Out of state people... how long did it take you to get used to driving in LA? (Los Angeles: movies, to live)

[jackie100]

I'm talking specifically about the super curvy roads like Sunset blvd (before Beverly Hills, more towards the Pacific Palisades area), Mulholland drive and Cahuenga??

These roads are super curvy and if you aren't familiar with the roads and you aren't following a car it's hard to tell how the curve will follow. Also, there are only two lanes and people tend to drive super fast!

One time I got lost and took Sunset towards Pacific Palisades and it was probably one of the most curviest roads I have ever driven and at one point it was going uphill too.

Do you all just get used to this?

[415_s2k]

Did I get used to it???

I loved it!

I saved up and got a set of coilovers and larger brake calipers for my car because of it!

[pbergen]

to be honest, it was a very easy transition. other than the heavy traffic congestion, driving in LA is a breeze for those of us who learned how to drive on the godawful roads of the urban northeast. compared to most west coast freeways, the highway infrastructure in the older areas of the country such as nyc/philly/boston is generally much worse - highways often lack shoulder lanes, have potholes galore, are filled with super aggressive + crazy drivers who flip YOU off even when they've clearly in the wrong (california drivers are super tame by comparison), and are seemingly always under repair because they're just so much older than the freeways in the sunbelt/west coast. the local surface streets in the older, more congested areas are generally in much worse condition than their west coast counterparts as well, although the flip side is that these older/denser areas often have increased walkability and good-to-great mass transit, so it isn't all bad news.

still, if we're only talking about road infrastructure, LA's actually pretty good if you're accustomed to the roads in older parts of the country.

and personally, i find that driving along southern california's twisty mountain/canyon roads is a real pleasure.

[415_s2k]

Originally Posted by pbergen

to be honest, it was a very easy transition. other than the heavy traffic congestion, driving in LA is a breeze for those of us who learned how to drive on the godawful roads of the urban northeast. compared to most west coast freeways, the highway infrastructure in the older areas of the country such as nyc/philly/boston is generally much worse - highways often lack shoulder lanes, have potholes galore, are filled with super aggressive + crazy drivers who flip YOU off even when they've clearly in the wrong (california drivers are super tame by comparison), and are seemingly always under repair because they're just so much older than the freeways in the sunbelt/west coast. the local surface streets in the older, more congested areas are generally in much worse condition than their west coast counterparts as well, although the flip side is that these older/denser areas often have increased walkability and good-to-great mass transit, so it isn't all bad news.

still, if we're only talking about road infrastructure, LA's actually pretty good if you're accustomed to the roads in older parts of the country.

and personally, i find that driving along southern california's twisty mountain/canyon roads is a real pleasure.

Yep, I learned to drive in Boston I took my driving test in a snowstorm with a Statie in the passenger's seat, and while I was doing my test, a truck behind me started honking because I was only going the speed limit, pulled alongside us (going into the oncoming lane to do so), flipped me off, brake checked us, and caused a bus to swerve that nearly hit us. I got us through the intersection making a left , narrowly avoiding the bus and another car that he'd caused to veer into our lane... and the Statie still failed me! WTF?

Anyways, LA driving sucks, it is stressful because it's so packed and it takes too damn long, but all told, I'd rather drive there than Boston or NYC.

[vic the trader]

well i saw all the Terminator movies and i kno that the only proper way to live on los angeles is to own a motorcycle so you can pass up any traffic jam that comes about

i'm pretty sure chicago has the best E-way system in the country....or am i wrong?

[jackie100]

Originally Posted by pbergen

to be honest, it was a very easy transition. other than the heavy traffic congestion, driving in LA is a breeze for those of us who learned how to drive on the godawful roads of the urban northeast. compared to most west coast freeways, the highway infrastructure in the older areas of the country such as nyc/philly/boston is generally much worse - highways often lack shoulder lanes, have potholes galore, are filled with super aggressive + crazy drivers who flip YOU off even when they've clearly in the wrong (california drivers are super tame by comparison), and are seemingly always under repair because they're just so much older than the freeways in the sunbelt/west coast. the local surface streets in the older, more congested areas are generally in much worse condition than their west coast counterparts as well, although the flip side is that these older/denser areas often have increased walkability and good-to-great mass transit, so it isn't all bad news.

still, if we're only talking about road infrastructure, LA's actually pretty good if you're accustomed to the roads in older parts of the country.

and personally, i find that driving along southern california's twisty mountain/canyon roads is a real pleasure.

