I’m assuming everyone knows by now that the 405 will shut down late Friday, July 15, 2011 through very early Monday morning, July 18, 2011.

Just in case you didn’t know, now you do. Many say they will leave town rather than be subjected to this debacle.
How silly. The 405 closure is a great opportunity in disguise. It will be a great weekend, you wait and see.
I remember the “Storm of 1978†while a graduate student in Boston. For days, the snow fell. And fell. And fell. It was amazing. Cars were completely buried, people tried digging them out but there was no place to toss the snow. The city came to a complete standstill.

The entire city literally closed down for several days. Nobody could drive anywhere. Everyone had to walk. Nobody went to work. And, lo and behold, everyone became downright friendly (unusual for Boston).

People started talking to one another. People helped each other dig out cars. People helped little old ladies carry grocery bags. Neighbors who hardly knew each other suddenly became great friends.

Anyone who was in Boston that winter remembers this experience fondly. People still speak about it to this day. Alas, eventually the snow got cleared, things began to move again – and the party was over. It was back to business as usual. Neighbors who had become best friends went back to being … just neighbors.

People talk about the 1984 Olympics in LA the same way – that the traffic got better, everyone got friendlier. It was a glorious time, I’m told.

So why is everybody dreading a few days of freeway closure? I say we all start now and invite one another to a block party, an apartment party, a condo party.

I remember when I first moved to Brentwood back in 1988, I went up and down my block and invited people over for Super Bowl Sunday to drink beer, eat chili and watch the game. I had just arrived by turnip wagon from Kansas City; I didn’t yet realize people in Brentwood simply didn’t do this.

Everyone looked at me like I was a total nutcase, wondering why I was knocking on their doors. Maybe they thought I was a Jehovah’s Witness or something (now those we did have back in Missouri). I handed out invitations to our little gathering down the block but had little clue as to whether anyone would come or not.

But you know what? They all came. Many of these neighbors had never met one another even though they lived within half a block for 20 years or more. It was great fun.

Alas, soon enough I became a true Brentwoodian; I don’t think we ever held a second block party. It was like when the snow had cleared in Boston – it was back to business as usual.

But now we have a great chance to make things right again. Let’s not look at the closing of the 405 as a disaster — it’s an opportunity! Let’s all get together, relax, go with the flow, have a little fun.

Be the first in your little slice of Brentwood to reach out to your neighbors and invite them over – they’ll thank you for it if you do. And they’ll actually come over, you wait and see. Extra brownie points to the person who makes the first move here and goes knocking on doors!

Be sure to send a few photos of your “Carmageddon†gatherings to jeffhall@brentwoodnewsonline.com.

And if you do go out of town, send us pix from your vacation.

But I’m guessing those of us who stay right here will have more fun.