There's No Place Like Home

I wrote the following post several months ago for a friends blog but I never talked about it on here and I now agree with it even more.... Los Angeles has truly become my home.

Just as Dorothy knew there was no place like her beloved Kansas home, I know there's no place like my home for the past year and a half, Los Angeles, California. It's a neat feeling the day you finally realize that your new residence really feels like your 'home'. I think that you realize it when you go away for a few days or even a day actually.

It's taken me awhile to learn my way around these crazy streets of LA but I can say for sure now that I feel like this town is my home. Sure, the "City of Angels" is also home to over 4 million other people but we all have learned to exist together in somewhat harmony. This large diverse population is what makes LA what it is-a huge cultural melting pot of interesting and diverse people. The amazing weather of course plays a big role in the reason why we are all here living in LA. Sunny skies just about 365 days a year is very hard to beat. Doesn't the sound of 74 degrees everyday just sound heavenly? I am sure all my friends on the East Coast would kill for our weather right about now! It's June 23rd, technically summertime, and it's currently 76 degrees and sunny.

Who can forget about all the different neighborhoods here too? From the laid-back beaches in Santa Monica and Venice, the hipster Silver Lake area, chic Beverly Hills, lively West Hollywood, the Rose Bowl area of Pasadena and definitely the international influences here are a can't miss. There's Little Ethiopia, Korea Town, China Town and so many others. All of these areas make up Los Angeles. Of course, I've spent more time in some areas than others.
Another incredible thing about being here is the proximity to not only beaches but also the desert and beautiful mountain ranges. Seriously, where else can you go snowboarding in the morning, go on an afternoon hike and then grab drinks in the evening at a nearby beach?It really doesn't get any better then all that. Palm Springs is very close to LA too which provides endless hours of golf, pool time and sheer relaxation in the desert.

So, after having said all of this, who is up for a visit here? : )

Fashion Show

It was a another typical Tuesday night...

My roommate Gina and I attended yet another star studded amazing Fashion Show in downtown LA. Uh, NOT!!! We never ever do things like this! In fact, it was my very first fashion show ever and let me tell you, I felt so Sex and the City! For the ladies that watch Sex and the City, they'll know exactly what this means.

It was for an LA line of vintage inspired cocktail dresses called Stop Staring. It was "founded on the idea of timeless and classic dresses, and rockabilly clothing, Stop Staring! is inspired by silver screen glamour icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Rita Hayworth and Joan Crawford." The dresses are beautiful and look great on absolutely every body type.

Before the fashion show started, there was a very cool red carpet that we posed on for a bit. There was even a wax Lady Gaga there! Of course we had to take a picture with her!


Guess who was there?! Bridget from "Girls Next Door"!!



Here are a few pictures from the show itself. These were some of my favorite outfits.


There was even an awesome 40's style Andrew Sisters type girl group, The Swing Dolls.


Here I am posing before the fashion show started. So much fun!

Another awesome visitor!!

I am currently spending this very rainy LA weekend with my dear close friend, Emily. She is visiting me all the way from Wyoming. We've known each other for 13 long years and I definitely consider her like another sister of mine. There's nothing I cant tell her and there's nothing I wouldn't do for her. We are so similar sometimes it's scary!

I've talked about her before in this post and also in this post.

Emily has never been to Los Angeles before so I hope to show her the sights of sounds of this crazy city. It's also Emily's birthday on Sunday so I need to make this an especially fun weekend for her. So I know this may make me sound like I'm a big dork/really awesomely organized but I actually typed up an itinerary for us for the weekend. However, this rainy weather is really spoiling this so called plan! Boo! Got any rainy weather favorite activities? I'm thinking we will probably be spending more time in museums. That could of course be fun too. I'm sure we'll have a good time together, no matter what we do!

What are you up to this weekend?

Visitors from Family

My sister Tonya brought my nephew Lucas to visit me yesterday and we had such a wonderful day walking around the infamous Santa Monica Pier and then onto the 3rd St. Promenade right by it. It was an absolutely beautiful LA day with amazing sunshine and a slight cool breeze. Meanwhile the rest of the US is suffering through yet another Snowpocalypse. Did I spell that right? Haha Whatever it is, I find myself more than thankful to be living here on the West Coast now.

