Luvrv8
Line Up and Wait
If you start at SBA and draw a large circle out to PSP and back to SAN you will find one third of all GA aircraft in the USA there. And likewise right along the coast west of the SLI VOR is supposedly the busiest spot. Thinking ADS-B equipment is looking better all the time, trying to do it all visually and on the radio can be a real task on a busy day. I'm willing to bet that most of us in SoCal have flown through one or all of those practice areas not on the freq for that spot but flight following.
When heading South in that area ATC usually has me at 5500 but right at the Qween Mary I ask for 7500. North bound they usually have me at 6500 and setting me up for the VFR corridor over LAX. The practice area is supposed to have a ceiling of 4500. Now thinking about it I should at least monitor and make a position report while in the area even though I should be over it. I have 2 radios for a reason.