The 101 freeway is pretty scary... The lanes are so narrow and there are so many twists and turns... and so is the 5 freeway. I don't know if you've driven the 5 fwy towards OC. I grew up driving in OC where the freeways are newer and the lanes are wider than LA county... without as many twists and turns. At least for the freeways I take anyhow.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by jackie100

I'm talking specifically about the super curvy roads like Sunset blvd (before Beverly Hills, more towards the Pacific Palisades area), Mulholland drive and Cahuenga??

These roads are super curvy and if you aren't familiar with the roads and you aren't following a car it's hard to tell how the curve will follow. Also, there are only two lanes and people tend to drive super fast!

One time I got lost and took Sunset towards Pacific Palisades and it was probably one of the most curviest roads I have ever driven and at one point it was going uphill too.

Do you all just get used to this?

Being from CAlifornia originally, when we return driving isn't too bad. As for curvy roads, you should see what we drive here every day. They cut out city out of the rolling hills and decided to preserve the beauty they would make sure there were no straight roads.

[jackie100]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Being from CAlifornia originally, when we return driving isn't too bad. As for curvy roads, you should see what we drive here every day. They cut out city out of the rolling hills and decided to preserve the beauty they would make sure there were no straight roads.

Where is this, Arkansas? Can it really be worse than Sunset blvd around Pacific Palisades before Beverly Hills? Do you know what area I'm talking about? At some point it even goes up in elevation, like towards the hills. It's pretty darn crazy.

I think the freeways and roads in Orange County are newer and much easier to drive on than the ones in LA. I think the freeways in Orange County are also newer and easier to navigate.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by jackie100

Where is this, Arkansas? Can it really be worse than Sunset blvd around Pacific Palisades before Beverly Hills? Do you know what area I'm talking about? At some point it even goes up in elevation, like towards the hills. It's pretty darn crazy.

I think the freeways and roads in Orange County are newer and much easier to drive on than the ones in LA. I think the freeways in Orange County are also newer and easier to navigate.

I know exactly what Nita is saying. She lives a bit south of the NW AR/ SW MO border and we live just north of it. We're both in the Ozarks which consist primarily of twisting, turning, narrow two-lane roads with even narrower bridges over the multitude of rivers, creeks and streams. They're fun to drive but you'd better have your wits about you.

Also, don't be in any real hurry 'cause as soon as you are, sure enough you'll find yourself behind a slow moving truck or piece of farm machinery or just an Ozarker in no particular rush and there are rarely any shoulders or passing lanes.

The saving grace here is that even the country roads are remarkably well maintained and road clearance is swift when it snows.

[jackie100]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

I know exactly what Nita is saying. She lives a bit south of the NW AR/ SW MO border and we live just north of it. We're both in the Ozarks which consist primarily of twisting, turning, narrow two-lane roads with even narrower bridges over the multitude of rivers, creeks and streams. They're fun to drive but you'd better have your wits about you.

Also, don't be in any real hurry 'cause as soon as you are, sure enough you'll find yourself behind a slow moving truck or piece of farm machinery or just an Ozarker in no particular rush and there are rarely any shoulders or passing lanes.

The saving grace here is that even the country roads are remarkably well maintained and road clearance is swift when it snows.

Have you ever driven in Los Angeles though? Sunset blvd, Cahuenga and I think Mulholland Dr (got lost on there once too) are all roads with lots of twists and turns... I definitely need my wits when I drive on those roads... It's hard for me to envision the Arkansas roads to have more twists and turns than that.