Another thing that I'm constantly grateful for is that I do live so close to my family. They are my world and have the incredible ability to cheer me up and brighten my day. I know so many people that live far away from their adorable nephews and nieces and I honestly cannot imagine that. Living in Arizona for just under a year after my nephew was born was hard enough on me. I hope that we will always live close to each other. Ok, Tonya? No moving to the east coast anytime soon!!

Anyway, back to our fun day- Lucas seemed to really enjoy himself and we even got him to ride the renown Ferris Wheel at the end of the pier. We had a very yummy Mexican lunch complete with margaritas and me feeding Lucas rice off my own plate! Haha! It was too funny, he wouldn't accept food from Mom's plate, just from mine. So cute! : )

Sure, the Pier is a super touristy and kind of a cheesy thing to do here in LA but it's still fun and I always enjoy my time there. Next up, I really want to try the trapeze flying that is there! Have you ever done it? My sister did it last year and she loved it. I think I would too!

Hey, remember the cute YouTube video that Gina and I made about the Pier- Sarah Palin... Let's Go Fishing At the Santa Monica Pier!

Here are three great pictures from our day:

1 Year in LA!

"California's largest city is more than just freeways, palm trees and plastic surgeons. Los Angeles is an Alpha City, a global mecca, and a symbol of opportunity for billions of ambitious dreamers."

Happy 1 year living in LA to me!!!

I honestly cannot believe that I've been living here in the City of Angels for exactly one year today. It went ridiculously fast. Seriously fast. I kind of feel like I just got here but I've certainly changed my entire attitude about this supposed big, bad city.

First of all, I'll let you in on a little secret, before I moved here I. was. terrified. of Los Angeles. I was really scared of this place. Despite being super excited and ready to move here, I was nervous about a lot of different things. I was scared of the kind of people that I would meet here, the horrific traffic, the high gas prices, the Hollywood scene, the incredible diverse music, the intense night life and many other things. I'll say it again, I was nervous. Was LA going to swallow me whole? How would I ever navigate my way around this place?


Well, I'm proud to announce that this girl has not been beat up by this city! Ok, so I have a few minor bruises from a few parking mishaps-my car got towed several months ago but I've managed to only get 2 parking tickets since being here and I haven't even met the stereotypical LA type of people. Do they really exist? Heck I haven't even encountered a Valley girl! Now, I'm kind of disappointed! Haha!

So, all in all I would have to say that I've thoroughly enjoyed my first year in LA and I look forward to the next year. There's still so much more of this crazy city that I want to explore. And of course I'll continue to blog about every step along the way. : )

Thoughts on Moving...

Last night I had an interesting conversation with my sister about the pros and cons of moving. She moved yesterday and of course has mixed feelings about it. Take a look at her sweet and thoughtful post yesterday about the big move. It certainly got me teary eyed.

Sure, there are so many wonderful things about moving to a new place but you certainly can't ignore all the memories left behind at the old residence. Sappy as this may sound, it can be very hard to leave that behind.

Places have such strong emotional attachments for me. As I looked around her house and took one last look at it before I left her house last night, I felt like I was saying goodbye to those memories as well. One very big event took place in that house; my sister's beautiful and intimate wedding was in August 2007. It was the last time my sister saw my parents alive and it was the last time we were altogether. I guess it was the last time I saw my parents happy. They were so happy that day. I'll never forget the dance party we had in the living room after most guests had gone home for the night. I've always felt comfortable and happy being in that living room. I am sure this memory is the reason why. Thankfully, we took plenty of pictures that night.

I dread the day that my sister and I finally sell our parents Summer home in Arizona. Talk about memories! Whew! Ok, enough about that....

When I moved here from Phoenix almost a year ago I was more excited than anything. Not only was I ready for a change of scenery but also a change of life. I was incredibly sad to leave all my wonderful friends in Phoenix but was excited for a whole new batch of LA friends. Living alone was fun but I was looking forward to having two roommates to spend time with. I was definitely over Arizona in general. I had lived there for 6 years and was dying to get out of that hot desert.

A lot of really great things have happened to me all because I moved to Los Angeles. Here are a few things that come to mind:

• I started running. I really don't think that I would have if I had stayed in AZ. I also ran my first event here in LA, the Disneyland Half-Marathon.
  
