Although this statement is generally true, it is actually not true of my husband and me. We live a rather atypical LA lifestyle, rarely driving and walking pretty much everywhere. I like this a lot. I think it increases quality of life tremendously.
However, today I am driving pretty much all over LA for various art related tasks - up to the valley this morning and then back a second time in the afternoon for a juried art show drop-off and pick-up, then into downtown LA tonight to drop off art at the Hive Gallery. That will be the worst leg, as traffic from the westside to downtown in the evening is not fun.
LA is definitely vast, that's for sure. Driving long distances can be annoying if you have to do it everyday, but since I don't, I can't say that it bothers me too much. When we first moved here, it felt oddly familiar, like home in many ways (but with palm trees and not as pretty). Home for me is Chicago. The entire Chicagoland area (as they call it) is vast, so driving 45 minutes to get somewhere is quite common. And that would be without traffic. So since I grew up with freeways and a sprawling metropolis, LA doesn't feel too different in that regard. I do think Chicago is a much more beautiful city aesthetically, but that's just my own bias. Even so, I'm really glad to be living in a big metropolitan area again that comes with so much opportunity. Even if I have to drive once in a while to take advantage of it.