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November 1, 2007
Your Best L.A. Shortcuts
A lonesome L.A. cowgirl got stuck in the most horrendous traffic this side of Thanksgiving at LAX, and missed a Halloween party last night. Costumed, eyeliner freckles and all, the cowgirl sat in a parking lot that stretched from before the Sunset Strip all the way to Thai Town—traffic that had even the 5-0 leaning out of their windows, sirens blaring, and begging drivers for a little help.
That cowgirl was me.
Yes, I got to see the costumed masses walking down the streets of L.A., and that was entertaining for about five minutes. But by the 86th Little Bo Peep, as I was forced past the entrance to the 101 at Sunset and again at Hollywood by impenetrable lanes of cars, I had lost interest in people’s poufy chiffon skirts and I was ready to take of my boots and cry (or beat somebody with them).
So, it’s too late for this cowgirl to make it to any Halloween parties. But looking forward, surely there are at least some ways around traffic that induces murderous rage/emotional breakdowns.
What are your best shortcuts in this fine city? East to West? North to South? Freeway workarounds? Please remind us that streets other than Sunset and Santa Monica exist…
Photo by sbisson via flickr
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Famous legendary advice from Marlene Dietrich when asked if she had any advice for aspiring Hollywood starlettes: "Always take Fountain."
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fountian is a one lane stop sign infested nightmare....esp when sunset is jammed...
i would have gone south to beverly, 3rd street, even 6th...you can cut across East West with little traffic....anything north of that (santa monica, melrose) is going to be a mess.
(ESP on halloween due to the WeHo parade and other such parties)
or.....park over in silverlake/los feliz area & take the redline subway (i do this for shows at the BOWL) ...you could have been at hollywood & highland in 10 mins
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BTW - i dont feel at all sorry for you missing your party - to me, a native of LA, you are just another transplant adding to the problem. sitting in a car on sunset spewing out carbon dioxide - all to "get to a party"?? typical out of towner shite.
you asked us to "Please remind us that streets other than Sunset and Santa Monica exist"
i mean really, are you green in life to even TRY to find another route on your own? do you even know what a MAP is? at least get a pocket/car guide for the tourist you are.
i scoff at your animal tested eyeliner as well.
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Harsh, cutephase.
You can expect to not get anywhere in a car in LA on Halloween, it is best to go early.
However, I found taht the best 'shortcut' in L.A. ended up being a scooter. My commute yesterday was the same as it always was, easy and short.
/an L.A. native
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Your hater phase is pretty ugly, "cutephase."
Anyway, this is a good discussion. My favorite shortcut 'cause I live in Highland Park: the 2 freeway!
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As an LA native, I've seen every shortcut and trusty side-street I've known for years get jammed up. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve, but there's NO WAY I'm giving those secrets away!
Yes, Fountain once upon a time, but no longer... RIP
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I don't like to give out short cuts. They're too valuable.
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The best short cuts should be kept secret otherwise they end up like Fountian. Sad to say LA traffic is not getting any better. I've been in LA my whole life and of recent I have bought a motorcycle to get around when alone.
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i've found that east to west, olympic is always a pretty good option... other than that, trial and error is best and you'll find a few of your own.
also ^^^ if this is her "cute phase" i'd hate to see her in the midst of an "angry bitch phase."
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Ryansi51 - I agree! On both olympic and the "angry bitch phase!"
Jessica - Sorry about your party! I have some traffic tips I'm going to put in a post for later tonight!
It's not Hollywood related, but I love Venice too. It's South of the madness and from the Westside I can downtown easier than I can to West Hollywood in traffic. I recently moved locations of plans with a friend from mid-wilshire to downtown and they thought I was crazy, but I really could get there faster.
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lol...cutephase has to be someone's troll, right?
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cutephase is right. how long do you have to be here before you can venture off sunset and santa monica?
we walked 3 miles to the parade last night and were passing cars the whole way. give up the heels and take a stroll.
if you cant walk the whole way, go park somewhere out of the way (mess) thats still a reasonable distance to your destination.
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any good cowgirl knows to avoid the hollywood area at all costs on halloween, especially if you are in a car...
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since i did try to help at first (see my first post), i'll call it my bi-polar phase....or maybe "my too much time on hands phase"
but then again, i DO care about the air quality in LA and have been car-free for 10 years now. so yes it ANGERS me to hear pathietic "lost" transplants crying about traffic and unwilling to do anything else besides sit in thier stupid cars
hope you had fun
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Cutephase -
Keep in mind that L.A. was *designed* to be a car-centric city. Not that it is working out all that well, mind you, but still, no need to be such an arrogant prick.
Good for you for being car-free, but do you think that you are promoting your cause with this kind of attitude? I doubt many are being swayed by your posts.
Chill out, cutie. It is much more attractive.
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My shortcut is to live in Pasadena so I don't have to drive to get anywhere. The city is very walkable. Within 10 minutes, I can get to 5 movie theaters, old town, lake ave, 3 grocery stores, tons of restaurants and shops, and just about anything else one would need. Don't live North of the 210 though...
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while i won't give out MY shortcuts (sorry!), i'll give you a tip:
get a moped.
my '77 Puch Maxi is kitted to go 50 and will get me anywhere in the city just as fast (or faster when there's traffic) as my Benz. and i get 80 miles to the gallon!
what 'cha think about that, Cutephase? hmmm? ;)
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as moody as cutephase is, its good to see someone repping transit. Its refreshing to see that now whenever shortcuts come up, people at least give some thought to transit instead of overhyped sidestreets or secret shortcuts that are more heavily guarded than they deserve to be. scooters are good too.
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cutephase, it's not very cute how self-important you are. yeah, i know that because you don't have a car, you're going to say you're far less selfish than the rest of us because you're saving the environment. wow, you're so green and sooo special. enjoy riding on the bus while i can drive wherever i want without having to freeload rides off my friends. nothing's grosser than la natives who brag about being born and raised here. having been born and raised here, you should've realized by now that la was designed for cars rather than mass transit. if you don't like it, move to san fran. traffic is far less annoying than people like you. i wish i had a giant SUV so i could park it in front of your house and spew exhaust into your windows all night long.
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attack me all you want, but you are still missing the point. cough cough
http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/14485.html
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Back on topic, when heading south on Highland & trying to avoid the clusterfuck around Highland & Franklin, I'd suggest an illegal right turn on Camrose... but I'm a law-abiding citizen. ;)