Croc

Exactly--it's their choice, knowing the consequences of being charged for more than one seat.

What, like the freedom to actually get your entire airline seat that YOU PAID FOR? The freedom to pay your OWN way for health insurance? Yeah, I'm not saying you shouldn't have the freedom to be a fat ass, but I don't want to subsidize it. Southwest has been charging obese people for two seats for over 25 years, yet only recently have people started complaining about it.

5'10" The XS shirt size is only from Lacoste, because Europeans don't do the whole "self-esteem sizing," and converting to standard American sizes means I get a men's XS sometimes...they go down to 2XS, so I'm not tiny.

It's my business if I have to look at it in too-tight clothing, it spills onto my airplane seat, it gets subsidized by my health insurance, it gets subsidized by my tax dollars through disability claims, and when I have to pay an extra $25 to check a second bag at the airport. It's called "public health" because it is a concern of the public--and each member of the public contributes to the aggregate statistics. I'm certainly not perfectly in shape, either, but I've lost 8 inches on my waist since I decided I was tired of being overweight and was going to do something about it. 4 years ago I was 214 lbs, wore a size L and 36" waist. Now I'm a 28/30 waist, wear size S or XS, and weigh about 155. And I don't even recognize myself in really old photos. It's awesome, and I highly recommend taking health seriously to anyone I can.

You're entirely right, but GMC is the sole success story of "brand management" with marketing. For whatever reason, consumers think GMCs are better than Chevrolets, and many people do NOT cross-shop the two. It makes no logical sense, but then again, it makes GM money.

Properly-fitting sweat pants don't look bad on in-shape people--especially not those velour track suit ones the girls wore a lot a few years ago...yum!

Heidi Montag, "Your Love Found Me"

Oh I know...I'm not a 110 n00b. Though ironically yesterday morning the right lane was empty and a bunch of vehicles were in the left 2 going much slower than I wanted to be. I personally prefer the middle lane--you can go fast like in the left, while the sight distances around the curves are better.

??? I certainly wasn't the only one doing it at the time! My favorite is still taking the Pasadena Fwy @ 75+

Taking Sunset at 60 through the Palisades is a total blast.

They might compete in the same segment, but they do not compete for the same buyer. Just because the new Terrain and Equinox are in the same segment, their distinct styling appeals to different buyers. Thus it is so with SKY/Solstice. How many people love them both equally? Even on this board there are strong preferences for one or the other. Hence, they complement each other more than competing with each other--even less so with the Solstice Coupe/Targa availability.

Generally agree. I'm just not a fan of Malibu or the people in it at all. Plus it's way the hell up PCH. Best LA-area beach hands down is Manhattan--so clean and wide, with a lot of decent shops nearby. Plus The Strand has some beautiful homes along that stretch. I just had a friend from Indianapolis visit me a few weeks ago--first time in LA and first time at a real ocean (apparently the Gulf of Mexico doesn't count...???)--and she had a blast. She saw it the right way, and had fun. The most common thing I hear from the out-of-state kids at USC is "How can you NOT love LA?" ...and while there definitely are some things that could be better, overall it's a blast all around.

Agreed on H&M. I got three shirts from them when visiting NYC (before the expanded to Indianapolis, and before I moved to CA), and one shrunk very unevenly (button-down) after the first wash, the other had held up alright despite not being cut entirely evenly to begin with, and the other fell apart within a week. They are high style, poor quality, and poor construction. You get what you pay for. I also gotta agree with the clearance racks. Saks has amazing clearance racks, and I always end up getting really cool $120 Ts for $30-$45.

Then so will Solstice. Frankly, the SKY and Solstice do very little competing against each other due to the great differences in styling. Shifting SKY to Chevrolet would provide more volume for Kappa, and maybe even make it a more viable platform (doubtful). But killing SKY will kill Solstice, make no mistake.

Ummm...#3 is the only one that actually is in Malibu, and even Gladstone's is a stretch at the base of Pacific Palisades. Getty is a must, but the Sepulveda Pass is not Malibu. Unless you're referring to the other Getty property, but I'm not sure of its status--after the fires up there I thought it was damaged? I dunno...I think the time would be better spent in the Westwood/Santa Monica/Venice area instead of going alllllllll the way up to Malibu. That way you could work in the Ballona Wetlands and the Beach cities more easily and with less commuting.

