May 9, 2002 05:18 PM

As you pass downtown LA on the 110 freeway, there's a very confusing moment where the 101, 110 and 5 freeways meet. If you don't know what you're doing, it is very easy to get lost. The first time I came across this, I got totally lost and ended up missing the first movement of a Beethoven symphony at Dorothy Chandler.

Now that I actually live downtown, I've figured out how it works. Thanks in no small part to a little sign pointing to the 5 north freeway. There are about 6 lanes of freeway, to get on the 5 south you have to be in the far right lane, to get on the 5 north, you have to get in the far left lane, and drive for another couple of miles. This is no easy task considering the 101 north exit is smack in the middle.

That sign always looked sort of funny, like it was an afterthought. Strange enough to register, but not strange enough to think more than half a second about it.

Turns out the sign was added by Richard Ankrom over nine months ago. He planned it for over 2 years, doing extensive research in an attempt to make it look authentic. His friends documented every move. No one noticed anything unusual, not even Caltrans, until a local newspaper column spilled the beans.

Thank you, Richard Ankrom.

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