With gas prices spiking and home values crumbling, the American working class dream of a cheap commute to work from ever-appreciating houses on the fringes of suburbia has become more like an American nightmare.

A history of transit in the Los Angeles area as the city modernized at the turn of the 20th Century through today.

Audel Vilda is struggling to reconcile high gas prices, a crushing drop in the value of his home and his desire to spend more time with his family.

Transportation terms defined.