I'm not even going to bother re-reading my old posts...but a quick look around: A&F skinny jeans Reef flip flops Sperry Topsiders Ed Hardy sneakers Puma athletic shoes Lacoste polo shirts many, many random Ts from all over the place, most recently surf/skate styles a $h! ton of zip-up hooded sweaters, surf/skate style patterned surf/skate shorts (PacSun) various argyle items yeah, I've become a lot more SoCal in the last couple years.

Bob, what the hell is there to see/do in Malibu? It's a 45-minute drive from downtown, and other than seeing the view driving along PCH, there is NOTHING to do there--there are a lot of gated communities and "private" beaches you can't get to. I use quotations because all beaches are technically public, but Malibu has been in litigation against this since the 1970s and the du jour situation is that you cannot access the beaches with any ease at all without the key to the gate that only private homeowners have direct access to.

Yeah, I saw that the other day. The look on Simon's face is priceless.

Exactly--it's huge by any measure (population, geographic area, etc.). How many places exist where you fly over the entire metro region with no end in sight for the entirety of the final decent? It just goes on seemingly forever...

The traffic isn't that bad...Chicago's is much, MUCH worse, and LA has like 9M+ people in the metro region. You just have to know how to time it, and whether/which surface streets may be faster (hence, the book).

Have fun! If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. And if you want to, get this book as a primer for driving in LA: http://www.amazon.com/Survive-Drive-Freewa...8243&sr=1-1

Your avatar of "Galloping Gertie" makes my day.

OK Here's the thing: YOU WANT A CAR IN LA. Some transit between some areas is good, but the overall system is lacking. LA was designed largely for the car, and that's the best way to experience it. As far as safe places to stay are concerned, I would recommend staying either downtown or along the coast in one of the Beach cities. Downtown has alright nightlife now that LA Live opened, and there are some great bars/clubs to be had. Downtown is also a very central location allowing you to go just about everywhere in 20 minutes. If you want something more coastal, I recommend Venice or Santa Monica if you want a lot of shopping opportunities, or Manhattan Beach/Hermosa Beach/Redondo Beach if you want clean beaches and some of the night scene. Hermosa is club central, Redondo has a fantastic pier, and Manhattan is really quiet with a clean beach and great upscale restaurants. As far as things to see, there are too many to even attempt to list. I suggest you get this: City Walks: Los Angeles:50 Adventures on Foot. Great resource, though IMO they could easily have done 100. As far as places to eat...Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles is fantastic, and they have 5 locations. Yelp the closest one to wherever you end up staying. Fred 62's in Los Feliz Village is another awesome place, and it's 24/7. For a good Chinese dinner, go to CBS Seafood in Chinatown. For great dim sum, go to 888 Seafood in Rosemead. If you've never had it before, go to In-N-Out--the best fast food chain--but check out their secret menu before you go, because I think anything animal-style is better. In Manhattan Beach (also in Hermosa, but I haven't been to that location), there's an incredible Italian place called Mama D's. Chosun Galbee is a good Korean place in K-Town, and Ruem Pair is an amazing place in Thai Town. La Dijonaise is a french bistro in Culver City with the best croissants I have had in the US. Just yelp all of these, and use yelp to find other things you might be interested in.

Go back and re-read my post because I never said you haven't travelled anywhere, and I never said you were a simpleton. All I said was that you need to travel to the places you CLEARLY HAVE NOT BEEN TO (otherwise you would not post such outlandish things about them) because maybe your perceptions would change. There is nothing offensive about any of that, and if you CHOOSE to take offense, then I will be forced to write you off as unreasonable, someone with a chip on his shoulder and a massive inferiority complex. It's really difficult to "pin me down" on something when you choose to infer something that I never implied. You do not get to disrespect other posters on here like you do with regional bashing and expect everyone to kowtow to you. You want respect, you have to give it, and lashing out at people while simultaneously playing the victim is not the way to do it. I am truly sorry you are holding a grudge against me from when we were all moderators, but that was 3 years ago. It's time to move on. I hold no animosity toward you, though I would appreciate it if you would stop insulting my part of the country. I have NEVER insulted yours. I also think it's very telling you assume I'm sheltered and have never worked a hard day's work in my life. Both of those are completely false, and I find it extremely laughable that you make these wild assumptions about people, places and things you clearly know nothing about, and then get all snitty when someone calls you on it. I learned a lesson many years ago: "Do not talk about things you know little-to-nothing about because you WILL look like an ass to the people who do know."

I think there's something quite sick in charging people to access a natural resource like a coastline. I didn't know they did that out east...out west, our beaches are actually worth paying for, yet they are free.