#9 - Washington D.C.
It has been a long time since I've been to our nation's capital, but I do remember it well. Having been there several times, my worst recollection of driving here was entering and leaving the city, always a hassle. Traveling around in the city itself was bad, but no worse than any other major city in the country in my opinion.
On some visits,we rode the train in, but most of our traveling then was by foot. As educational as a visit to this city is, I feel whatever travel misery you suffer here it is worth it. And for the record, Washington D.C. is the 74th largest city by population in the world.
Having driven a little in this, the 8th most populated city in the world, I can only say that I agree with the article which places NYC 5th on their list. The highways are very crowded, but where I drove (entering via George Washinton bridge and driving north to Yonkers), the people seemed to be courteous and somewhat forgiving of tourists. No doubt driving in downtown Manhattan might not have been the same experience, but that is to be expected, I would think.
We did walk across the Brooklyn bridge and traffic there seemed to be moving at a good pace. No doubt not a rush-hour situation, but during the afternoon on the weekend instead. During our visit, all transportation in and out and around the city was by bus, trains and feet! Another educational experience, I'm glad I went and would like to go back again.
#3 - San Francisco
Number 3 in the top 10 worst, San Francisco isn't all that bad in my opinion. Of course I was only a passenger in the front seat of the car we were in, but I think you get a better perspective on how the traffic is this way. San Francisco-San Jose is listed as the 55th largest city in the world, but this is somewhat deceptive as Oakland is also part of the metropolitan area.
We drove in from the north on highway 101 and crossed into the city via the Golden Gate bridge. One of the best views I can ever remember. Once in the city we traveled by bus around the city and took a boat out to Alcatraz island. We exited the city to the south, again via highway 101, and to my way of thinking, the traffic didn't seem as bad as it did in NYC. Maybe it was different for the driver.
By the way, San Jose is number 7 on the list, but I included my impressions in with San Francisco. If it weren't for the signs, you would never know you left one city and entered another.
#1 - Los Angeles
Hands down, no doubt about it, the worst city I have ever driven in. I've been to LA twice now, once as the driver and once as the front seat passenger and both times I saw nothing that would cause me to think any differently.
As the 17th most populated city in the world, LA is spread out a lot more than most large cities. Most of the metro area is comprised of many smaller towns and cities, so it almost seems like you are in one huge city instead of many small ones.
Regardless of how it's laid out, it is crowded, have no doubt about that. Freeways going in all directions and mostly bumper to bumper, even if the speed does increase to the posted limit now and then. And driving on the surface streets in and around town is the worse. All you see are vehicles, everywhere you look!
I also found the drivers to be very rude, especially to those who are from places other than LA. It's almost like a competition to find an open spot on the freeway where someone will let you in. I have no desire to return to this city anytime soon.
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