The Conical Glass: Drive

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Drive

Joe & I returned a few hours ago from a whirlwind weekend trip to Los Angeles. The advantage, for us, of driving is clear -- it was by far the cheapest way to go (we used about fifty bucks' worth of gas in our Prius, which gets around 42 MPG highway mileage), and we had the car at our disposal during our time in the city. The biggest disadvantage is that unless you have a lot of time to meander, you are going to take I-5, which has to be one of the most boring drives in America. (Joe countered that Wyoming is duller, but at least that state has lots of billboards to break up the monotony.) There is nothing -- nothing -- to see along I-5, except dirt, tumbleweeds, cattle, and the occasional orange grove.

It took us exactly six hours each way, including breaks, and we split the driving evenly. Unless you like ranchera music, or have satellite radio, you'd better bring your own audio entertainment. We had loaded up our iPod with our favorite podcasts, like "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" and Adam Carolla, which helped pass the time. Still, this is a drive that I would only be willing to make occasionally; I'm the type of person who will always opt for Trader Joe's (5 minutes away) over making the long, 15-minute trek to Whole Foods. As a result, despite the fact that Joe & I share a single car, the odometer on our 2002 vehicle only recently crossed 60,000 miles.

Someday, I would love to take Amtrak's Coast Starlight, which takes 12 hours from Oakland to L.A., but follows a much more scenic route. Until this weekend, I always figured that without a car in L.A., you were nothing, but here's what I discovered: you can have a perfectly nice time there by using public transportation! They have a fabulous subway system and extensive network of buses! Joe & I happened to be staying in a hotel that was right across the street from the Wilshire-Normandie station, and we took the train to Hollywood Blvd., which is like the Fisherman's Wharf of Los Angeles -- a place you would not be caught dead in unless you are a tourist. We wanted to see the L.A. Amoeba Records, which is an easy walk from the Hollywood & Vine station, and I desperately wanted to have my picture taken with Hollywood Blvd. Chewbacca, but alas, he was nowhere to be found! Maybe he only works on weekdays, or he's earning enough from his "Jimmy Kimmel Show" appearances that he no longer needs to rely on tips.

After getting around the city by subway, we got the car back from the valet parking at our hotel (note to anyone driving to L.A.: bring lots of small bills to tip valets), because we were headed for the historic Gamble House in Pasadena, which is not close to that city's Metro stations, alas. Even on a Saturday afternoon, the traffic was horrible, and it continued to be awful when we left in early evening and tried to make our way from Pasadena to the enormous Los Angeles County Museum of Art complex on Wilshire. LACMA's film series is showing a retrospective of early Hitchcock; we saw "Sabotage" and "Secret Agent," both from 1936.

The clean, pleasant subway network was a lot more enjoyable than sitting in traffic on the 210, and there are zillions of things to do in town along the train and bus routes. Back in the 1980s, the band Missing Persons sang that "nobody walks in L.A.," but lots of people do walk, and ride public transit. If you're visiting the city, you should, too.

posted by 125records @ 8:16 PM

1 Comments:

At 11:59 PM, Janet A said…

I totally agree I-5 is boring. Wyoming is really wonderful. The mesas, the lightening storms miles away, the sky. I don't remember billboards anywhere.

The train trip ro LA is lovely. We really enjoyed it.