Imagine...New York City...and a highway that directly connects Hells Kitchen to The Village. That's essentially what The Marina Freeway is for us West-Siders here in SoCal. A zippy efficient route from Slauson to The Marina...but covering far less turbulent terrain.
The Marina Fwy is one of two sections of State Route 90. The eastern section, near Yorba Linda, is named after Richard Nixon who was born there. But listen, it's way east of here and we don't have Nixon to kick around anymore so our section, the groovier section here on The West Side, is the only part of the 90 that really matters. That's right, the Richard Milhous Nixon Parkway can eat our asphalt wake.
The Marina Freeway is not the shortest highway in the world - you'd have to go to Australia for a run on the Chandler Highway to experience all .86 miles of that one - and for the shortest Interstate in the US - that honor belongs to the 1.06 mile long I-375 in Detroit. (Now, there's some seriously turbulent terrain.) The Marina Freeway's a tad longer than those, weighing in at 3.3 miles. When driving it, it whizzes by in the blink of an eye. But don't whiz too fast...CHP loves to lord over this snappy little stretch of road and enforces a very strict "55 or else" credo.
But just as joyful as it would be to hop on a super-slick expressway that blasted you from Hells Kitchen to The Village, it is that joyful and more to experience our Marina Fwy. It slays rush hours like Kanye slays frumpy clothing. With its sly little connectors to the San Diego Freeway, Culver Blvd and Centinela, it's just enough access, without enticing too many drivers to drive it. In fact, THE ONLY BUMMER is...that it's so damn short. But look, if it was longer, it'd become another dreaded 405 or 101-like experience - and nobody needs that.
Because it's so stealthy, you find yourself wanting to pull a U'y and drive it again once you reach the end. That euphoric 3 minutes of driving bliss (@ 55mph) is kind of addictive.
To sum it up...The Marina Freeway is the driving-pleasure equivalent of a road-time quickie. read more