I Love L.A.
City of Angels and Cars
It had been over a hundred degrees for more than 100 days in a row in our charming city in South Texas when my Father announced that he had absolutely had it with “this insufferable heat” and put us all in the family station wagon to drive to San Diego to visit his sister, my favorite Aunt.
It was August and when we got there the weather was a very welcome respite. Foggy cool mornings requiring long sleeves, that melted into sun drenched warm 80-85 degree afternoons. Pure heaven!
I could not believe the amazing weather and told my Dad that I was going to move there when I got out of school. He laughed.
Of course we had to visit Disneyland while we were there and it’s in Orange County, right outside of L.A. proper, part of the whole Los Angeles sprawling megapolis. More amazing weather. I redoubled my vow to move there when I could.
Fast forward and after college I did move there: to San Diego as my next California adventure. It still had the same amazing weather and I loved everything about it. Though quite a large city, it had a quaint sleepy vibe. All my friends there thought of L.A. as a Hell hole to be avoided at all costs. Disneyland was the geographical upper limit of what they considered sanity. I know. 😂
It actually seemed sad to me that a city literally named “The Angels” had such a terrible reputation. But I was soon to find out why. It’s those freeways. Hell on earth they are. More on that later.
Job changes meant I ended up in Orange County. Yes in the L.A. basin my friends all warned me about. And I loved every single minute of it. It was definitely not sleepy. On the edge of the great city parking lot freeway system of L.A. with proximity to all that entertainment. Yet close to wild beaches where you could walk alone for miles. An hour away from the desert if that’s your thing. Two hours from mountains and skiing.
The area includes many, many small and large cities all clumped together, so that when you drive, only a sign tells you that the name of the city has changed. Otherwise, it looks and feels the same as the street you were on before the sign declared you are in a different city.
And yet, many of those cities and towns have their own character and charm so Los Angeles is really many little communities bound by a geographic location… and an overall fun (and some say manic) vibration.
About that smog…
Before the word smog was ever invented, the Indians that inhabited Los Angeles basin called it the “valley of haze.” There is almost always a thin haze in the air, even on days when there is no smog. But that is exactly what keeps the weather there so wonderful and the sun’s bright rays from raising the heat factor. Don’t get me wrong: there are days of intense heat there, but not that often.
And the haze keeps the sunlight from being as intense as it is in other locations. Artists really appreciate the light there! It also makes for some awesome sunsets. Especially whenever there is a volcanic eruption going on anywhere on the “ring of fire” around the Pacific. I took this one from my patio in Santa Clarita, North of L.A. It is not photoshopped or edited. This was our sunset that night.
Then on top of that, the humidity factor is low! It hardly ever rains! There is enough humidity near the ocean to keep everything green, but that’s all. It is really just perfection. It is never too cold and almost never too hot. It’s a year round party town and an outdoor enthusiast’s dream…and for someone like me who loves the sunlight and really does not enjoy rain, it was ideal.
Some Major Family Attractions around L.A.
~Disneyland in Anaheim
~Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park
~Universal Studios in Hollywood
~Magic Mountain just North of the city, in Valencia
~Just 2 hours away is Sea World
~Only a little over an hour away is Legoland
~There are several mega Water Slide Parks
~One of the World’s largest and best zoos is 2 hours away.
~The Wild Animal Park where animals roam wild like in Africa is about an hour and a half away.
~La Brea Tar Pits, millions of fossils
~The San Andreas fault line is clearly visible where it runs through the Santa Clarita Valley just North of the city.
Then there are the countless L.A. beaches
The coastline continues for miles and miles. L.A. is built along the coast and the shoreline continues down the coast all the way to Mexico. There are all kinds of little beach towns, each with its own charm and personality.
L.A. has perfect weather
It’s just that everyone loves that perfect weather and they all want to drive at the same time. In some places there are 16 lanes of traffic and much of it is sitting still. That’s L.A.’s only challenge, the traffic. Legendary, but not in a good way! I tried to find some L.A. memes for this post and every single one I found was about the traffic! 😂
Some of you might need to drive there someday so I saved the handy guide I was given when I first moved there. It’s much better than all those YouTube videos that purport to show you how to drive in L.A. My son and I updated it a little as time went on, adding in some of our best hints after driving all over the city. You’re welcome. 😂
Guide to Driving in L.A.
The morning rush hour is from 5:00 a.m. to noon. The evening rush hour is from noon to 7:00 p.m. Friday’s rush hour starts on Thursday, just after noon.
The minimum acceptable speed on most freeways is 85 mph. On the 105 or 110, our speed is expected to match the highway number. Anything less is considered “Wussy.”
Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere. L.A. Has its own version of traffic rules. For example, cars/trucks with the loudest muffler go first at a four-way stop; the trucks with the biggest tires go second. However, in Malibu, SUV-driving, cell-phone-talking moms ALWAYS have the right of way.
