Gym Cracks By Jim April 29, 2003 L.A. DELAY L.A. traffic is heavy, gas prices hit heavy in the wallet By Jim (Babe) Berryman MissingNebraska.com Western Nebraska My wife and I have returned from the Los Angeles area. The LA lifestyle is a much different pace than the lifestyle experienced by those of us living in Nebraska and Wyoming. Traffic dictates the pace of their lives. When a friend of my late brother-in-law was asked how many miles his place of employment was located from his apartment he responded, "Twenty minutes in the morning and 25 minutes at night." When the question was repeated he said, "I work approximately five miles from my apartment, but my friends always give distances in minutes instead of miles." Another couple told of receiving an invitation to a social gathering to be held in Newport Beach. This couple resides in West Hollywood. They left late afternoon for the early evening party. After spending over an hour on the Interstate and still not near their destination, they called the party host and indicated they would be unable to attend. Marcia and I came to several stops while traveling on Interstate 405 on a Saturday afternoon. Saturday afternoon! I never did see the evidence of a traffic accident that would have delayed traffic on this road. My late brother-in-law had friends who were born in Mississippi, Illinois, Michigan, Oklahoma and other states. When I asked if they ever considered returning to their place of birth to live, not one said yes. The typical response was, "The LA area is a great place to live." I watched the gas prices increase as we progressed west. I told my wife I wanted to fill the gasoline tank before we arrived in LA. Filling up in Victorville was not the best financial decision I've made in my life. Gas was selling for $2.35 a gallon. Gasoline in LA was selling in the $2.00-2.09 range. The cost for gas in Nevada was $1.90 to 1.99. Southern Utah the cost had dropped to $1.69. I paid $1.56 in Evanston, WY. Gas was selling for $1.48 in Rawlins, WY. It costs $1.42 in Torrington today. That's a difference in cost of 93 cents between Victorville, CA and Torrington, WY. I don't understand why such a difference in the cost of a product in various parts of our country. I did enjoy LA. I could live in the LA area, but prefer a slower life style. I still count trips in miles instead of minutes or hours. Feedback Previous Gym Cracks: 04-16-03: What's In A Nickname? Gym Cracks By Jim 03-28-03: More March Madness Gym Cracks By Jim 03-14-03: March To Remember Gym Cracks By Jim 03-07-03: Tall & Tough Gym Cracks By Jim 02-26-03: Zingerland Gym Cracks By Jim 02-19-03: Cuss The Bus Gym Cracks By Jim 02-09-03: Ratings And Recruiting Gym Cracks By Jim 01-31-03: Hoops Elite Gym Cracks By Jim 01-24-03: Nebraska's Super Connection Gym Cracks By Jim 01-15-03: Hometown Hits Big Time Gym Cracks By Jim 12-30-02: Count The Numbers Gym Cracks By Jim 12-18-02: Cream Of Coaching Crop Gym Cracks By Jim 11-28-02: The Big Picture Gym Cracks By Jim 11-18-02: 2 For 2 Gym Cracks By Jim 10-25-02: Sweet On Switzer Gym Cracks By Jim 10-17-02: Best Time Year Gym Cracks By Jim 10-11-02: Odds And Ends Gym Cracks By Jim 10-04-02: The Rating Game Gym Cracks By Jim 09-22-02: Fans Panned Gym Cracks By Jim 09-12-02: World Herald Calling Gym Cracks 09-05-02: Bit By Baseball Bug Gym Cracks 08-29-02: Caring Coaches Gym Cracks 08-22-02: Nebraska "Storm" Hits Colorado Gym Cracks 08-15-02: Cubs Win, Wallet Drained Gym Cracks 08-08-02: To Coors For Cubs Gym Cracks 07-25-02: Major League Madness Gym Cracks 07-18-02: Nebraskans In The Majors Gym Cracks 07-11-02: Kile Death Sheds Light Gym Cracks 07-04-02: Couch Potato Parking Gym Cracks 06-23-02: Top 10 Nebraska High School Nicknames Gym Cracks 06-06-02: Better In The 50s Gym Cracks 05-30-02: Dangerfield of Nebraska Gym Cracks 05-16-02: Baseball Sneak Aways Gym Cracks