Freeways
Los Angeles has one of the largest freeway systems in the world, with 27 freeways handling millions of commuters a day. Los Angeles is the most car-populated metropolis in the world with about 1 car per 1.8 people.

It’s handy to have a good street map available in your car, because the city is so vast that you’re certain to end up in unfamiliar territory occasionally.  The Thomas Brother Guide is the most frequently recommended, but any detailed map with do.  AAA offers maps free to its members.

Also, read parking signs carefully to make sure you don’t get a ticket, often a few different signs regulate when it’s okay to park in the city.

Freeways are generally referred to by their number, with “the” in front of it, as in “the 101”, not just “101”.  Many have carpool lanes, so if you’ve got a hybrid car or a passenger, these could save you a lot of time.  Know that it is legal for motorcycle riders to “split lanes” in California, so keep your eye out for them, especially when traffic’s congested.  Books could be written on the complexity of the Los Angeles freeway system, but, for simplicity’s sake, here’s a couple of the major ones:

The 405 runs north-south from the Valley down toward downtown LA and then on to LAX and Long Beach.

The 101 runs from Santa Barbara to the north, through the Valley to Hollywood into downtown.

The 5 runs from Sacramento way north through downtown LA down to Long Beach (and on to San Diego)

The 10 runs east-west from San Bernardino through downtown LA to Santa Monica, where it ends at the Pacific.

Drive Times and Distances:
Note that traffic can easily add time, depending on your destination and time of day that you’re traveling.

To:
San Diego	130 miles	2 hrs
Santa Barbara	100 miles	1 hr 30 min
Las Vegas	270 miles	4 hrs
San Francisco	380 miles	6 hrs

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