• I made two new best friends-my wonderful roomies! Ladies, I love ya!
  
• I have traveled a ton thanks to my roommate Gina and her project, Pin-Ups For Vets.
• I've been nannying/babysitting for a few adorable kids that I adore!
• I've spent a ton more time with my family here in So Cal.
• I have been able to meet up with several middle and high school friends here.
• I've reconnected with two high school friends that live here in LA as well.
  
• I've gone to several very cool concerts and a couple Broadway shows.
  
• There have been some neat celeb sightings here.
• I've had a lot of delicious dinners.
• Spending time at the wonderful beach.
• I truly believe that I've become a better driver since moving here.
• I started this blog about my life here! My blogoversary is coming up next month! Yay!
  
• A fancy/awesome job in the music industry-currently working on this one! : )
  
• Being an audience member on Oprah's Favorite Things Episode..Hello?! Need I say more?!
  

Overwhelmed with Blogging

For the first time since I started blogging almost a year ago, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. For starters, I'm not sure why, but I feel pressured to write a new exciting post everyday. I've certainly stayed up way later than I should in order to get a new post up on my blog for the next morning. When I do occasionally skip a day or two, I always feel guilty. I almost feel like I didn't turn in my homework or something... Weird, right?! Why do I do this to myself?! UGH! Ok, I'm an interesting gal and do a lot of awesome things here in LA but come on, there are days when it's hard to post something. I don't do something cool every single day. Perhaps, I have totally unrealistic expectations... Maybe I should only blog when the mood strikes me or I do something uber LA fabulous. Right? What do you think? What do you as my wonderful followers want to read about? As a blogger, when do post? If you are posting something everyday, how do you find the time?

I'm also struggling with finding the time to comment on all the blogs I follow too. There are so many amazing, funny, inspiring, sweet and crazy blogs out there that I adore reading but I just don't have the time to read them all. How can I possibly keep up with them all? How do you keep up? What are the tricks of the trade?

Whew! Well, it definitely felt good getting this off my chest and blogging about it. There, now Tuesday's post is done and I can go to bed now! Haha! : )

LA Traffic

What blog about life in LA would be complete without a rant every now and then about the awful LA traffic?! I feel like lately I've been in some seriously bad traffic patches. It's the worst! I am a patient person but the traffic here sure is testing me. Grrrr!!

The only thing that keeps me sane through them is having my trusty iPod by my side. I love music and singing so thankfully, that keeps me somewhat calm and happy in my car. I also enjoy catching up with friends while I'm stuck in miserable traffic, but don't worry, I'm safe-I use a hands free adapter for my phone.

Last week I was in some particularly awful traffic jams. I was so bored that I took a few pictures, while I was stopped of course. These are the best three that I took:

The L.A. Effect

Right before I moved here, my sister sent me a magazine article from SELF called the "L.A. Effect". It's funny to look at it again today and see how and if I've been effected by all the LA fads. According to this article, here are the West Coast trends that make up the "L.A. Effect":

• Bikram Yoga- For the record, I was in love with Bikram Yoga several months before I moved here. Then, when I got to LA, it just seemed like the trendy thing to do. Bikram himself brought this super hot form of yoga to Los Angeles in 1973. Thus, this city is the home to the Bikram World Headquarters. Up until a few months ago, it wasn't too far from me so I was eager to go frequently. Sadly, it moved further away and I have yet to check that studio out.
  

• Raw Food- Interestingly, the very first raw food restaurant, "Eutropheon" opened in downtown LA in 1917. Now Angelenos get their no-cook fix from "Leaf Cuisine" and "Rawvolution". I have yet to check those places out but I'm sure that their are delicious. You really can't help but try eating better when you live in a city that seems obsessed with staying fit. Recently, I've opted to stay away from meat for a little bit. Let's see how long that lasts...

• Delivery Meals- These became popular in the mid-'90's when celebs realized the convience of having meals sent to their home or on-set. Jenny Craig and NutriSystem are two common delivery meals. I have yet to sample any of these meals on wheels. For now I'll continue to enjoy making my own food or venture out to restaurants.
  

