We only spent 2.5 weeks at our home in LA before starting another mini road trip that will lead into our month long Philippines adventure. We’re still getting acclimated but here’s how it’s going!

Our apartment feels comfortable and feels like a home! I think it’s safe to say that Corey and I settled in very quickly. We’ve always felt that home is wherever the other person and Duke are, so this wasn’t an issue at all. Yeah, our lives are still adjusting to being in California, but whose life isn’t constantly adjusting? I was so depressed when I felt like my life was at a standstill, so this change has been more than welcomed!!!

I’ve been adjusting to being unemployed. It’s a great feeling to wake up and think “what do I want to do today?” but I have been having moments of feeling useless. I’ve been programmed to look at my bills and then think of my next paycheck. Now I just think “Ahhh! More withdrawals from savings!” Don’t get me wrong though, I’m thoroughly enjoying my time off, and I think it’s exactly the break I needed from being a nurse! I’m now somewhat excited to return in June and hopefully get some med-surg experience.

It’s definitely been tougher for Corey to adjust his work/life balance. There’s always something going on on the rooftop, and if not, it’s so easy to walk down the street to buy some steaks and start grilling. On top of that, there are countless places that I want to explore with him. And even on top of that, he can’t be antisocial and not accept invites to hang out with the guys (or he just can’t resist). He’s definitely had to put in more effort to balance things out and not slack off despite all the temptations.

Quick Impression of LA

People
There are a lot of beautiful young people looking to make it out here. We’ve met a solid amount of people in our apartment complex and had a long talk with one of the comedians that we saw at Laugh Factory. Two of the themes that have come up repeatedly is 1.) not to take people out here for face value. From what we’ve been told, everyone is living one step above their means and people are fake. And 2.) as a result, people don’t last out here and there’s high turnaround in the city.

It’s something that we’ve heard or witnessed in some respect numerous times already. Although it’s in the back of our heads, it hasn’t hindered us from building relationships. We’ve gotten to know a few people at the apartment who are truly amazing and have helped to inspire us by showing us their drive and ambitions. Majority of the people we’ve met are actors/models where networking via drinking and clubbing is really important. I can’t wait to spend more time at the climbing gym and meet people to go hiking with.

Traffic
LA traffic is worse than I imagined. You can’t time your travels to avoid rush hour. It’s unpredictable rush hour traffic ALL THE TIME. EVERYWHERE! It’s definitely worse because we’re right in Hollywood, but we literally can’t go anywhere without sitting in traffic. Prior to arriving in LA, I pictured myself going hiking with Duke every other day, but after our first hiking adventure, I’ve avoided driving altogether. Good thing LA is pretty, because you spend a lot of time looking at it from the inside of a car.

Weather
The weather has been amazing up until the past few days. Surprisingly, a sunny California day doesn’t necessarily mean beach day. It’s actually chilly when there’s a breeze. (Chilly as in sweater weather though!) I had no idea that the humidity during Boston summers actually locks in the heat from the day even after the sun goes down. As soon as the sun goes down here, it gets chilly fast! It’s been drizzling the past couple days. I overheard some Californians talk about the dangers of driving in rain and hydroplaning. They also talked about seeing someone spin out from the rain. I hope they never see even a coating of snow!

Hiking
I’ve only hiked once since arriving to LA. The terrain was really rocky and Duke tore up his paw pads pretty badly. I plan on hiking more in June when we’re settled. Runyon Canyon, which is right in our backyard, will be closed for a few months due to water pipe repairs. There are a lot of trails nearby that I could go to but I’m honestly turned off by the masses of people who use and abuse the trails. Who would want to go hiking when you have groups of people blasting music as they go up and leaving their trash behind? I even saw one group of 20 something year olds throwing rocks at each other even when there were people nearby. Rude. Ughhhh… I’m hoping to venture further out to avoid the crowds in the summer. Hopefully the heat and traffic won’t be too brutal.

Location
Considering none of us toured the apartment or area prior to signing the lease, we picked an outstanding place. The apartment itself has awesome amenities, and the tenants are all on the younger side. We have a grocery store and liquor store at the end of our street. We can walk to the Walk of Fame in 10 minutes. We’re an hour drive from the beach. 20 minutes from the climbing gym. And about 7 minutes to a strip with the best restaurants in LA. Also, because we’re in LA, Amazon can deliver food or groceries within 2 hours! If anyone plans on visiting and wants to party, our place is perfect!

Overall, Corey and I are excited for our upcoming travels, but returning to LA doesn’t mean we’re done exploring. We still have a lot of places we want to explore and are making the most of our time in Hollywood. We both agree that we’ll be in California for at least 2 years, but we’ll probably move to a quieter area following our lease.