Nighttime is my favorite time to drive in Los Angeles. It's hard to pin down, but there's a certain vibe that only exists when the sun has gone down. The overcast sky is aglow from the city lights, the air is still and, if you're on the west side of town, there's a bit of moisture to it as well. It's a relaxing calm after your work day is done.
It's also a time when that notorious LA traffic has slimmed. It never goes away -- this is LA, after all -- but this actually plays into the drive. The roads change from congested slog fests to roads with opportunities. Work the throttle. Make a few lane changes. If you've got the right car, you're the shark working your way confidently through minnows.
The Audi S5 is one of those cars. I had it a couple nights ago. After an evening with friends, it was time to go home. But after about 10 minutes of driving, a little voice in my head said, "Dude, you've got an S5." So I indulged the voice, changed directions and headed west to pick up Pacific Coast Highway. From here I went north, winding my way along this famous road and eventually turned right to head up Topanga Canyon Blvd that takes you twisting through the hills of the Santa Monica mountain range.
The S5 was in its element on this drive, the red cabin illumination giving off a classy vibe, the adaptive xenon headlights throwing out plenty of light, the shifter moving smoothly from gate to gate and the eager V8 strumming out its refined soundtrack. Later, on my return leg, I parked the S5 on the side of the PCH and listened to the ocean's waves crashing ashore.
Los Angeles' omnipresent traffic will burn you out, so sometimes you need to make a drive like this -- and have a car like the S5 -- to remind you that being behind the wheel is still fun.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor
alex4515 says:
06:32 AM, 10/ 2/09
I wish I had some good driving like that to do here in Dallas. Posts like this really make me miss San Diego!
mini2009 says:
07:10 AM, 10/ 2/09
Good, read. I like doing the same in the old twisty roads here in Virginia Beach. I end my trip at the ocean.
rick8365 says:
07:47 AM, 10/ 2/09
Actually been there....done that...sort of, Santa Monica, Malibu, PCH yes, S5 and Topanga, no. But nighttime drive along the Pacific and in on some of the canyon roads in a droptop Mustang GT....yes. Thanks for the fun post and for sparking the memory bank too.
compliance says:
08:49 AM, 10/ 2/09
"It's also a time when that notorious LA traffic has slimmed. It never goes away"
Go out Sunday morning before 9am. It's totally empty then, at least up by me in Hollywood.
wrinklebump says:
09:29 AM, 10/ 2/09
Why I'm occasionally thankful for living in a small city - easy to find a bare stretch of road and allow the pedal to get to know the floor
dderosa says:
09:31 AM, 10/ 2/09
testing
txmatt1 says:
10:39 AM, 10/ 2/09
"The overcast sky is aglow from the city lights, the air is still..."
For a second there I thought you were paraphrasing a Rush lyric.
mlh says:
11:28 AM, 10/ 2/09
Nicely written -- thanks!
stovt001 says:
03:46 PM, 10/ 2/09
I got out of a meeting in Woodland hills (in an office on Topanga Canyon blvd) early today so I did that exact same route in reverse. Unfortunately, my drive was ruined by a jerk going 20 mph on the straights and stopping on the turns before crawling around, and he refused to use turnouts in spite of my light flashing and honking. There was too much opposing traffic to pass on the other side. Driving would be great if we'd only license drivers.
zoomzoom22 says:
04:46 PM, 10/ 2/09
This post was so awesome. I will legitimately work for you guys for free if this is the job description.