• Ugg Boots and Miniskirts- Ok FYI, these are not only in LA, they were constantly seen on my college campus at The University of Arizona. Let me tell you, I absolutely despise this fashion trend. For one thing, it doesn't make any sense and secondly, it's just plain ugly! Seriously! Why on earth would your feet need all that material for warmth and not your legs? Please explain!
  

• Luxury Dog Spas- I see these spas all over the city and it's yet another ridiculous splurge that celebrities and wealthy people alike invest into. Why on earth do your dogs need to soak in Jacuzzis and be fed gourmet food?! Can you say coddled? It seems like Hollywood stars often treat their critters better than they do people. At the Club Beverly Hills, pooches can practice yoga or even "work out" in a landscaped yard! Yikes! No thanks, when if I have my own dog, they will run around a yard and they'll eat dog food and maybe swim a pool on occasion.

• No Frills Gyms- I am all about these "back to basics" facilities. I mean, who needs all that fancy equipment when all you really need is a couple weight lifting machines and a treadmill? Ha, there's even a gym in Frederick, Maryland called "Just a Gym"! Love that!
  

• Stand-Up Paddle Surfing- Hawaiians have loved this since the '50's and '60's and was brought over to Southern California in the early 2000's. I haven't tried this before and I'm not sure if I would enjoy it. I still want to try surfing!! Anyone want to teach me?

• Healthy Cocktails- The hip Viceroy Santa Monica has long served up organic drinks. Their speciality is the Green Bloody Mary, made with green tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley and other fresh veggies. Sounds delicious, right? Ha, talk about skipping the salad course and and moving right onto the bar! : ) This joint is on my to-do list for sure!
  

• Airbrush Tans- These flawless faux tans caught on big-time when they became a must-have for Hollywood stars. Celebs are even traveling now with their own air-brushers! Whoa! I have actually done this once and it was kind of cool for a couple days and then it wore off so that was annoying. Plus, it got all over the clothes I was wearing that day.
  

From Australia to LA

One of the many really awesome things about living in such a popular big city is that people are always visiting it. Seriously, this month alone, I will have seen 7 different friends here! 4 of whom were just passing through LA for work or some other event! Crazy, right? There really is no need for me to go anywhere, everyone will eventually come to La La Land! : )

Tonight I met up with yet another friend, Dean. He lives in Australia and I haven't seen him since my friend Alyson and I traveled around Australia and met him two years ago! It was great to see him and catch up on our lives.


This is another huge example of why I think facebook is so awesome- it keeps everyone so connected to each other, whether they want to be or not. : ) It's especially useful when you have friends overseas and can't talk to them on the phone often, if at all.

Welcome New followers!!

Since I have so fabulously acquired so many new followers this week (THANK YOU!!), I thought it might be nice to give a little recap of what this blog is all about and a little information about moi!

Hi! My name is Leah and this blog is about my relatively new life here in Los Angeles, California. I moved here in January from Phoenix, Arizona. I wonder how much longer I can keep saying that I'm new here. I get at least a year, right? I am passionate about all things music so I talk about it a lot. I also love going to new restaurants, doing all the LA touristy type things, spending time with my friends and new roommates, reading, dancing, running, going to see movies and now BLOGGING has become one of my new favorite hobbies.

I started this blog right when I moved here and it has quickly turned into one of the most therapeutic things for me. It seriously is like free therapy. Never in a million years would I have guessed that I would have my own blog. I've never thought of myself as a writer but it's certainly fun for me now.

Why did I move to LA? Glad you asked. : ) I've been wanting to live here for a long time for a few reasons. The biggest one is that my sister and her family live in San Diego. She has a 16 month old son that I absolutely adore and just had to be closer to. I also want to work in the music industry and this is definitely the city for that business. Specifically, I would like to work in the A & R department at a record label, that is, the artist and repertoire department. So far, I haven't had any luck finding a job in the music biz but I'm still very hopeful. So in the meantime, I've been nannying and babysitting a lot. I also work as my roommate's assistant for her Pin Ups For Vets calendar project, traveling and attending events. Please check out the link, it's an amazing project doing wonderful things for VETS all over the world.

