Reasons Why I Love Living in LA

I am originally from Northeast Ohio and lived there until I was 26 years old.  Until I moved out to LA, I’d never moved before in my life.  I had lived all 26 years in the same house, the house which my mom had lived in since 3rd grade.  You would think that LA would have been a major shock to my little Ohio system, right?  Well, surprisingly, it wasn’t at all the grand change that everyone predicted.  I adapted incredibly well, incredibly fast to LA and here are a few reasons why:

• Matt was here.  Duh.  When you know, you know, and believe me…  I knew with Matt.  Being where he was, was exactly where I wanted needed to be.
• The weather.  I mean, Ohio is basically like living in Winterfell (where my Thronies at?!  Can we just talk about the season premiere?)  Not really, but the 5-7 months of winter sure makes it feel that way.  The weather is so inconsistent in Ohio that you never know what you’re in for.  I love waking up and knowing that 99% of the time it’s going to be beautiful and sunny.
• The food.  I’m a total foodie and I love that I could basically eat at a new restaurant every single day of my life, even though I wouldn’t because I love to cook.  We have so many fabulous spots and a couple of my faves are Zinc Cafe, Bottega Louie and Casa Vega.
• There is always something to do.  When you live in a big town, you have access to so many more fun events.  I love that there is always a show, a concert or something happening.  Plus, there’s always Disneyland.
• Christmastime.  Most people turn their noses up to Christmas in LA, but not us.  We love all of the fun activities that happen around Christmas.  I also love that the weather cooperates and isn’t so cold that you can’t stand to be outside.

It wouldn’t be fair for me to only sing praises about my favorite city, so I have to be totally honest and tell you a few of my not-so-faves:

• Traffic.  Good heavens, traffic is no joke.  The map says it will take you 15 minutes to get somewhere in LA?  Well then, you should probably give yourself an hour.  It basically takes you about an hour to get anywhere in LA.
• Parking.  Some may argue that this should be lumped in with traffic but I beg to differ.  Parking is a beast of it’s own.  You almost always have two options when going anywhere: valet or walk 2 miles from the spot you stalk down.
• The crowds.  This one is a given because it’s a big city.  But honestly, I would love to just once take a trip to the mall at an off time (say 2pm on a week day maybe?) and the mall be dead.  That never happens though.  It’s always busy.  Everywhere.
• Church struggle.  We have a church that we now love, but it took a couple of years of searching and waiting to find one that truly felt right to us.  For as many churches as there are in LA, it was much harder than I ever imagined to find a good fit for us.

There’s positives and negatives to every city, but overall I love living in LA.  I love that although it’s technically spring now, it already feels like summertime.  This dress is so fabulous to take you right into summer and is a great style for upcoming graduation parties.  The real showstopper is these darling heels.  I’m not sure what it is about bows, but they get me every single time.

What I’m Wearing:

ASOS White Scuba Skater Dress (sold out); similar here, here and here  //  ShoeDazzle Betty Heels;  solid color version here (comes in black or red)  //  GiGi New York Fold-Over Clutch  //  Baublebar Nebular Collar  //  similar bracelet

Photography by Jana Williams.

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