Ok, I am being harassed about not having been very clear in what I am attempting to do here, so I thought I would take the time to put together a formal introduction to the section of my web site called L.A. Without a Car, also known as Living L.A. Vida Loca.

L.A. Without a Car was created because Los Angeles has one of the worst traffic problems in the country. The amount of cars on the road have helped it become one of the most polluted cities in the world, its freeways are a nightmare. A constant fear and anxiety of accidents, shootings, drunks, and distracted drivers haunt practically every driver on the road. The issue has gotten completely out of control, so, I have decided that the best thing I can do is to cut driving out of my life as much as possible and provide everyone else with whatever I can to help them do the same. Thus, I developed this section that will hopefully inspire and help others to get rid of their cars and truly get to know L.A.

Because I do not think most Los Angeleans are ready to give up their cars, this section is geared primarily toward tourists, both U.S. Nationals and International alike; however, I have received plenty of feedback from local Southern California residents that something like this could be beneficial to them as well. Basically, the pages that make up L.A. Without a Car can serve as an excellent tool for anyone looking for information to help them get around Los Angeles without a car.

What makes me such an expert on the subject? Absolutely nothing. I am not really an expert in anything. I am just a local Los Angeles resident who has gotten fed up with all the problems associated with driving a car that I decided that it is about time that I figured out how to get around in my hometown without one. And since I am going about doing this, learning from experience and taking all the punches, I thought it would be very nice of me to share all this information with you, so you do not have to go through the same learning curve that I went through. You’re welcome.

A lot of what I discuss in this section may turn out to be useful for those that decide to take public transportation in other towns and cities within the U.S. as well. For example, I plan on publishing a few “Tips & Tricks” for newbies to public transportation, which can easily be used as a reference before riding any public transportation system for the first time.

The primary purpose is not information about how to get to work and back, or to the grocery store or post office (all though you could use this to do that). It is primarily to help you with information such as How to get to major tourist attractions without a car and how to get to know and experience the real Los Angeles, its people and its most popular destinations. This is not your trendy travel magazine or travel boutique site, this is a genuine, real-world resource for real people looking for ways to get to know the real world and other real people. If you are looking for television series 24-type action, with Bay Watch-type models, you have come to the wrong place.

The city of Los Angeles in California is the second largest city in the country with the second largest public transportation system in the country. It is 465.9 square miles, more than a quarter of the size of Rhode Island, 44 miles from the south to the north end and 25 miles from east to west. The length of the entire border of the city alone is 315 miles. It would take over 5 hours to drive this going 60 miles per hour! The city of Los Angeles is HUGE! And that is just the city, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Pasadena are just a few cities that you will most likely want to visit that are located within Los Angeles County, which is a whopping 4,061 square miles! That is more than 3 times the size of Rhode Island, twice the size of Delaware, and more than half the size of New Jersey!!!

It is because of its size that we need to think differently when it comes to transportation and getting around. There are very few other places in the world where someone could refer to a 20 miles drive as short. The trick is to break up your trip and your transportation needs into manageable chunks. For example, you should not check out Manhattan Beach on the same day that you go to the Huntington Library in Pasadena. Or check out the Staples Center and the Getty in Malibu on the same day. Once you have divided the county and your destinations into sections, you will have a lot more luck getting around and getting to know it all without a car. Hopefully this section will help give some insight into how to go about doing that and truly enjoying your time in this beautiful city.