So, there ya go. This is me thus far! I really really appreciate all the new followers that I've gotten recently. I love that people are stopping by my blog and actually reading my posts and commenting. Recently, I have found a lot of new fun blogs too so I know that there are a lot of interesting blogs out there. So, thank you so much for making mine one to follow. Reaching 50 followers was super neat!

Stay tuned for more of my adventures here in La La land!

Premiere of "Only in LA" Series

Welcome to the premiere of my "Only in LA" series. From time to time, I will blog about things that I see and hear here in my city. Feel free to steal this blog idea and change it to fit your own city.
So, here we go...

"Only in LA" will you overhear conversations like this one:

Aspiring Actor's Gym Buddy- "So, how's work going? Anything new come into the agency?"

Aspiring Actor- "Yeah, actually today this guy walked into the agency and said he just finished a horror script and he wrote it with me in mind as the lead!

Aspiring Actor's Gym Buddy- "Very cool. Who is the writer? Anyone I know?"

Sadly, I wasn't able to catch the rest of this conversation as they were walking into the gym and I was leaving it and I really couldn't walk any slower than I already was without appearing a tad creepy. I already felt like a huge eavesdropper but in my defense, they were talking really loud!

Stay tuned for more "Only in LA"!!

The Ivy Experience

Tonight, my two roommates and I had dinner at The Ivy, one of LA's many celebrity hangouts. Swati's birthday was last week so Gina and I wanted to take her out to celebrate. We thought it would be fun to surprise her with a dinner at this ritzy, paparazzi packed spot. We even blindfolded her in the car on the way to the restaurant!

There were no photographers around The Ivy tonight which means that they apparently were not tipped off that any celebs would be there. Guess no one told them that the three of us were going to be there...haha. We still had fun!

I was surprised that the inside has a rather French-rustic charm to it. According to my research, The Ivy is probably the only restaurant in Los Angeles surrounded by a white picket fence. The fence is framed by what of course, ivy. It's busy dining rooms are filled with odd little rustic antiques and plenty of fresh real flowers everywhere. The menu is mainly American, with several seafood options and even a few Mexican dishes. Apparently, the restaurant began life as "L.A. Desserts" catering. Oh, FYI, we went to Yogurtland for dessert!

Now, you may be thinking that we spent a fortune on dinner at The Ivy tonight, but honestly, the prices were pretty much typical of LA, nothing out of the ordinary. I've just read a few bad reviews online of the service being awful and the food being only mediocre. Well, I completely disagree with this. It might have taken us awhile to get our drinks, but after that, the waiters were very sweet and attentive to us. I really love that crumb scooper thing they use whenever there are crumbs on the table. Our food was delicious. I had simple spinach filled ravioli in tomato sauce and it was very tasty. My roommates seemed happy with their choices too.

But of course, the food is not what The Ivy is all about. "It's about seeing and being seen." This celeb hot spot has had pretty much every celeb spotted eating there. The list is way too long. An MSNBC article called The Ivy "a celebrity beehive that sees a constant stream of Hummers, Mercedes and Jaguars pull up and discharge folks who pay through the nose to be seen eating in public".

Well, my roommates and I certainly aren't celebs...yet... but it was still fun to eat at such a trendy and hip restaurant here in LA.

Movies & West Hollywood

I love going to the movies. It was always one of my family's favorite things to do during the summers. My mom and I would usually see like every movie out and then my dad would join us for the one or two that he wanted to see in the theater. We didn't even need to get candy or popcorn. We just enjoyed seeing a possibly good movie on the big screen. I have certainly continued the movie-watching tradition with my sister and of course with many friends.

So, today I saw Inception at the Grove with an old friend from college. I know this is definitely not a movie blog at all so I won't begin to discuss this movie at all but I will say that I really have fun at movies like this that actually make me think and even question my own reality a little bit. It was a bit complicated at times but for the most part, I felt like I was totally able to follow along.

After the movie, I took a little drive into West Hollywood. I was actually looking for a Whole Foods grocery store but then ended up taking the long route to get there. Let me just say that West Hollywood is such a cute area and I really would like to spend more time there.

Here are a few interesting facts I just learned about the area:

-In 1985, West Hollywood was the first city to create a same gender domestic partnership registration for its residents, as well as to offer same gender domestic partner benefits for all city employees. Woo hoo!

