Jun 12
Celebrating The Firsts Of My LA Adventure
What A View: Doheny Drive palm trees during my walk home from the gym.
After joining LA Fitness’ Beverly Hills location, I worked out for the first time in a month–the longest I’ve gone without hitting the gym in about 4 years. I forgot how exhilarating it feels to exercise. And it felt even better that as always, I managed to time my workout perfectly to catch a rerun of my favorite show Castle.
Home Sweet Home: my bedroom, furnished at last
Jun 1
Getting To Know West Hollywood
On Thursday, I enjoyed a girls night out with my colleague Inga.
The tree-lined charm of Swall Drive
The Naked Roll at Sushi Mon: yum!!
May 22
Bidding Farewell To The Big Apple
Urban Oasis: the roof deck view from my building in NYC
Jenna O’Gara and Chris Hall of Jessie’s Girl–the BEST 80s cover band ever!
May 6
Life In L.A. Begins
It has been nearly four weeks since I left my beloved New York for Los Angeles. And, as I had hoped and expected, picking up and moving across the country has been an exhilarating, emotional and revelatory experience.
All smiles at Yamashiro Restaurant with a panoramic view of LA behind me
First and foremost in this journey is the job which brought me here — Marketing Manager for the SLS at Beverly Hills. In the short time that I have been a part of the team, I have felt truly welcomed and utterly impressed by my smart, spirited and dedicated colleagues.
Altitude Pool: one of many spectacular amenities at the SLS
The hotel itself is a dream for a storyteller like me — rich in its design, service and food and beverage offerings. During a rotation at The Bazaar restaurant, in which I had the pleasure of sampling several innovative tapas, I told a coworker I was running out of synonyms for delicious and awestruck. Wow.
One of the best parts of this move – and a key factor in my decision to do this — has been the many wonderful friends and acquaintances I know out here. Like longtime galpal Natasha, with whom I enjoyed a girls night out in Pasadena, a charming little town not far from LA. And blogger/author Kelly Seal, who gave me my first taste of local Mexican food and margaritas at Mercado on West Third Street, a stretch known for great eateries. And my dear friend from high school Allison, who moved here from Toronto nine years ago and understands the inevitable adjustment period that accompanies such a huge life change.
I am blessed to know alot of awesome people here and can’t wait to catch up with all of them.
In the meantime, this New York City Gal is appreciating the differences between the Big Apple and my new hometown. Among those I’ve noticed so far…
Quiet. With its sprawling nature, LA has a lot less noise pollution than NYC.
LA is also far more pedestrian friendly than you would think. An amalgam of neighborhoods with varied personalities, LA has several walkable areas. While I am looking forward to eventually getting a car, I haven’t felt stranded thanks to Uber (much cheaper and faster here in the state where it launched) and Zipcar.
Plenty of New Yorkers live here. I’ve met them at work and out and about, feeling an instant kinship with all of them. But I’m also enjoying getting to know the locals. And looking forward to feeling more like a local myself. In the meantime, I’m truly enjoying the honeymoon period.
It’s truly amazing when you follow your bliss and it leads to an incredible fresh start.
Mar 31
A New Chapter Begins
When it comes to embarking on a new chapter in life, I’m rediscovering that timing really is everything. The time has never felt more right for me to take an extended break from New York. So it is with the happiest heart that I prepare to leave my beloved Big Apple for LA.
All smiles in Santa Monica (July 2013)
My journey to becoming an Angeleno began, in some ways, half a lifetime ago, when I fell in love for the first time with a California guy. During the year of that bicoastal romance, I was introduced to some of the West Coast’s varied attractions–from the charms of Santa Monica and majesty of the Pacific Coast Highway to quaint beachside town Morro Bay. Though the love affair ended, it was only the beginning of my fondness for Cali.
Over the years, I have enjoyed a weekend getaway to San Francisco and Napa, unexpected romance in San Diego and many, many trips to visit friends in L.A. It was during one particular visit nearly 3 years ago that my California dreaming began.
Longtime dear friend A invited me to join his wife at Malibu Winery to watch their incredibly talented daughter Ren perform outdoors. Sitting there in the sunshine with the mountains behind us, I found myself wondering–why have I never lived here??
A glorious afternoon at Malibu Winery with A and his wife Leslie
That question intensified when I applied for a job in LA. The news that I didn’t get it came as I headed West for a third time in six months. At this point, the question shifted to, can this born and bred New Yorker navigate LA’s car – based lifestyle? Was I really ready to bid farewell to my hometown, or just going through the inevitable weariness that comes with living in the city synonymous with hustle and bustle?
So I settled back into NYC life, or I tried to at least. What I found, though, was that it became increasingly more difficult to keep up with the relentlessly fast pace here. Travels to other places only amplified my desire to slow down. And once again, my thoughts turned to LA.
Despite the frequent rivalry between my first and future hometowns, I have always felt that New York is yin to LA’s yang. Opposites that compliment one another. And for this Big Apple native, there’s no other city which feels more appropriate to explore as a local.
Like I said, timing is everything. Two years ago, I reached out to a Starwood colleague who was making the move from LA to NYC. She graciously shared her insights about her life and career in Cali. We had the chance to work together while she was here, and stayed in touch after she went back last fall. She is now going to be my boss and I couldn’t be happier about it.
Along with congratulations and best wishes, I’ve received some questions from family and friends. Among the most popular–how can I possibly leave NYC?
Quite easily, actually. Having already lived in Sydney, I know I’m going to love the beach – cosmopolitan city lifestyle of LA. And I’m also going to love spending more time with A and my other friends out there.
And, even though my zip code is about to change, one thing most assuredly will not–I am a New York City Gal. Forever proud to be, just ready to adopt a new hometown.
The adventure begins April 10th!
