Getting around the Big Apple is easy: It's got no hills, a reliable bus and subway system, and cabs competing to take you anywhere you need to be, at any hour, day or night. As a result, it's no stretch to find 30-year-old New Yorkers who've never driven a car. Some of these city slickers eventually find their way out west, where they can feel out of sorts and homesick when faced with the Bay Area's less-than-dependable public transportation system and dire lack of taxis. Confronted with the horror of relying on Muni and BART, some of us transplants are forced to -- say it ain't so -- learn how to drive. When that happens, Apex Driving School is the best option. The school's patient instructors take what they call a "scientific approach to the art of driving" and are trained to deal with students who have anxiety issues. Willing to brave the hills with petrified novice drivers at the helm, these teachers are not only risk-takers, they're heroes. Apex makes it easy for everyone -- even New Yorkers -- to get behind the wheel. Your friends who've been chauffeuring your ass to-and-fro will thank you for it.