"If I can just get off of that L.A. freeway without getting killed or caught…"
Jerry Jeff Walker, L.A. Freeway

So it's probably safe to say that the city of Los Angeles might be kinda bummed that they didn't succeed in luring Comic Con International away from San Diego.

But do they hold a grudge?

Oh, I think so. I can't prove it of course, but this being the internets means I don't have to.

On the eve of the 2011 Comic Con International (and during the peak of the summertime tourist season) the helpful people who run the city of Los Angeles have decided it would be a good time to shut down the 405 freeway, in both directions, for a couple of days.

Here's a snip:

"Just after midnight on Friday, July 15, the 405 Freeway will be closed in both directions — from Getty Center Drive to the 101 — for 53 straight hours so that the south side of the Mulholland Bridge can be demolished. The freeway will be closed all of Saturday and Sunday, and will not reopen until 5 a.m. on Monday, July 18."

Well, this'll be all kinds of fun.

CCI's Preview Night is July 20, just two days away from the official reopening of the 405 freeway, and CCI officially starts on Thursday, July 21 and runs through Sunday July 24, 2011. Vendors setting up at the Con will no doubt be arriving on Tuesday, the 19th, just one day after the reopen.

Anyone flying directly into San Diego won't notice a thing and might even laugh as they fly over L.A. and see the freeway work-in-progress.

But a number of vendors and tons of fans drive down to the Con by one of the two main freeways (the 405 or the 5). And I've known some folks who like to fly into Los Angeles Pre-Con and spend a few days there before heading to San Diego for opening day.

Does anyone expect this demolition and clean-up project to go smoothly and that order will be restored by Monday morning before the Con?

Please tell me you think so. I'd like to make fun of you.

In a not-unrelated story, Mark Evanier details the new way the city of San Diego is planning to help attendees of Comic Con International. With a new hotel tax.

[Artwork: Freeway traffic]