Traveling north on the historic 110 Freeway from downtown Los Angeles to Pasadena.
This is not only part of the original historic route 66, but it is also the first piece of freeway to be built. That’s right, this is the outline for the great American system known as “gridlock.”
Built in 1939, the currently named 110 or Pasadena Freeway was originally called The Arroyo Seco Freeway (still is, it just depends on who you’re talking to). It brings travelers from the depths of downtown Los Angeles to where Adam needs to find his wife in Blast from the Past, Pasadena.
The drive these days is probably one of the scariest drives you can take on any freeway. The road is old with high walls, the lanes are narrow, the exits come out of nowhere, and the entrances are stop signs with 10 feet of lead space to gain speed. It also feels like all of the turns are blind with as little visibility as possible. Because you’re still basically in Los Angeles, the drivers are moving fast and some are weaving. It’s a very intense drive. If you’re going fast too, you might end up with white knuckles without realizing it.
What I’m saying is that it is extremely fun to drive and it’s my favorite one to drive in clear conditions.
Here’s my video of the freeway from downtown Los Angeles to Pasadena. The oldest part of it begins at about :19. It really wasn’t that long back in the old days:
