dress gold

I feel like everyone I have ever talked to had been to California (specifically Los Angeles) before me and they have all raved about how wonderful the city had been.  Since I had only heard positive things about Los Angeles, I had pretty high expectations for the trip.

For me personally, LA is overrated.  Before I submit my reasoning, please enjoy these snapshots from the trip.

Where Were Stayed: Airbnb in Hollywood

Since hotels were outrageously priced for the days we were in LA, we resorted to renting an apartment through Airbnb–it turned out to be a wonderful decision.  Not being in a hotel lead us to adapt to the city’s culture faster and added a different element to the LA experience.  By the end of our 4 days, I felt like an LA native.  It truly felt like home and I don’t think that feeling would have been present if we lodged at a hotel.

    

What We Saw: Classic LA landmarks and more…

         

Where We Ate: In-N-Out Burger, Georgetown Cupcake, birds, Alfred Coffee, & Dough Pizza

I can never complain about food.  It was all worth every bite, no matter how unhealthy it was.

      

Back to my opinion on Los Angeles.  I do not mean to offend anyone in anyway, but I just did not think that LA was anything special or worth raving about.  Don’t get me wrong, I am forever grateful I had the opportunity to visit and experience the city but I left slightly disappointed.

 1) Prior to actually being there, I had no idea that the city was ridiculously dirty.  I understand that with a massive population this issue is likely to arise but it is something many people fail to acknowledge or admit about the city–it is very much a reality. Literal garbage lined the streets.  This was one thing I still cannot wrap my head around.  Residents of the city abundantly pay both city and state taxes, yet the streets are filled with trash.  You would think more money would be allocated to avert the issue, especially since the city has a high population of wealthy residence.  2) HOLY SMOG! I couldn’t see the famous “Hollywood” sign for the first 2 days because of the excessive smog.  Hell, I didn’t even get to see a California sunrise.  At first I thought it was just cloudy but that didn’t turn out to be the case.  3) The phrase “walking distance” cannot be applied that often.  Many destinations in Los Angeles require a drive and when you do get in the car to only travel a couple miles, it takes FOREVER.  The one evening we had to make a “quick” stop at Target; the Google Maps said it was only 2 miles away and that the drive would take an estimated 17 minutes.  Now, back at home there is a Target 2 miles from my house.  It only takes about 5 minutes to get there in standard suburban traffic.

Enough of my rant, I don’t like to complain on the blog.  Again, I apologize if I offended anyone, please don’t take my opinion personally.  I truly did have fun visiting the city and found many areas lovely.

For more photos from the trip, visit me on Instagram!