LA has a $20 cover charge just for leaving the house

I have recently discovered a surprisingly effective way to save money in Los Angeles: Stay home.Not eat at home.Not make coffee at home.

Do not leave the building.Because the moment you step outside your front door in Los Angeles, somebody would like $20.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story Sometimes it’s the parking garage; sometimes it’s the valet; sometimes it’s a smoothie.Occasionally it’s all three.Los Angeles has always been expensive, but lately it feels as though simply participating in the city requires an admission fee.A friend texts, “Want to grab coffee?” Absolutely.

That will be $8 for coffee, $3 for oat milk and whatever amount the iPad decides I should tip while I select from 20%, 25% or I Am Personally Responsible for the Collapse of the Service Economy.Then there’s parking: You can attempt street parking, circling six blocks while deciphering a sign containing seven restrictions, two arrows and what appears to be a threat from the city attorney.Or you can valet — for $20.Congratulations! You have now spent approximately $35 to tell your friend about the weird thing your boss said yesterday.So coffee is the economical outing.But in Los Angeles, money is only half the calculation; there is also the time required to get somewhere.Every invitation requires complex algebra: Where is it? What time? Which freeway? How long at 6 p.m.? How much is parking? And, most importantly, do I like this person enough to spend 47 minutes getting home afterward?A hot new restaurant may have opened across town, but Los Angeles has trained us to understand that “across town” is not a location — but a commitment.

Which is how you end up at the taco stand three blocks from home for the 14th time.Not because you aren’t adventurous, but because th...