No one is more proud of the place they grew up in than I am. I am from Pittsburgh, PA and the one thing that all Pittsburghers have in common is a sense of pride for their city. We go out of our way some times to brag about how it's 'pop' not soda, and how the best sandwich in the world is the famous Primanti Brothers sandwich, found only in Pittsburgh. With all of that being said, my girlfriend thought that there might be a place I like better. The first thing I did when she told me this is laugh until it hurt. I mean, I have been to places like Florida, where it's sunny and beautiful, but it still was not as fun as Pittsburgh. I mean, what else is there to do other than go to Disney or watch old people at the beach? (no disrespect meant Florida people)
So she took me to her family’s home in Huntington Beach, California and I was skeptical, thinking it would be a nice vacation but not anything I would like better than my home. Well this may just be the first time that I was happy to be proven wrong. I mean holy crap is it nice out there, the hype is real.
So first the weather, I was expecting weather like Florida, you know the kind - super hot, feels like you have a damp cloth over your face and it’s hard to breathe - weather. Well it’s not like that at all. Its super nice out, like 80 degrees and no moisture in the air at all. Also, I don’t think I have ever seen skies so blue before, I mean no clouds at all. So unlike Pittsburgh and most of PA, where there is this perpetual overcast that hides the sun for most of the day.
Other than the beautiful weather, there is so much to do in California. The people are so different than in Pittsburgh and PA in general. I was expecting to see a lot of old people there because of the nice weather, but there were not many at all to my surprise. I think I only saw like five people over the age of 60. And they were not your typical older person, no, these where the super fit active kind. I saw this man who looked 65 dunk on a guy who looked in his late 20s. It blew me away that everyone, even the older people, had the mentality of young active adults. This made a huge difference in the culture. Everyone was always doing something outside or on a beach.
This trip absolutely blew my mind. Just when I thought it could not get any better we went to a swap meet. A swap meet is basically a huge yard sale where vendors come to trade their products. At the swap meet there was so much culture to take in compared to all of PA in general. In PA you will see a lot of White and Black people in general, but in California it’s so much more diverse. You will see all types of culture and when you get all different types of people together from all over the world you also get their amazing food. I ate the best tacos in the world at the swap meet from a vendor who was from Mexico. It was authentic food and you could tell that the vendor was passionate about his work.
These are just a few of the great things that I found in California, I’m sure there are many more. If you have any time off and want to travel somewhere amazing, definitely hit up Huntington Beach California, because it is LIT.
