Top Five Things I've Learned Driving in LA

This past month of commuting back and forth to LA has taught me many, many things. In no particular order, here are my Top Five: 1) There's no parking in LA. Anywhere. Ever. Parking garages (and validations) are your best friends and pretty much your only hope for not getting a ticket. If by some miracle you end up getting a spot, don't ever let it go. It's like a unicorn; you'll never find it again. 2) LA has A LOT of freeways. These freeways (obviously) don't all have the same exits and it's very easy to forget where you are. If you're on the phone and not paying attention, you will miss your exit. Guaranteed, Just when I think I've mastered the freeways....I get lost. If it weren't for my trusty iPhone mapping system, I'd still be lost in the middle of nowhere. 3) Apparently, I can parallel park after all. Who knew I possessed such skill? Well, when you're unable to find a spot (see point #1) and you're sick of paying for parking, sometimes it's the only way. 4) Similar to the parking problem, there aren't many places you can turn around. LA seems to have a grudge against flipping a U-turn. This can be especially inconvenient when you're at a traffic light going one way and some hot celeb is at the light going the other way and you want to turn around to follow them. Wait. A. Minute. Did I just say that out loud? Crap. Not that I'd ever do that of course. Wait, did I really say that with a straight face? Perhaps I already have. :)5) Despite your best laid plans and ample time allowed for traveling, you will hit traffic. A lot of it. Often. It sucks and there's not much you can do about it. I'm pretty good about driving on the "off" times, but even that doesn't always work. The best thing to do is stock up your iPod and sing whenever you can. Trust me, it helps. :)