TRAFFIC SHORTCUTS: The Coldwater Sneak

Once you're on Coldwater Canyon Boulevard heading south toward Beverly Hills, it's a luck of the draw whether it is complete smooth-sailing through the hills or a long back-up.

That is frustrating because there are absolutely no alternatives from this street, and from Ventura Boulevard upward, you're stuck if it's backed up.

Actually, you have a bit of a reprieve if you hit Greenleaf, and you know that traffic is slow already at that point, then abandon this route, and head west further to Benedict Canyon or Beverly Glen Boulevard.

However, if you've hit Harvard-Westlake, and it's bumper-to-bumper, it's probably not worth backtracking at that point.

Beverly Glen is less traveled than Benedict Canyon, and it's a lot more scenic. It also provides you a more direct route across Mulholland and then down the other side into Beverly Hills.

Check out the Benedict Canyon Cheat for more details of that route, but once you're on Mulholland, if you chose to continue down Coldwater Canyon Boulevard, past the Tree People and the parking for the park, and past Charlton Heston's home (2859 Coldwater Canyon) where he lived most of his life and where he chose to die.

But, if that's backed up, you can head down Beverly Drive, or Lake Drive, if you really want to get lost in the hills.

Here are other TRAFFIC SHORTCUTS to get out of Studio City:

• The Barham By-Pass 
• The Outpost Outback 
• The Franklin Canyon Fake 
• The Laurel Canyon Loop 
• The Benedict Canyon Cheat
• The Wrightwood Wind 

But don't tell anyone!