PROLOGUE:
JUST HOW BIG IS LOS ANGELES?

Los Angeles is gigantic. It is one of the most racially diverse cities in the entire world. After New York City, it is the second most populous city in the entire United States, the most populous city in the western United States, and the most populous city in all of California. So, you get it. It’s massive.

Los Angeles County alone, at close to 10 million people, is the largest county in all of America, with some 88 incorporated cities and many unincorporated areas. More than one quarter of all Californians call Los Angeles County their home. Larger than Rhode Island and Delaware put together, Los Angeles County borders 70 miles of the Pacific Ocean coast and contains rivers, desert, lakes, forests, islands, valleys, and mountains. The Greater Los Angeles Area, incorporating Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties, hovers in the area of close to 18 million people.

So perhaps now you understand my dilemma, and appreciate the nature of my mission. I am writing this book for a lot of people. And you are just one of them.

I’m well aware that of all the pleasures living in or visiting Los Angeles has to offer, driving, on a day-to-day basis, is usually not one of them. If you meet someone at a party and he tells you he lives in Los Angeles, see if you don’t bring up traffic within the first 5 minutes. Thus, I know how important it is to have cheap options available to you not just anywhere in “Los Angeles” but also near your home or near your work. Because the less time you spend driving, and the less money you spend on gas, the happier you are in achieving the maximum value of your cheap bastard delight in exchange for your input of time and energy.

I think you’ll find I’ve done well by you. You don’t have to sit on the 10, the 405, the 101, or the 5 for hours on end to get what you want or what you need. There is a cheaper option closer to you.

I invite you to read this book from cover to cover and see if you don’t learn something new about the beloved City of Angels. I know I did. And you know what? With all its traffic, the stereotypes of what some label as a “vapid” entertainment industry, and its endless sunshine without a single noticeable change of season, Los Angeles is, in fact, a pretty darn great place to live. Or visit. It has something for everyone. Be you geek, be you hip, be you old, be you young, be you black, be you white, be you introvert, be you extrovert, cheap options abound. So go ahead, turn the page. I can’t wait to learn what you discover.