One Year In California Anniversary

One year ago today, late on a sunny afternoon, the three of us drove into downtown Los Angeles and our new home.

It’s been an interesting year to say the least, and on so many fronts.

Looking back it’s been a year of mixed emotions living here in California and downtown Los Angeles. We’ve met some great people, experienced earthquakes and the ability to drive to the ocean whenever we want. Like anything there are pros and cons to our move; some things have worked out better than others. One thing people kept telling us is not to compare LA to Chicago and sometimes we still do and sometimes we don’t. I mean how can we not considering it’s the only place the two of us have lived together and know. On the other hand things are not always a comparison as much as they are an observation on the differences between the two parts of the country.

A few things come to mind today, with some of them good, some of them bad and some of them ugly.

The Good:

• It’s been a great experience living in California and downtown Los Angeles in general. I’m not sure we would have taken the plunge 2, 5, or 10 years from now. The opportunity to live somewhere different and see another part of the country has been great.
• We’ve met some really nice people while living here. I wouldn’t say we have made friends we hang out with all the time or things like that but through this blog, dog walks and just walking in the area we have met a great cast of people.
• Living in California provides us with the chance to visit the ocean whenever we want, go for a walk in the hills or mountains, and see/do many things unique to the west coast. There are still many things on our list to experience and we hope to knock some of them out this year. On a recent trip to the beach both H and I said the one thing we would miss if we ever moved away would be the ocean – the look, feel, smell and sound of it all.
• The reason we came out here was an opportunity for H’s career. Things have been going well although she is always busy, worrying, and working. Overall it’s so far been a positive on this front.
• We don’t miss the bitterly cold weather or the horrible slush that comes soon after a wet snow. Sure we get a little tired of the constant sun and 80 degree temperatures 340 days a year but it’s nice to plan a day, go for a walk or do whatever and not have to worry about the weather.

The Bad:

• As great as it has been for H’s career I continue to struggle finding work. I love what I did in the past but welcome the opportunity to do something different for a few years before perhaps diving back into things. However, the economy and my perceived skills and attributes from my past work experience have not translated well into the present job market. Fingers are crossed however …
• We miss family and friendly terribly. Back in Chicago we could hop in the car and be at H’s parents in 30 minutes. If we really wanted we could hop in a car and be back in Canada in eight hours. Here we are thousands of miles from everyone and we know it. There’s always the phone and I’m sure we talk to people more often now than we did back in Chicago but our proximity to people is a tough one for us.
• One of the tough things for us has been the change in life style here on the west coast. People are more laid back, trendy and everything is more expensive. It has taken and still takes a lot of patience on our part to get used to our surroundings and everything that is California/LA. Whenever friends or family ask what it’s like here I tell them to take everything they’ve seen in movies or tv about California/LA/the west coast and imagine living that every day.
• It goes without saying that we miss Chicago. We miss the seasons, the well developed city, the neighborhoods, our favorite restaurants/neighborhood joints, and everything about the Windy City. LA is where we live and it has been good to us so far, but Chicago still feels like home a year later.

The Ugly:

• Our condo is still on the market 14 months later. Do I really have to say anything more?
• Driving in LA is a nightmare. I hate it. I really hate it. In addition to everyone and their uncle owning a car and using it to drive everywhere there are so many things that make operating a motor vehicle here in LA so miserable. Common sense doesn’t seem to exist on the highways, and the highways themselves are a mess as they constantly move from 5 lanes to three and back up to four. No wonder traffic comes to a stand still at times. I’ve never driven anywhere in North America where people constantly change lanes, move from the far left to the far right all the time, or in the city turn a corner from a non-curb lane. I could go on and on but what’s the point, it isn’t going to change.

Overall it’s been a good year. Who knows what’s in store for the future but we’re ready for whatever comes our way here in California.