-City legislation bans the sale of handguns, prohibits smoking in public places, and restricts the city from doing business directly or indirectly (via vendors) with any country known to violate human rights.

-West Hollywood is one of 19 cities in California that has banned the use of gas-powered leaf-blowers.

-This area is the home of about 1,000 dogs per square mile. The city designed a law that pets are to be called "companions" and their owners "guardians" and was the first city in the country to outlaw the de-clawing of cats.

-Because of the large population of homosexuals and the large numbers of same-sex-oriented businesses, West Hollywood became prominently known as a "gay village". The section of Santa Monica Boulevard from La Cienega Blvd. to Robertson Blvd., known as "boys' town," is among the most popular gay neighborhoods in the world, with numerous well-known spots such as the nightclubs Micky's and Rage, and newer bars/restaurants such as Eleven and East|West Lounge.

-West Hollywood, with a homosexual population of about 41% of its total population, has been disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic which has ravaged its male homosexual population since the early 1980s. This is very sad and is exactly why I am running my Half Marathon in September.

California Songs

Since moving here, I've become so much more aware of any and all music that is about California and have been making my own list.. Check it out below. Can you think of any others?

For a seriously complete list (a few songs I've never even heard of) check out here.

1. "California Dreamin" - The Mamas and The Papas
2. "California Gurls" - Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg
3. "California Love" - 2pac
4. "Danny California" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
5. "Californication" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
6. "Hotel California" - Eagles
7. "New York to California" - Mat Kearny
8. "Beautiful in Los Angeles" - Garrison Star
9. "Beverly Hills" - Weezer
10. "San Francisco" (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair) - Scott McKenzie
11. "California" - Kenny Chesney
12. "California" - Phantom Planet
13. "California Girls" - Beach Boys
14. "Going Back to Cali" - LL Cool J
15. "Long December" - Counting Crows
16. "We Got More Bounce in California" - Jump5
17. "Garden Grove" - Sublime
18. "Hollywood" - Jay-Z & Beyonce
19. "Hollywood" - Madonna
20. "Hollywood Swingin" - Kool & the Gang
21. "L.A is My Lady" - Frank Sinatra
22. "La Cienega Just Smied" - Ryan Adams
23. "Orange County Girl" - Gwen Stefani
24. "Walking in LA" - Missing Persons

Lost and Found in Los Angeles

So as I was leaving the Beverly Center earlier this week, I somehow got totally turned around and I ended up driving around Beverly Hills. However, it didn't take me long to figure my way back home without too much stressing involved. It's very nice knowing that this city and I are starting to really click. Whew! It sure is taking awhile though!

For those of you live that live here or in other big cities, how long did it take you to learn how to get around without using mapquest or a wonderful navigation system?

NO PARKING!

So I screwed up majorly today or rather last night. See, I saw the "No Parking" signs but I swear I remember reading "NO PARKING ON THURSDAY". Well, I was wrong, it said Wednesday instead. I walked out to my car this afternoon only to NOT find it where I parked it. This is truly the scariest feeling in the world! I immediately freaked out but somehow was able to pull it together to call the number on the sign to find out where the heck my car was towed to.

Thankfully, it was at an impound lot not too far away from my home and my wonderful friend, Jason, came to my place and picked me up and we headed there with only ten minutes to spare before they closed! Whew! And you don't even want to know how much I had to pay for them to release my car to me. Then, on top of that hefty fee, there was an additional parking ticket on my car window when I got my car back from the lot! Geez!~ How ridiculous is that?!

After talking to a few friends after this happened, I learned that it's really not very uncommon for people in LA to get their cars towed and get lots of parking tickets. Have you ever gotten your car towed? How many tickets have you gotten?

Well, I vow to be extra careful from now on when reading parking signs around this city. I seriously do not want to go through all this ever again! : (

Cali Stereotypes?!

