Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Traffic

I’m glad I’m a writer for many reasons. One is that I work from home. No commute. No traffic!

Years ago I worked in downtown Los Angeles before there was a subway. A displaced Pittsburgher, I took buses to work as a lawyer, not buying into the fact that most Los Angeles residents, especially in those days, spurned public transportation. When I became pregnant with our second son, though, I became an Angeleno in that respect, too, and started driving to work.

Of course, back then, my ten-mile drive to downtown took no more than around half an hour. Now, to get to downtown LA, no matter which day of the week it is, or what time of day, it’s usually a lot longer. On the other hand, there’s now a subway. When I did a temporary, part-time law gig downtown a couple of years ago, I was able to take a nice, quick, hassle-free ride each way because I’m fortunate enough to live near one of the very few subway stops in the city.

I used to enjoy working full-time as a lawyer, but I wound up quitting my job when it moved from downtown LA to Brea, from 10 miles to 50 miles from my home. I did that commute for two years, rising really early in the morning to avoid the worst traffic--and to give myself an hour to write before work time officially started. There was never an easy way to deal with the commute home, though, so when the company started downsizing, I volunteered to be one of the downsizees.

So why am I blogging now about traffic? Well, yesterday my husband returned from a trip and I went to pick him up at Los Angeles International Airport. I visited with friends who live nearby first and was patting myself on the back for driving the right direction to get there. Going south on the 405 Freeway was a breeze--but I pitied the poor drivers caught in the traffic jam going north. Then, after dinner, when my husband’s plane landed, I went to LAX--and got caught in a massive traffic jam at the arrivals area of the multiple terminals. There were scads of vehicles going abysmally slowly, and many of the access drives from the outer traffic ring to the curb where passengers could be picked up were blocked, confusing things even more. Ugh! I finally found find my husband, and we got out of there.

Which was when we ran into more traffic, on the 405 Freeway going north again. This time it was from nighttime road construction, although it wasn’t the Carmageddon of a couple of months ago where the entire freeway was shut down for a weekend--which turned out to be a nonevent. No, this consisted of closed lanes and cars darting at high speeds from one open lane to the next, then having to slow or stop because there were simply too many vehicles.

Well, we finally got home. I may go out today... or not. Staying home to write sounds like a much better idea!

Is there traffic where you live? Do you have a long commute? How do you deal with it?

10 comments:

Janie Emaus said...

It doesn't matter what time, what day, what year, what decade...LA traffic is horrible. I'd advice, staying home today!

Monica Ferris said...

I work at home, too, so no rush hour commutes for me - except on Wednesdays, when my writers group meets. We meet in one another's homes, and most of my fellow members live in St. Paul. I live in Minneapolis. Sometimes there's quite a backup still on the highway on my way to the meeting. I use the time to listen to a favorite radio show and don't let frustration take over. The nice part is, I'm heading east, when the sun is setting, so I'm not blinded.

Linda O. Johnston said...

I'll probably go to the grocery store today, Janie, so I won't be home all day--but that should be a fairly safe, no-traffic outing.

Linda O. Johnston said...

I often listen to books on CD in the car, Monica, so that helps a bit when there's traffic.

Kate said...

I used to work about 30 minutes east of my home. Spring and fall, it was sun in my eyes both ways. In winter, it was dark both ways.
Now my commute is from the coffee pot to the home office. The only traffic is 2 cats and a dog, and they are more speed bumps than traffic.

Betty Hechtman said...

When I come in to LAX I take the escalator up to departures. I find it is much easier to get picked up from there.

Linda O. Johnston said...

Your current commute does sound ideal, Kate--especially considering your speed bumps!

Linda O. Johnston said...

Excellent idea, Betty. I'll definitely try it next time I have to pick someone up at LAX, especially around a holiday weekend.

Susan said...

My son lived in Burbank and then West Hollywood for a span of two years. Each time we visited him, we couldn't believe the LA traffic. I live in the western suburbs of Philadelphia and have a 7-mile commute to my job. Usually takes 15 minutes, but when many roads were closed due to flooding last week, it took me 40 minutes to go 2 miles. I had a book on CD and I was missing a very boring meeting, so I didn't mind in the least!

Linda O. Johnston said...

At least the traffic due to flooding wasn't the norm, Susan--unlike the usual traffic these days in LA! Enjoy your book on CD.