Summer after summer for one week, my family and I pack up a luggage and travel to a new country or city. Italy, Paris, Canada, New York, Los Angeles. In every single one I manage to fall in or out of love. In my many years I've seen inspiring places, but so far there has been nothing like the city of dreams, the city of angels, California's very own LA.
While my mother has gone to New York City about five times because she's beyond in love with it, I can't help but hate something about the city. Sometimes it's the weather, sometimes I hate the people, and well I mostly can't stand the traffic. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful city, and I love the idea of the subway, but it is just not for me.
My whole life I've wanted to visit three places, Africa, France and California. Last summer, I fell in love when I visited Paris. This year it was Cali's turn, and it did not disappoint. Every one of my friends that has visited Cali has loved it, but when I landed in Los Angeles, my first thought was "this city is quite ugly, please get me out of here".
As we got the keys to our rental car, we quickly headed to a place I had been dying to try, In-n-Out Burger. The food was not nearly what I had expected, but at the same time it felt like the best burger I had ever had. From there it was time to hit the Walk of Fame. Star tribute after tribute, I could not help but feel mesmerized by all the television, movies, and music history in which Hollywood had partaken. From Journey, to Marylyn Monroe, to Walt Disney. The very same generations that had shaped my generation, I felt like I was in the present and the past all in one place.
Following those adventure came many more. Santa Monica Beach and its pier would have to be one of my favorites. The many cultures that came together to be part of the same rollercoaster and beach waves was beyond anything I could imagine. The many street shows captivated me time after time, and even the cold air felt warm in my heart.
Los Angeles was not the only place in California or the West Coast that I fell in love with. It followed by being in the beautiful San Diego, the breath-taking San Francisco and the intriguing Las Vegas. Whether is was hot or cold, day or night, each day was nothing like the one before, and each one was amazing on its own. They say the West Coast feels different from the east, but throughout my days I could not figure out why. Was it the food? The weather? The mountains? City after city one thing remained the same and different all at once and that was the people. The sweetness and diversity that came with each city was so unique and welcoming. For me, it made me want to do the impossible, to believe in my dreams.
When people say LA is the city of dreams they are wrong, LA and the West Coast are so much more than that. It is a place where everyone accepts each other, a place where you can truly express yourself. Therefore, California, you can expect to see me once again, and possibly sooner than you expected. I'll be out here following not the footsteps of Marylyn Monroe, but those of Robert Kardashian, and well UCLA and UC Berkeley can be expecting a law school application shortly. One thing I do hope for is that my children do not follow in his footsteps, and if they do, well those are California Dreams.