And now for another edition of "What My Friends Think" Yep, that's the official name for it now. This time I decided to ask my friends what stereotypes came to mind when they thought of LA. Before moving here, I might have agreed with some of these negative clichés but after living here for almost 6 months, (WOW, time flies!) I have to say that there is whole lot more to this city then meets the eye. I never ever thought I would be using that term to describe LA. Sure, those typical LA folks are here but there are also many other normal people here too. There are families with children and dogs, there are older retired couples and single working girls like my roommates and I. We all manage to co-exist together in this big city. I hope that since I live here now, those of you that have never been here and seen for yourself what this city is like, will finally come for a visit! Come one, come all! : )

• "Girls: bleach blonde, plastic surgery, big boobs, super tan, says "like" and "awesome" a lot, not necessarily the brightest and likes to party. Boys: hot, buff, tall and handsome but generally players, rich/spoiled, popped collars. I don't think the OC, The Hills or The Real Housewives are really helping any of these stereotypes!"
• "Been to Cali multiple times and do think there are a lot of really good looking people. I can't really comment on the personality and finances though. Generally have had positive experiences with people I have met from there."
• "I haven't been to LA (well, I guess to the airport, and to Disneyland when I was really little, but that doesn't count). But, some stereotypes I have are: looks are everything. Cosmetic surgery and botox and all that stuff are the norm. High fashion and skankiness. Celeb sightings. I think that's about it...nothing too exciting!"

• "This one is kind of hard for me to answer because I've never BEEN to LA. So what I know about that part of California is from The Hills and other people's experiences living in the City of Angels. Basically, it seems like lala land and that most everyone is fake and focused on the superficial... But I don't think that about you, so.... ?"

• "I have spent very little time in LA, so I can't comment too much on this. But it's also hard to NOT talk about it because New Yorkers and LA types tend to get compared/contrasted a lot - any discussions of "where are you from?" seem to eventually lead to the east coast vs. west coast debate. New Yorkers seem to have pretty strong opinions of Los Angelenos and for the most part, they aren't very nice! Basically, we're opposites. New Yorkers enjoy public transportation, grit and "realness," complaining about the weather (complaining about anything really), small apartments as long as they're in the right neighborhood, and tend to favor more modest, but sophisticated, dark clothing. We make up a large percentage of the financial and media industries. Californians drive everywhere, work in an entertainment-related field, enjoy being outside and the non-seasonal weather, big houses and expensive cars, and tend to wear more revealing, brightly-colored, casual gear. Total generalizations because if you have the money in NYC of course, nice cars and big houses are definitely desirable. It's just not on average peoples' radars."

• "There's LA and then there's California. Much like there's Florida, and then there's the South. I don't have many stereotypes of non-LA residents, but, I've noticed that San Franciscans tend to get a lot of respect from New Yorkers, because it's more diverse and metropolitan and full of young, super-smart people. There are also the beach communities, and more inland communities that are very different from the whole LA/Hollywood scene. Where you live within a state, just like anywhere else in the country, tends to indicate a lot about your priorities and values."

• "A friend of mine just moved to LA from NYC and I thought he summed it up quite well: New Yorkers see a number come up on their cellphone that they don't know, and ignore it right away. People in LA see a number come up on their cellphone that they don't know, and they answer it immediately - it could be their next big break! :)"

Sunny California

I moved to LA to work in the music industry but let's not forget that another reason is the incredible weather here! Seriously, it's absolutely perfect! Yesterday I spent about two hours in my backyard laying on a towel, catching up with an old friend and enjoying my large pile of magazines. It was just delightful.

Meanwhile, in good ole' Phoenix, they had to endure their first 100 degree day last week!! Blah! I am so happy that I don't have to suffer through another one of those hellish summer heat waves. Yeah, I'll take amazing weather and suffer through some horrendous traffic any day. Would you?

Beverly Hills Walk

Yesterday afternoon Jason and I went on a little walk through Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive to be exact. While we didn't buy anything, it was still fun to walk around and enjoy the beautiful sunny California day. I hadn't ever really just leisurely walked around without a time frame so it was super nice to take our time. Not to mention people watching in Beverly Hills is amazing! There weren't too many tourists around and actually there seemed to be more local residents milling about.

Can you believe Rodeo Drive actually has a website?! A website all about what there is to see and do on this street. It is known to the world as the epicenter of luxury fashion. It spans 3 city blocks where visitors can enjoy more than 100 world-renowned boutiques and hotels.

On your next time to LA, if you haven't been before, I highly encourage you to take a stroll down Rodeo Drive.