Drivers Call LA Commute Nation's Most 'Painful'

... Miami, ahead of Chicago, Atlanta, and Philadelphia

(NEWSER) - What US city would dare compete with Los Angeles as the nation's vainest? Turns out LA isn't even in the top 5, Time reports. A new survey finds that when it comes to factors like tummy tucks, liposuction, laser hair removal, and what people see in the mirror, Miami takes the cake. “Vain? That would definitely be it, especially here in South Beach,” a resident tells NBC Miami . Following Miami is Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Phoenix. More»

Surprise, surprise: New York City is No. 1

(NEWSER) - It takes the average American 25.3 minutes to get to work, whether by car or public transportation, according to new Census figures. But some cities are worse than others, and MarketWatch pulls out the 10 top offenders:

1. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island: 34.6 minutes
2. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: 33.9 minutes
3. Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middleton: 31.9 minutes
4. Chicago-Joliet-Naperville: 30.7 minutes
5. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario: 30.6 minutes
6. Atlanta-Sandy Springs, Marietta: 30.3 minutes

Forbes weighs women's salaries, safety, unemployment

(NEWSER) - With its low rates of unemployment and violent crime, combined with relatively high salaries for women, the Minneapolis/St. Paul area tops the Forbes list of best cities for working mothers. The magazine gave added weight in this year's rankings to women's income, and when the numbers were crunched, the Minnesota capital area replaced New York in the No. 1 spot and finished ahead of runner-up Washington, DC. The rest of the top 10: More»

Beijing and Mexico City lead the way

(NEWSER) - IBM surveyed drivers in 20 of the world's biggest cities to find the worst commutes. The bottom 5 (based on a slew of factors including time stuck in traffic and stress) in the commuter pain index are:

1. Beijing (99 on a scale of 100)
2. Mexico City (99)
3. Johannesburg (97)
4. Moscow (84, with 2½-hour traffic jams common)
5. New Delhi (81)

DC is No. 1, but Texas has a bunch in the top 10

(NEWSER) - The number-crunchers at Forbes have come up with a list of the top cities where the recession is easing. The formula takes into account projected job growth and housing prices. Here's the list:

1. (tie) Washington, DC-Arlington-Alexandria
2. (tie) Austin-Round Rock
3. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
4. (tie) Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
5. (tie) Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown