TRANSPORTATION: I Left My Car in San Francisco

In Los Angeles, life in the fast lane involves so much getting into and out of cars that motorists often have trouble remembering exactly where their vehicles are parked. Now customers who pull into the nine-level parking complex at the Century City North office tower have a new memory device to steer them to their cars: show tunes from famous motion pictures. Different parking levels have their own movie posters and such piped-in music as We're Off to See the Wizard and the theme from Star Wars.

The movie-music garage is the latest innovative project of Chicago's Standard Parking, a company that manages parking facilities. At two other garages run by the firm -- in Chicago and Seattle -- each level has music inspired by a different major city. Examples: Kansas City and I Left My Heart in San Francisco.