Good things about being in a recession

Ok, so there's been far too much griping and ranting on my blog.

New topic.

You know, I've been thinking lately about all the good things about the recession.

I know, many people have lost their jobs, their 401K's, their pride.

But there are *some* benefits to the downturn in the economy.

And here I am to point them out:

1. Parking. Before the economy tanked, parking in Los Angeles was an absolute nightmare. However, because everyone is broke, I can now go out on a Friday night and find street parking on Sunset. Parking lots rarely charge $15-20 on the Strip like they used to. And in general, finding parking in previously impossible parking areas (like Santa Monica, near the Promenade) has now become easy. I was near 3rd Street a few weeks ago on a Saturday around 3 or 4pm. I found a broken meter right across the sreeet from the promenade without any effort! Yay!

2. Sales. I just got an email today with many flights from LA to Sydney, Australia for <$400 each way. That's incredible! Anyone want to go to Australia with me? Flights are going for unheard of rates right now. Hotels are also super cheap! Now is definitely the time to travel if you have the time and the money!

3. Getting back to basics. I spent the last Saturday evening at a girlfriend's house just making dinner and watching a movie. Ok, so I didn't make dinner, she did, but still, it was just as much fun as going out to a restaurant and was nice to just kick back at a friend's house and instead of dealing with parking and people at a restaurant.

4. Time. My friends were so crazed these past few years that I rarely saw them. Now with friends being laid off or cutting back their work schedules, I've been able to catch up with friends over the phone that I haven't talked to in AGES and seen friends that had previously been too busy working 24/7 before.

5. Traffic. In LA, we spend so much time in our cars. And the traffic on the west side had become particularly unbearable. However, lately I've noticed that even rush hour traffic has noticeably decreased. LA driving has almost become tolerable again! Woot woot!!