In my years living on the east coast, I constantly heard people who had traveled to the west coast say, “It is absolutely beautiful out there; if you go, you don’t want to come back.” I really never believed them because I am an east coast kid and really enjoy living around the speed and stress of the nation’s largest city, New York City. That was until I recently made my way to the west coast.

Over the past five years, I have found myself on the west coast twice, and both times I was devastated when the trip ended. For starters, no one enjoys when a vacation ends no matter where you are traveling, but in this case, it was because of what I heard about not wanting to come home. There is just something about the west coast that is captivating, and no matter how hard you try, there is no way to compare it like home.

This past trip I was in Las Vegas, and when I woke up and took a step onto the balcony all I saw in the distance were mountains and clear skies; it looked as if someone painted the scenery. You can not find that on the east coast (or at least where I live in New Jersey). Yes, New York has a beautiful skyline, but realistically, it is one dirty city, and in some areas, it is uncomfortable to walk around. The areas I visited in Las Vegas and Los Angeles on my first trip was so clean I could not believe it; I was taken back at how everything was cleaned and presented.

Evidently, these cities make sure not only the tourists are happy but also the people who are living there, which makes the area even more appealing. You can tell by being there that the cities care about how they look and want to make sure people keep coming back a smart and noticeable move.

Another reason why I truly love the west coast is the weather. Here on the east coast, we deal with a lot of rain, snow, and humidity. The humidity when I visited the west coast made even 100 degrees bearable. You can go out and enjoy each day, which is a blessing.

My last two reasons I love the west coast are kind of generic, but are important to me. The first is sports. Every sporting event is set to start on the eastern time schedule, so either 1 p.m., 4 p.m. or 7 p.m.; on the West Coast however, that’s 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. As a baseball fan, do you know how amazing it was to watch the Mets and other east coast teams play a game at 10 p.m., have the game finish at 12:30 p.m. and still be able to enjoy the rest of your day and night? It was great

And my last point about the west coast is the all so famous In-N-Out Burger. I had it twice on this last trip within four days and twice on my first trip to California in one day. The hype is real, and In-N-Out Burger is one of the best burger joints I have ever eaten at.

I guess it is safe to say my pitch selling the west coast to east coast people had a little bit of everything, from the lifestyle to the food; but, I am not kidding when I say you don't want to come back when you visit. The west coast is as laid back and relaxing as any other place I have been to. For me, there is just something about the west coast that I will always remember, and hopefully one day, I will make my way out there for good.