Unwinding after a long day of doing almost nothing actually. I did cut my hair and go to the store and spent a lot of time reading on the Internet. Had email exchange with cousin the librarian in Tampa, whose work schedule is being radically impacted by the bad economy and state budget mess. A short while ago got an email from my old friend in Canada. We've been seriously out of touch. I'll have to call.
So next weekend is "Carmageddon" in Los Angeles. (See here and here.) They're closing down an approximately 10-mile stretch of Interstate 405, which is "the busiest and most congested freeway in the United States[2][3]" according to Wikikpedia here.
They're widening the freeway and thus need to replace the Mulholland Drive bridge that traverses it up in the Santa Monica Mountains. The closure extends from the top red arrow (Ventura Freeway) to the bottom red arrow (Santa Monica Freeway). This is a major artery connecting the San Fernando Valley to the Los Angeles basin (and LAX), and passes through the tony neighborhoods of Brentwood and Bel Air. The only alternative for north-south passage through the area is Sepulveda Boulevard, which is no freeway (although it is "the longest street in the city and county of Los Angeles.[1]").
As Los Angeles is so reliant on transport by automobile, this closure is a BFD. Motorists are being advised of the closure from as far away as the Oregon border. It was even reported tonight on the NBC Nightly News (and it doesn't happen till next weekend).
On a completely different note, see this fascinating film here from "60 Minutes" (a trek up San Francisco's Market Street in 1906, just before the calamitous earthquake).
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