>> What events do people go to ?

> I'd love to go to Masters, but the $1000 for the event plus about the
> same in transport (Phoenix isn't on anyone's major routes from London
> - if it had been in New York or Los Angeles the flight cost would have
> been about a third of this) makes it too expensive   [...]   Not to
> mention the amount of time flying - I think I'd combine it with a visit
> to see friends in New York and/or California, to make the 30-odd hours
> in airports and aircraft worth while.

If you do ever choose to go the Masters (something I myself would
like to do), take the cheap London to Los Angeles flight.  Phoenix
is 7 hours by road due east on Interstate 10.  Maybe you could
hitch a ride with a PIClister going from LA.

Tieing into the thread on use of private cars and choosing when
not to...

The pricing of commercial alternatives is interesting.  I find it
quite interesting how the transportation infrastructure limits the
choices you make -- maybe not directly, but it certainly slants them.

One of the no-frills commuter airlines (I checked Southwest) is
$90 one-way from LAX to PHX (fully refundable, immediate purchase).
With advance purchase, the lowest one-way price drops to $29!  Now 
why doesn't the major carrier (that did the London to LAX segment)
offer that option?

Taking a Greyhound bus costs $39 from LA to Phoenix but takes roughly
8 hours.  However, the taxi or shuttle service to get from LAX to the
Greyhound terminal in downtown LA would be another $30.  The airlines
and bus serve different socio-economic bases that are geographically
dispersed (but that's another thread).  I think, but an not certain,
that you could take public mass transit from the airport into downtown
-- but it would be neither easy nor quick.  So the bus would take 5-6
times as long as the shuttle airline and cost about the same or more.

Gas cost for a private automobile from LAX to Phoenix would run
$50 to $60 at current gas prices.  It's the cheapest out-of-pocket
if you already have a car and 2 or more people are riding in it.
And it's not an unreasonable price even if 1 person is in it.

						Lee Jones

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