Traffic

I've managed to successfully avoid getting too annoyed by traffic in my years living here, but today I have an appointment during the middle of rush hour in the most gridlocked part of town, and I find myself needing to mentally calm myself before getting in the car for a possible 30-60 minutes of inching. Most people here deal with this on a daily basis and I'm convinced that the reason I seem to love the city more than everyone else is due to my extensive planning and crafty traffic avoidance. I really love the idea of living somewhere where everything is in walking distance or a quick car ride away yet that isn't a giant metropolis. I often fantasize about moving to wine country soon since many of the towns fit that bill. If only I could make a living hanging out on a sunny porch overlooking a vineyard (hmm... who wants to move out here and start an inn / restaurant /cheese shoppe / trinket store??)