With the aim of a more efficient transportation system in the city, changes have been taking place at a relatively fast pace with welcome adjustment. Never in my life would I have dreamed that there would be a 14-mile expressway running from one end of the San Fernando Valley to North Hollywood, and an underground railway from NOHO to Downtown - but I and others have seen the day and have embraced it, kinks and all. Needless to say, commuters in LA wonder where their tax dollars are going every year, but the appearance of buses and trains every 15 to 30 minutes or so has proved prompt and sufficient in answer fo pedestrians, cyclists, and part-time drivers.

In collective realization that population rates aren’t getting any lower and traffic congestion isn’t getting any better, the Metro Board of Directors revisited the issue of furthering progress by introducing projected benefits of Measure R:

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I personally have found great use in Metro Lines Orange and Red - central to frequent hang-outs, theaters, higher education, and all things daily - but in an attempt to see what more Los Angeles has to offer I’ve decided to tackle the other lines one by one: first off, the Gold Line. In all things purposeful, I figured it’s not a bad idea to see what lies between Union Station and the foothills of Sierra Madre, but I must admit that it was my friend Duane who unknowingly set me out on the hunt. One Saturday afternoon he came home from Chinatown with boxes of lemon biscuits, moon-pie-esque desserts, and gummie candies, and while I haven’t yet found out where he discovered those treasures, I will soon enough. I did however find an awesome Mongolian barbecue place, which I will mention (with directions) towards the end.

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I can remember the first time that I took the bus: I was 13 years old and had my first job in Encino. Because work was too far away in biking-distance and both my parents worked, the only option left was to take the bus. Shortly afterward, I discovered Weird Al’s “Another One Rides the Bus” and thought that no one could have summarized the experience more eloquently.

“Public wisdom” as of the last few years was that ‘only poor people take the bus’, that ‘nobody walks in LA’. I’ve never been an advocate for derogatory terms or assumptions of others myself; which is why I must admit to having slight joy in knowing that those with sharp suits or pearlized eyeshadow are regularly partaking of systems that weren’t available even five years ago. In a way, the brunt of the current economic crunch has eliminated the stigma of frequently utilizing public transit. Money is an issue for everyone.

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Whether or not you choose to believe it, not everyone in Los Angeles owns a car. I can list a number of reasons why: (1) car notes are too expensive; (2) car insurance is too expensive; (3) gas is too expensive. Did I mention the number of uninsured motorists driving around? You might as well be handing your car keys over to said drivers, because if you get into an accident and you’re not sufficiently covered - just say goodbye to any potential summer-farewell celebration or a splurge towards an autumn wardrobe.

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A Majestic Tall Ship!

The Tall Ships will be sailing into the port this weekend, the 15th to the 17th.  San Pedro and the Port of Los Angeles plan to celebrate their presence with the Festival of Sail LA 2008.  These big, sailing ships were the main mode of travel and commerce for centuries, prior to the steam and diesel engined vessels that we know today.

The festival kicks off on Friday, at 10:00 am,  with a parade of these magnificent, tall-masted ships. They will be berthing near the Ports O’ Call Village area of San Pedro. There will be ship viewing, children’s activities and a variety of booths providing entertainment on each day of the festival from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm, except on Friday, which will begin at noon.

Some of the ships participating, will be the HMS Bounty and the HMS Surprise. The Bounty was used in the filming of Mutiny on the Bounty and the Surprise was in Master and Commander:The Far Side of the World, starring Russell Crowe. San Pedro’s Warner Grand Theater, plans to show these films on Friday and Saturday evening at 8:00 pm, respectively.

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Crossing the Vincent St. Thomas Bridge, on a sweltering day during a heat wave, my daughter Judy, exclaimed from her vantage point behind me, ”Mom, the Disney Cruise ship is underneath us!” I quickly glanced in the direction where the cruise ships berth and sure enough, there was the distinctive Disney logo on the red smoke stacks of Magic, the flag ship of Disney’s cruise line, serving the West Coast this summer with trips to Mexico.

A few weekends later, I was back crossing the bridge but this time as chaffeur to my best friend Andrea and her family.  They were going to sail on that beautiful ship and I was delivering them to it for a wonderful vacation on the Mexican Riviera.

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Crossing the Vincent St. Thomas Bridge, on a sweltering day during a heat wave, my daughter Judy, exclaimed from her vantage point behind me, ”Mom, the Disney Cruise ship is underneath us!” I quickly glanced in the direction where the cruise ships berth and sure enough, there was the distinctive Disney logo on the red smoke stacks of Magic, the flag ship of Disney’s cruise line, serving the West Coast this summer with trips to Mexico.

