Feels Like Home

I grew up loving East Coast Cities. New York, Boston, D.C., Philly, Baltimore... I loved them all. The culture, the architecture, the public transportation, and the parks tucked between statuesque skyscrapers and homey browstones gave each of these cities their own unique voice and personality. The trouble with L.A., for an East Coast City Lover, is that it's more like a 498 square mile suburb. But for all you transplants out there, I have found a way to make it feel like you're driving through _________ (insert east coast city here) whenever you begin to pine for your hometown:



Drive the 110.



My friend Will and I agree that the 110 is far superior to all other freeways. This is because if you drive it at just the right time of night and mentally block out all of the palm trees, you actually feel like you're driving in one of your favorite cities on the right coast - the kind of city where highway numbers aren't preceeded by "the" in conversation. The trick is to take the 110 North at night from the 10 East to the 5 North. First, you soar past the Staples Center. You begin to gradually chug uphill, under the 101, and emerge in a world full of brightly lit skyscrapers. The skyscrapers in THIS part of town are so high, you forget that earthquakes are a real threat! Ahhh, home. Soak in that feeling.



Insider's tip: This works even better if you have "Motown Philly" by Boyz II Men pumping with the windows down. Let's be serious, "Motown Philly" is the anthem of East Coast Kids everywhere. Sing it with me now: "Boyz to Men! A B C! Deed bee dee!"