While growing up in L.A. in the late 1960s and ‘70s, knowing and driving the freeways were second nature to me, including giving directions. “Yes, you wanna take The 60 East to The 57 South, merge onto the 5 South towards Santa Ana, then to The 55 South to Newport Beach.” Or, “From Glendora to Santa Monica, merge onto The 210 West toward Pasadena, then to The 605 South, then merge onto The 60 West toward L.A., then to The 10 West toward Santa Monica ….” When I moved away from L.A. in 1980, I really missed driving those freeways – they got me to many a destination in record time.
One day a colleague of mine, who had visited her family in Long Beach, mentioned that just about everyone living in Southern California always puts “The” in front of the numbered freeway. I chuckled at her comment and quickly realized how right she was! I never noticed that when I lived in L.A., nor did I ever give it any thought. It was just the right lingo for L.A. Freeway Speak!
I recently spent a 3-day vacation in Anaheim and, while there, quickly picked up L.A. Freeway Speak again. It once again became second nature to me. “Honey, to get back to John Wayne Airport, we take The 5 South, to The 55 South, to The 405 South and take the first exit to the airport.” Some things never change. 