top five things i'm excited about in la

in just over a month, we will be rolling into la with just a few suitcases, ready to take on the world. that makes it eight months from the original idea percolating to actually making it happen... and during those eight months, i've had a lot to get excited about. here's what i'm most looking forward to about living in los angeles.

1. weather. duh.

this could probably be numbers 1 through 10, i am that excited about the sunshine. i truly thought i was in it for the long haul with new york city, and never really pictured living anywhere else, until this winter and the phrase "polar vortex" entered my vocabulary. as i'm typing this wearing shorts in july with freckled arms, it's almost a distant memory. but those long dark days of february made it really easy to say goodbye to nyc and hello to year-round 70 degree days.

nope. nope. nope. no more.

2. the beach!

also a no-brainer. i give myself approximately two months before i break down and buy a stand-up paddle board (oh what's that, my birthday is in september? isn't that convenient!). while we're subletting pretty far inland in silver lake, i have a hunch that when we find a place of our own, it will be within walking distance of the ocean.

ok, not actually taken at a beach, but on a paddle board!

3. nature

and no, i don't mean central park. after twelve years of either highly curated "nature" or stressful and expensive day trips out of the city to get some fresh air, it's going to be a total game-changer to be able to hop into our own car whenever we want and drive a good hiking trail, or to a lake, or to the desert, or even to the mountains to go skiing.

hiking in palm springs last january

4. a car!!!

true, this is the number one thing that i've heard people struggle with when they move from nyc to la - adapting to a car-centered culture. i love the walkability of new york and the incredible public transportation system. until you have a week's worth of groceries hanging on your shoulders in the middle of rush hour on the 5 train. the idea of driving to a grocery store and throwing the bags in the trunk is positively luxurious. honestly, if i just had a car to go grocery shopping, i think my life would be made.

[photo unavailable as i've never in my life owned a car or had one of my own]

5. all the unknowns with this guy 

we're moving to los angeles without much figured out, and that is both terrifying and exciting. blake is making this huge leap and chasing his dream, and who knows how it's going to turn out? (spoiler alert: i have a hunch it's going to be great...) i don't know what kind of people we'll meet and be friends with, where our weekend hangouts will be, what neighborhood we'll live in after december, what kind of dog we'll get, where blake will be working... there is so much that i can't wait to see unfold.

me, celebrating my 29th birthday last year in santa monica, completely unaware that my 30th birthday would be spent as a resident of southern california. 

any la readers out there? would love any and all advice about living in the city of angels! (starting with whether that's a cool or dorky thing to call it?)