact that every third person I see while I'm out and about is on a phone. It irritates and annoys me to no ends, especially since more than half of these lamebrains AREN'T PAYING ATTENTION. Case in point: I'm driving down Santa Monica Boulevard east of the 405, in the middle of all the lovely construction that supposedly will transform Santa Monica Blvd by the end of this year, possibly sometime next. I'm at a stoplight, watching cars driving north and turning left and right at Overland. One particularly bright citizen in an SUV (or was it a Hummer? Another pet peeve...) made it halfway across the intersection, and inexplicably stopped, waiting to make a left onto Santa Monica. This lovely lady was *on the phone*, and as most people who are *on the phone* do, she was staring straight ahead. Whether it was at the now available lanes in front of her on Santa Monica or the well-manicured lawns of the Mormon Temple straight ahead, I couldn't say. The light changed, and I now had the green. This perfectly delightful lady was STILL *on the phone*, and did not budge a single inch. I glanced quickly at the car to my left: the guy sitting there was as pissed as I was. We both looked straight ahead, shot the offender with the evil eye, and honked. No response. We honked again. She turned her head, looked straight at us, then looked back at the road, then looked at us again, and finally (*duh!*) realized she was IN THE WAY and our light was GREEN. She finally moved her lovely behemoth of a vehicle out of the way.
I suspect this tale isn't just an isolated incident. Moral: Hang Up and Drive.
Twenty miles, though, does not necessarily translate into a short drive. Going down the 405/San Diego Freeway can be hellish. From the top of the hills (known as the Santa Monica "Mountains," these are hills, especially compared with the foothills and peaks of the Sierra, let alone the actual mountains to the east, the San Gabriels.) at the Sepulveda Pass all the way to LAX is usually bumper to bumper during daylight hours. During non-rush hour periods, it ranges from tolerable to "There's no accidents, no construction, so why the $%&#@*! is it packed??" During rush hour, it's a parking lot. The stop-and-go traffic on Sepulveda isn't always the best alternative either. After LAX, it generally gets smoother, and I can actually pretend again that I'm on a freeway. My best times from home to Redondo approach a half hour, but there have been times (especially times like, say, right after the fireworks on 4th of July) where it's been close to an hour, sometimes more.
Driving in L.A. is an experience in itself. I've driven all over the country, and driven in many major cities. Usually in the older cities back East, the streets are narrower, packed with parked cars, and generally have more construction/deliveries/whatnot going on that the style and speed of driving isn't the same as cities out West. After living in D.C. for many years, I can personally attest that there is no point in driving fast, or attempting to drive as one might elsewhere. For one thing, there are so many potholes, worn-out spots, and pieces and bits of asphalt everywhere that your shocks are going to wear out a lot faster than you'd normally expect.
NYC is not a fun place to drive, and there really isn't any point in doing so anyway. The subway system is *everywhere*, and there's one flat fee for using the subway, so public transportation is *the* way to travel there. The one time I drove there, I regretted it; it's an old city with more than its share of one-way streets, and parking prices in the garages are guaranteed to have your jaw drop to the floor faster and harder than you ever thought possible.
Boston is murder. I didn't even need to navigate through the "Big Dig" construction to learn very quickly that Boston tops the list of the all-time worst cities to drive in, at least here in the States. Bostonians tend to have their blinkers on: the drivers don't seem to see the pedestrians, and vice versa.
Now that I'm an Angeleno, I've noticed my driving style has changed. I take quite a few more risks than I used to, I'm a bit more aggressive in my driving, and I definitely am not as cautious as I used to be. I still follow the rules of the road, though. I can't say as much for the rest of this town. Living here definitely contributes to my list of pet peeves. Topping the list so far is the fact that every third person I see while I'm out and about is on a phone. It irritates and annoys me to no ends, especially since more than half of these lamebrains AREN'T PAYING ATTENTION. Case in point: I'm driving down Santa Monica Boulevard east of the 405, in the middle of all the lovely construction that supposedly will transform Santa Monica Blvd by the end of this year, possibly sometime next. I'm at a stoplight, watching cars driving north and turning left and right at Overland. One particularly bright citizen in an SUV (or was it a Hummer? Another pet peeve...) made it halfway across the intersection, and inexplicably stopped, waiting to make a left onto Santa Monica. This lovely lady was *on the phone*, and as most people who are *on the phone* do, she was staring straight ahead. Whether it was at the now available lanes in front of her on Santa Monica or the well-manicured lawns of the Mormon Temple straight ahead, I couldn't say. The light changed, and I now had the green. This perfectly delightful lady was STILL *on the phone*, and did not budge a single inch. I glanced quickly at the car to my left: the guy sitting there was as pissed as I was. We both looked straight ahead, shot the offender with the evil eye, and honked. No response. We honked again. She turned her head, looked straight at us, then looked back at the road, then looked at us again, and finally (*duh!*) realized she was IN THE WAY and our light was GREEN. She finally moved her lovely behemoth of a vehicle out of the way.
I suspect this tale isn't just an isolated incident. Moral: Hang Up and Drive.
posted by Mr. Sandman | 9:18 PM
<< Home