So, I have a confession, I don’t live in Los Angeles. But, I live in one of the suburbs of Los Angeles. “Atop the Palos Verdes Hills and bluffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. It is known for large tracts of open space with expansive views of the Pacific Ocean.” (Wikipedia)

You can read what I thought moving to LA would be like here.

Now that I have been in California for a year, I can confidently say, I LOVE it! I never acquired the taste for avocado toast or kombucha, and I learned quickly that “sweet tea” is just peach tea. But despite all that, I do truly love it here.

Now for my Top 10 Surprising LA Living Randoms By A Midwesterner*:

• I hardly leave the PV Peninsula (Palos Verdes) – Everything I need is on the “hill”. To leave = traffic.

• We use the pool year round

• No drive-thru restaurants – Therefore, you have to go to another city to find a McDonald’s. No photos for this. Just a random/sometimes frustrating fact. But, I actually really like it for my budget and waist line.

• Everyone has been SO nice! – Moving two school-age children from the only home they’ve know so close to family halfway across the country where we knew NO ONE is scary! Throw in we VOLUNTEERED to move. The pressure was on us as parents to make this work. Luckily, we moved to the nicest city to the best school for our kiddos. Oliver found handball, baseball, and soccer. Abigail found friends into preforming, singing, gymnastics, and dance. And the parents are AMAZING!

• The Peninsula takes Baseball Little League seriously!
• Getting Universal Studios Annual Passes has been a lifesaver! – We go A LOT! Holidays, Birthdays, just because.

• My kids do not like the beach – There I said it. They just don’t. It’s weird. I don’t understand. They don’t like the salt water in their eyes or mouth. They hate getting pushed by the waves. However, they do like playing in the sand. I guess it’s the small wins.

• Catalina Island – We take visitors to impress them 🙂 . It’s BEAUTIFUL and the ferry ride is worth it alone. Pro Tip: Rent a golf cart!

• Sunsets – We go to certain parks just for the view/sunsets alone. Oliver doesn’t quite doesn’t understand sitting, being silent, and taking in the sights. I think he has ruined a few dates. Sorry!

• There’s SO much to do! To sum up, looking at our list of “must sees”, we haven’t gotten through half!

*I couldn’t think of a better title for list 🤣