So this past Saturday, I went to an event in Malibu (which turned out to be sort of uneventful, but I’ll talk about that in another post). In total I must have spent about five, maybe 10 minutes there after a good hour and a half drive. That crazy 405 was as densely packed as a Monday morning commute, only this was a Saturday afternoon. WHHHHHHHYYYYYYY!!!!???
Now don’t get me wrong, I like to drive, but I abhor traffic.
Even Pacific Coast Highway had its fair share of congestion, but I still love driving it, especially that part where the 10 freeway empties you there, and you pretty much have ocean views all the way up to Oxnard. If I’ll take traffic anywhere, I’ll take it with an ocean view.
Later when I got home, I found out that the Lakers were playing a home game and against the Warriors of all teams. That may have accounted for some of the traffic.
As a kid, I don’t remember L.A. being this crowded. I mean the 405 has always been notorious for its parking lot mimicry, but at least you had the option to get off and take the street. Though that was a longer route, at least you were moving. Now you get off the freeway and encounter worse traffic on the street.
Speaking of which, can I rant a little bit?
What’s up with all this overcrowding in L.A.? Are they trying to turn L.A. into New York? This is not New York! We are distinctly different. Everywhere you look, they’re building multifamily homes, they’re building apartments over shops and restaurants, there’s less and less parking. And I don’t like what they’re doing to Crenshaw Blvd. This train or whatever the fuck they’re putting down the middle of The Shaw, is horrendous. It’s so not cute. I don’t like it at all. We are not the East Coast, we are not New York, hell, we’re not even San Francisco. We are Southern California and in Southern California you have space. You don’t have people piled on top of each other. Oh, and when it comes to transportation you need a car or you take the bus, plain and simple.
Now I know what you might be thinking. Perhaps you’re saying that’s easy for me to say since I have a car. But au contraire mon frere, I have a car NOW, but I’ve seen many a days on the bus. What you know about that 210 Crenshaw bus, or the 310 express if you can get it? What you know about waiting an hour for a bus that never comes, then walking blocks to another street to get one? What you know about catching a ride with a friend, or just someone you know who will take you somewhere for a little gas money? I know plenty.
I didn’t get my driver’s license or a car until I was 20. Matter of fact, even in my late 20s I was back on the bus again for a couple years. So there.
Yes LA, and just Southern California in general, may be expensive – though half the price of New York and San Fran – and spread out, but at least you have space, correction, had space.
I remember the first time I saw “Sex in the City” and got of load of the box that Carrie called an apartment. I thought, what is this? What adult chooses to live like this? Then I moved to New York, and could nowhere near afford that little box. But the point is, I wasn’t even aware that there was such a thing as a studio apartment – because in Southern California WE HAVE SPACE. I once heard it said, I think by someone who wasn’t from here, that L.A. wasn’t really a city, but rather a bunch of suburbs stuck together. I agree, and that’s how I like it. It’s too fucking crowded here…but I ain’t goin’ nowhere. California Love.
This rant has been brought to you by the campaign for I fucking hate Saturday traffic. I approve of this message.
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