>>>In California a one hour commute is not unusual. In fact you can spend that much time to go 7 miles during rush hour. :)
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>>Figures in that range have actually been documented in the most congested places like the Bay Area, L.A., Chicago, Houston, and Boston. And it's expected to get worse.
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>But it isn't universal in those places. My commute is 2 miles almost exactly, and no freeway is invovled. My commute time doubles when I hit all the lights red. <g>


Same to you, old buddy <g>.

I don't know if you are big on detective novels but I read one the other day(s) that you might like. It is "The Watchman", the latest from Robert Crais. He has written a number of books featuring a private detective named Elvis Cole and his associate Joe Pike. The stories always kick up a notch when Pike shows up, even though he hardly says anything. Pike is an ex-Marine, ex-LAPD hard guy who lives by an unflinching moral code. Among his defining characteristics are sunglasses even indoors and red forward pointing arrows tattooed on his deltoids. They mean "Always move forward, never back," as he says in what is a long speech for him. Crais decided to put the focus on Pike this time, to the point of labeling it "A Joe Pike Novel." (Cole is still there but as a secondary character). Anyway, they are all set in and around L.A., specific right down to streets and burrito stands. The sense of place is just about perfect. Check it out.