A few weekends later, I was back crossing the bridge but this time as chaffeur to my best friend Andrea and her family.  They were going to sail on that beautiful ship and I was delivering them to it for a wonderful vacation on the Mexican Riviera.

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Have you ever cheated on your girlfriend/boyfriend with a sexy piece of Detroit muscle? Do family and friends accuse you of having gasoline pumping through your veins instead of blood? When you look at a Toyota Prius do you get a eerie feeling? If so, stand tall and proud for you are a certified car nut and there’s only one place in LA for you to go and get your fill. Located at 6060 Wilshire Blvd, The Petersen Automotive Museum awaits.

Right now there are no less than 10 exhibits on display which will inspire all kinds of automotive lust. From Hotrods and original Hotwheels collectibles, to a Rolls Royce Phantom the size of a tank, to the Mach 5 and alternative fuel vehicles, the museum will set you on the right path to a memorabilia induced zen like state.

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Navigating congested Los Angeles freeways is enough to drive anyone over the edge, no pun intended. So for a city that is so heavily reliant on cars, high gas prices are more or less like a death sentence. With the average regular grade Los Angeles gas price being $4.56 a gallon this week (a 0.021 decrease from last week), L.A. is being forced to change its ways, something it rarely does, even far beyond the limits of where cars are concerned. For proof of this, read this interesting account of BBC New’s correspondent David Willis’ first experience on the Los Angeles Metro, after 10 years of living in the city. “Like most people here,” he says. “I would rather stick pins in my eyeballs than hop on a bus or a train. That is not because I am a snob, but because America’s second largest city is a sprawl. Fifty-two suburbs in search of a city, so the old saying goes.”

That’s why the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority created the Metro VanPool Program in May 2007. Vanpools are just like carpools, except with more people, usually 5 to 15 who travel to work 30 miles or more in a van. The Metro joined forced with vanpool leasing agencies, employee transportation groups and KCET’s enthusiastic and boisterous Huell Howser to announce the 5-year, $19 million Metro Vanpool Program.

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Navigating congested Los Angeles freeways is enough to drive anyone over the edge, no pun intended. So for a city that is so heavily reliant on cars, high gas prices are more or less like a death sentence. With the average regular grade Los Angeles gas price being $4.56 a gallon this week (a 0.021 decrease from last week), L.A. is being forced to change its ways, something it rarely does, even far beyond the limits of where cars are concerned. For proof of this, read this interesting account of BBC New’s correspondent David Willis’ first experience on the Los Angeles Metro, after 10 years of living in the city. “Like most people here,” he says. “I would rather stick pins in my eyeballs than hop on a bus or a train. That is not because I am a snob, but because America’s second largest city is a sprawl. Fifty-two suburbs in search of a city, so the old saying goes.”

That’s why the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority created the Metro VanPool Program in May 2007. Vanpools are just like carpools, except with more people, usually 5 to 15 who travel to work 30 miles or more in a van. The Metro joined forced with vanpool leasing agencies, employee transportation groups and KCET’s enthusiastic and boisterous Huell Howser to announce the 5-year, $19 million Metro Vanpool Program.

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A few weeks back, I took a short trip on the Red Cars in San Pedro. As it was late, we couldn’t ride them to their last stop. Since then I have gone back several times and would like to share all the wonderful things to enjoy on the waterfront.

First of all, it’s worth taking the Red Car to it’s last stop at the World Cruise Center. At the end of the line, is a large fountain which puts on a show to music every twenty minutes. A mini Bellagio in San Pedro, who would have thought? I haven’t had the opportunity to see it at night yet, but they say with the lights on, it’s quite a show. From what I saw though, it was pretty exhilarating.

The fountain is split in two, with a walkway in between. During the show, if you’re walking between the two fountains you’re guaranteed to get wet. This could be a problem if you plan to board the Red Car again. The conductors, rightly so, prefer you don’t drip on their well maintained seats. However, the walk to the next station isn’t far and if you get too warm there’s another fountain on the way that you can play in, the kind with the intermittent popping water balls that thrill children and confounds dogs.

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Finally, they’ll have to hang up and drive.

On Monday, the new hands-free cell phone driving law went into effect in the hopes of once and forever prying the cell phones from the hands of annoying motorists. Now, yakking drivers face the fear of a fine for phoning their friends while on the freeway, and it isn’t a moment too soon.

But why stop there? The cell phone motorist is just one of many types of irritating drivers that need banned forevermore. Here are six more types of drivers against whom the law needs to take action, and their recommended punishments.

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