We lived in LA for about 10 years. Hollywood to Santa Monica & the 405 - half hour in the morning and about an hour to get back at night.

Culver City to Brentwood - about 7 miles took about 45 mins each way.

Culver City to Santa Monica (next to Santa Monica Airport) 6 miles took about 35 mins each way.

Culver City to Century City - 8 miles took about 30ish mins each way.

Culver City to Disneyland - 30 miles could take anywhere from 30 mins to hours.

I do have to say at least in LA if the freeway sucks there a zillion different surface street ways to get somewhere. In San Diego (at least where I live) this is almost impossible as none of the surface streets connect up they loop back to the freeway.

You know, it's not all that different out here in Utah... Surprisingly so. But that's mainly because we have only one major thoroughfare. When the Legacy Parkway/Highway/Whatever opens up, as well as some awesome public trans (of which I hope to partake!), things should get much better.

But, miles are more like miles here, more than they were in SoCal.

I agree. It also occurred to me that I have a plan and a dream to take Rose to all the Disney parks in the world- I can afford it here- but not if I come there.

No worries- let it flow willy nilly.

No. It's the other way around. Routes are numbered, and they keep the same number from begining to end. I-5 follows a number of different freeways and highways as it runs from the Canadian to the Mexican borders, for example.

Think of all the state routes that follow city streets. The route doesn't have the same street name from begining to end, because it follows several different streets. You often have to make right or left turns onto different streets to stay on the route.

The Interstate and California State Highway systems follow the same logic. Segments of freeway may be named, but those names are only associated with a route number, in many cases, because that route follows that freeway segment for a portion of its length.

With two Southern CA exceptions already noted: the "Hollywood" freeway refers to both a portion of the 101 AND the entire 170. And the "San Diego" freeway refers to both a portion of the I-5 AND the entire 405.

Redlands is a nice place, but it is miserably hot in the summer.

I hate inland. And, by inland, I mean anything East of the 405. ;)

Oh, did I fail to mention that, thanks to the oncoming Apocalypse, in five years, only camels and scorpions will be able to survive in Southern California from May thru October more than 5 miles from the ocean.

I can't survive 5 miles from the ocean for very long now!

Not an exceptions at all, but good examples of the fact that route numbers and freeway/highway/street names are two different things.