Packed theaters, too many gators: Economic indicators aplenty

There are the regular economic indicators -- measuring durable goods, retails sales, gross domestic product and new residential sales -- but there are plenty of other ways to measure how the economy is doing that are a lot easier to understand.

Quirky economic indicators -- such as how if it's easy to catch a cab in New York City or having more patrons fill libraries in the afternoon might mean not many people are working -- might be better ways to gauge if the recession is improving.

Kiplinger.com just came up with a list of 10 quirky economic indicators. Here are some that the personal finance site wrote about. Tell us yours in the comments section below.