Dear Los Angeles,

When I was younger, I remember watching movies that were set in your great city and thinking, now that’s somewhere I want to visit when I grow up. I never knew that I would fall in love with Los Angeles as much as I have in the past week.

Last summer, I took the six-and-a-half-hour plane ride over to the warm West Coast for the very first time. Not knowing anybody and having been my first solo trip, I was scared out of my mind. Yet, you managed to keep me calm through my bus ride from the airport to the apartment complex. For the entire week I was in your city, I was learning the craft of acting for film as well as getting to act in some short films, shot on the famous backlot of Universal Studios.

It must be a combination of the weather, the scenery, the people, and everything else you have to offer that makes my admiration for you so strong. Anyone who knows me knows I can’t stand the winter; snow is only pretty when it’s falling and there is nothing that I dread more than going out in the cold. I also hate the rain with a burning passion; I literally get depressed when it’s gloomy out. Nothing makes me happier than going outside on a sunny day with clear skies knowing I won’t get a chill.

Wherever I walk around your city, there is so much greenery. I cannot escape all the color and brightness your plants have to offer. The view of the New York City skyscrapers is beautiful when watching from a tall building at night to see the lights looking like stars in the sky, but nothing can compare to a line of palm trees on the side of the roads we drive through California.

And how could I forget your beaches? I was born and raised on the East Coast, which is no stranger to some famous beaches. But, let’s face it: the West Coast beaches have nothing on the East Coach beaches.

I remember as I waited in JFK, nobody spoke a word to me. Everyone kept to themselves and ignored everything that didn’t have to do with them. As soon as I landed at LAX, the people were just so friendly and welcoming. People were actually smiling and seemed interested in one another. I remember when I was waiting on line in my terminal, a complete stranger complimented my carry-on bag. I remember thinking, a New Yorker would never be this friendly. Maybe I was wrong; not all New Yorkers embody the unfriendly, disinterested characteristics that are usually attributed to them. But I just feel like there is something about your city that makes people so carefree and laidback.

I’m not going to mention every single thing there is to see and experience in your city because this is a love letter, not a laundry list. But, I did have an amazing time letting my hands lie where Marilyn Monroe laid them so many years ago. And even though the walk was a pain, it gave me so much joy to see the Hollywood sign and all the beauty your city displays from that incredible view in the mountains.

I keep telling my family and friends my plans on moving over there once I get my degree. I know that’s a long-shot since it’s a huge transition to live by myself, especially since I’d be moving to the opposite side of the country. I probably won’t even have enough money to live in such an expensive city in only a few years. Nevertheless, I can always save up so I can take more trips and explore more and more of your city as well as the rest of the glorious state of California.

I may be back on the East Coast but I love you too much to stay away for too long.

Your admirer and soon-to-be more frequent visitor,

Teylor Veliotis