Written By Alexander Kreger
The Los Angeles vs. New York City battle can be attacked from every angle. Music scene, weather, food, jobs, art, number of cute puppies, anything and everything has been analyzed to no end. One of the biggest topics of debate is transportation. NYC is an extremely concentrated area that heavily relies on public transportation, where a lot of people don't even have cars. L.A. is a much more spread out area that is largely seen as an area where owning a car is a must.
Although L.A. people spend the most time in traffic delays (the average driver waited for an average of 5.2 hours in April this year), are most often driving solo (67 percent in 2009, 24 percent for N.Y - think cabs), and buy the most cars in the country, recent data actually shows that public transport is on the rise, meaning less cars on the road.
Now, if you've heard that L.A. traffic is the worst, that's not entirely off. The traffic is definitely horrible, but anybody who has driven in New York City, where you're trapped on a little island with a ton of one-way streets and millions of people constantly J-walking, you'd understand that it's an equally, if not more, frustrating experience. But what does all this actually say about the drivers in those cars flooding the roads? That's what we're here to settle. The answer is Los Angeles. Let us explain:
10. We actually drive.
We don't have the luxury of New York's functioning taxi or public transportation system. In Los Angeles, it's drive, or be driven. Probably by your mom. At her convenience. And you might have to stop at the store for some toilet paper with her first, if that's okay. And so, out of necessity, we get our licenses as soon as we turn 16, and have years of driving experience before the average Brooklynite deigns to bike down to the DMV for a permit test.
9. We're better at multitasking.
Angelinos are the undisputed masters of driving... while doing something else. What else are you going to do when you're stuck in traffic besides paint your nails? Or eat In-N-Out? Or Snapchat? In the California spirit of pot decriminalization, I've even seen my neighbor light a bowl on the 10 once. Hi neighbor!
8. We help save the environment.
An article just published this week in The Detroit News as released, announcing that San Francisco and L.A. are responsible for 35 percent of electric vehicles sold in the U.S. Many people in california jump on early and emerging tech before the rest of the country, which, in this case, has lead to more environmentally friendly highways. Your argument about the subways in NYC is void. We're talking strictly driving here.
7. We're more creative when it comes to getting around town.
We won't let anything stop us from getting to our destinations. Remember that one episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm where Larry David picked up a prostitute just so he could use the carpool lane? That episode was actually based on the true story of every LA driver's commute, ever.
6. We're unfazed by rugged terrain.
Between the hairpin turns, potholes, and star map vendors literally popping out of bushes, the roads in the Hollywood Hills make even the worst streets in Manhattan look like kid stuff. Not to get TOO hyperbolic, but we cut our teeth on roads that would throw even the most grizzled New York taxi driver into a deep state of existential crisis.
4. We're more relaxed.
LA drivers are just generally more chill than their New York counterparts. Blame it on the juice cleanse we just finished last week; our bodies are now not only rid of toxins, but also any negativity that could conceivably lead to road rage. Just kidding! That's the weed talking.
3. Celebrities push us to better ourselves.
Los Angeles' huge concentration of uniquely awful celebrities/drivers and their paparazzi barnacles have done nothing if not forced us to improve our driving reflexes. After all, one never knows when miniature pop terrorist Justin Bieber and his leopard-print Audi R8 might try to run you off the road. No civilian is spared from the self-involved celeb on the run¬¬-we have to be on top of our driving game if we're going to make it out of our commute alive.
2. We're better prepared.
In LA, disaster can strike at any moment: earthquakes, fires, the sudden closure of the 405, you name it. Luckily, our cars function as two-ton disaster preparedness kits. Need a bandaid? Grab my first-aid kit from the back seat. Have a headache? There's a Costco-size Advil bottle in the dash. Want to go to the beach? Cool, I have a still-sandy towel from last summer in my trunk. Cut to a scene on the rush hour Manhattan subway: can't find the loose Tums in your Birkin bag
1. We're more informed.
More hours spent in the car means more hours spent listening to NPR. And, as every good liberal knows, the more time spent listening to NPR, the higher your IQ. The higher your IQ, um, the better you are at driving. There's definitely a correlation there, don't worry about it, I've got my fact checkers working on it already.
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