Los Angeles, a City of Sunshine

Since 2016, I’ve made it my personal mental-health mission to visit somewhere sunny — and preferably warm—each February. Initially, it was a month in Florida, working remotely, with my copilot pup along for the adventure. A trip to New Zealand upped the ante, and I followed that with South Africa and Vietnam. 

Then two things changed: I was no longer single, and a global pandemic took international travel off the table. 

…One of these changes was decidedly more enjoyable than the other.

I’ve shared my sunny-trip mission with my now-husband, Chuck, who has no objections, and the continuing COVID influence on travel plans led us to play it safe again this year: a domestic trip to visit friends. Luckily, Chuck’s best friend lives in Los Angeles—a very sunny designation and a great chance to see great people. 

I’ve made a southern-California visit before, but this was my first trip to L.A. proper. 

I would bet L.A. is a city that has more preconceived notions about it in the minds of people around the world than almost any other city. I had my own, but I tried to go with an open, curious mind. 

What I loved: 

• The weather. Abundant sunshine and low humidity (admittedly not great for fire prevention but feels amazing when you’re coming from pure winter).

• The food options. You feel like ramen? Head to Japantown and take your pick of restaurants. Mexican? Korean? A great salad? It’s all there.

• Hiking options within the city. I knew L.A. had hills, but it wasn’t until I saw a snow-capped mountain behind the downtown skyline that I realized just how varied the landscape is. We hiked up to a vantage point above the Hollywood sign one day, and the 4.5-mile trek left my hamstrings aching for two days afterward. 

What I didn’t love: 

• The disparity in income/lifestyle/opportunity. For a city with so much wealth in its limits, I’d hope it would do better to alleviate some of the homelessness that is so prevalent on its streets. Not only are people living on the streets, but entire blocks and parks have become homeless camps. When I saw the world’s most expensive luxury cars driving the same streets, the juxtaposition didn’t sit well in my gut. (I recognize this is a huge issue to try to solve, and that cities that offer the most resources often become destinations for the homeless because of it… a difficult cycle. The difference with L.A. is it’s so prevalent.)

• The traffic. Commuting in this city takes at least 3x longer than it might in another city. 

What I want more of on my next visit: 

• Did I tell you about the great food? 

• Perusing locally owned shops and businesses. I love finding city neighborhoods that have block after block of local places to shop. I got to do almost zero of that on this trip and would love to change that next time. 

• Sightseeing. We made three touristy stops: the Hollywood sign, the Griffith Observatory, and the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. I’d love another five trips to the Huntington alone; it may be a stop on every visit. I’ll look forward to a few more touristy stops next time, too.