If you actually stop at a yellow light you will be rear ended, cussed out, and probably shot.
Never honk at anyone. EVER. Seriously. It’s another offense that can get you shot.
Road construction is permanent and continuous in all of L.A. And Orange and Ventura counties. Detour barrels are moved around for your entertainment pleasure during the middle of the night to make the next day’s driving a bit more exciting.
MapQuest does not work here–none of the roads are where they say they are or go where they say they do, and the freeway off and on ramps are moved each night. This keeps GPS trackers employed, so just roll with it.
If someone actually has their turn signal on, wave them to the shoulder immediately to let them know it has been “accidentally activated.”
If you are in the left lane and only driving 70 in a 55 – 65 mph zone, you are considered a road hazard and will be “flipped-off” accordingly. If you return the flip, you will be shot.
Do not try to estimate travel time– just leave Monday afternoon for Tuesday appointments, by noon Thursday for Friday and right after church on Sunday for anything on Monday morning. Always keep a packed suitcase in your trunk for unexpected sleepovers.
And finally, why is the L. A. Freeway called the ‘405’? Because no matter where you are going, it takes 4 or 5 more hours to get there on that freeway…
or alternately, because traffic stops every 4 or 5 minutes.
But it’s worth it for sure; every last minute of terror and/or boredom on Los Angeles freeways is a journey to some place wonderful!
☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
Despite the horrible traffic, I will always love L.A.
So all of this land grabbing to turn charming old neighborhoods into smart cities does not sit well with me. Too much like Lahaina and Paradise. The houses burn but the trees don’t? There is no water in the hydrants? They announced 2 days before that there would likely be fires in that particular area from “high winds.” (They did send high winds all right. Can you say HAARP?) Check out the trees standing in the middle of the ashes. This is diabolical B.S.
Look at these photos of strange beams shooting into L.A. Satellite photos are from In2ThinAir on XTwitter.
Most of the homeowners were not insured due to Insurance companies cancelling their policies because of known fire hazards. This rings alarm bells for me! Are the Insurance companies in on it? They are some of the richest corporations overall. They say the state would not allow them to raise their premiums high enough to underwrite their losses. Really? Last time I checked they are extremely profitable.
Meanwhile, the PsyOperators want that area to be a smart city. And they want it done before the 2028 Olympics. Now that land can sold to the developers for 10 cents on the dollar. How terribly convenient. Not buying that this is climate change or anything other than sabotage. It could also be that deliberate bad fire managment policies helped contribute to the tinder box conditions. (They did.)
I don’t believe a word of the official narrative. There’s quite a bit of shenanigans surrounding it, and there is far more to the story than we’ve been told so far. I’ll be following the money trail on this one. Stay tuned. You just cannot hate these PsyOperators enough.
Prayers to the people of L.A., especially the victims of this horrific fire.
🌊🏄♂️☀️🌊🏄♂️☀️🌊🏄♂️☀️🌊🏄♂️☀️🌊🏄♂️☀️🌊🏄♂️☀️🌊🏄♂️☀️🌊🏄♂️☀️🌊🏄♂️
Randy Newman wrote the perfect ode to L.A. and I used to blast it while riding in my car with the windows down and the sunroof open, feeling so lucky to live there. Enjoy!❤️💕
Lyrics
Hate New York City
It's cold and it's damp
And all the people dressed like monkeys
Let's leave Chicago to the Eskimos
That town's a little bit too rugged
For you and me you bad girl
Rollin' down the Imperial Highway
With a big nasty redhead at my side
Santa Ana winds blowing hot from the north
And we was born to ride
Roll down the window, put down the top
Crank up the Beach Boys, baby
Don't let the music stop
We're gonna ride it till
We just can't ride it no more
From the South Bay to the Valley
From the West Side to the East Side
Everybody's very happy
'Cause the sun is shining all the time
Looks like another perfect day
I love L.A. (we love it)
I love L.A. (we love it)
We love it
Look at that mountain
Look at those trees
Look at that bum over there, man
He's down on his knees
Look at these women
There ain't nothing like 'em nowhere
Century Boulevard (we love it)
Victory Boulevard (we love it)
Santa Monica Boulevard (we love it)
Sixth Street (we love it, we love it)
We love L.A.
I love L.A. (we love it)
I love L.A. (we love it)
I love L.A. (we love it)
Songwriter: Randy Newman
I Love L.A. lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Royalty Network, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc
Well written. Have to say it but perfect storms are always too perfect to be nature.
Fantastic explanation of why people live in California, answering the question for us easterners who keep asking ourselves "why do people even live there!?"
Best thing I've read today. So sorry this is happening to your happy place. Yeah, you cannot hate these monsters enough.