By Allie Ferrara / NYC
Welcome to Hollywood. For reference, Downtown Hollywood is a less anxiety-inducing version of Times Square.
Working and living in New York City winters are brutal enough to make any metropolitan denizen drop their briefcases and immediately book it for warmer scenery. I had this exact realization one January morning when the temperatures were registering around 15 degrees. “Los Angeles,” I thought to myself, “perfect!”
And so I arrived at Los Angeles International Airport several weeks and [two bloody marys midflight] later to enjoy the 75 degree weather and time well spent with none other than, Gabi Conti. Of course, my initial enthusiasm had me leaving permanent goodbye notes to my East Coast family and friends posted via Facebook, asking them to sell off my possessions because I would “never be coming back.”
You can tell I've been taken out of my natural habitat. I'm smiling AND I'm not wearing all black. The beach at Santa Monica is one place guaranteed to plaster an ear-to-ear smile on your face.
A day later, I was ready to return to the hustle and bustle of New York City, albeit a freezing one. My boyfriend nicknamed me “John Kerry” for a reason. I never have the same opinion twice.
But what makes Los Angeles so different from New York City?
Well, a lot of things. Probably the most glaring difference is the people. They are so damn chilled out! What, do they put Xanax in the city water? I learned this at a Bank of America ATM. I had fifteen minutes to make it from Hollywood to West LA which, when the GPS tells you to take the I-10 and it’s ”only 3.5 mile away,” in actuality, you’re going to take an hour.
Most of my time in LA looked like this. Also, is blaring your music really loud in stand still traffic only an East Coast thing?
Before getting in the car, I rushed over to the ATM and saw a woman fidgeting for her wallet. I posted up right next to her, gave her my “I’m from New York, bitch” look and she asked “are you in a rush?” “Yes, actually” I replied. I’ve never seen anyone look so threatened. In New York City, you know better than to take your sweet time. If you are taking a while at the ATM, you move over and wait until you’re ready (dare you get yelled at), because you know everyone else is in a rush.
Thank you to a lovely hostess, Gabi Conti.
The upside is everyone is very polite and accommodating. I had a woman offer me her seat in a bar and another man apologize for bumping into me. I was astonished! I remember saying to these kind people “In New York that would never have happened.” Kindness, even random acts of such, is rare in New York City.
Accessibility is also wildly different in LA. You essentially can’t get anywhere without a car which makes bar hopping or going out at night a one-stop deal. You better have a lot of friends who are willing to trade shifts with you as DD because there are no taxis in this city. Also, the concept of only having one sushi joint, one dry cleaners and one gym to pick from in each neighborhood defies city life to me. What makes New York City so unique is its array of dive bars, bodegas, laundromats, boutiques and eateries on every single street.
I can’t even commit to ordering one entrée at a restaurant for fear I’m shorting myself variety. Then, how am I supposed to commit to just one good restaurant in my entire neighborhood? Also, how will you know if the dry cleaner is ripping you off if you can’t try every single one in your .5 mile radius. Necessary questions, people.
The best way to end my trip, stuffing my face full of double-double Animal-style In-N-Out burgers.
Don’t get me wrong, Los Angeles is incredibly beautiful and exciting. But I guess I like my people a little rough around the edges and in a bit of a hurry. Hey, it’s what allows us to say the old adage “if you can survive in New York City, you can survive anywhere else.”
Chocolate Covered Classics 
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