36 Things I’ve Learned While Living in LA – A List With Hashtags

Dear Londann,

So numbered lists are all the rage these days on the interwebs.  I’ve been in LA for five months now, and most of the transplants I’ve met out here say it took them about one to three years to adjust and find their circle of friends.  I will admit I’m a fast learner, but I’m still adjusting for sure.

What better way to talk about the LA / life lessons I’ve learned than with a trendy numbered list accompanied by hashtags?  Sometimes life lessons come at you quite bluntly, so I apologize for my brusqueness.

In honor of my (almost) 36 years of life, here are 36 things…

1. The weather never sucks.  #itsalwayssunny
2. I can’t read ~80% of the signs in my own neighborhood.  #Ktown
3. Pedestrians rule.  Like, REALLY rule.  They are slow and seemingly have nowhere to go.  They don’t even LOOK when they step out into the street.  #ahundredpointsifyouhitone
4. Parking blows.  #blows
5. Traffic is NOT as bad as everyone says.  PARKING is.  #seeabove
6. I believe most traffic in LA is caused by pedestrians.  Who rule, by the way.  #ohmygodwalk
7. Homeless has a distinct scent.  #urine
8. One way to get high is to simply walk through Venice beach.  #probablylegaleverywherebythetimeyoucanread
9. 65 degrees is hoodie weather.  #ispellitwithanIE
10. Sometimes people don’t respond to your text messages.  At.  All.  #flaky
11. There has been something like three earthquakes since I’ve been here and I haven’t felt a thing.  #iamtheearth
12. Sunsets on the Pacific are pure sweetness.  #therapy
13. Everybody smokes. It seems.  #buttseverywhere
14. Some people can talk for hours about what you’re wearing.  And not much else.  #notjustahatrack
15. Regular-sized dogs are feared by humans city-wide. #mydogisnotanaccessory
16. When you’re friendly to a guy (because you’re naturally friendly) he thinks you want to go out with him.  Oh wait.  That’s everywhere.  #boys
17. Cockroaches.  #crunch #yuck
18. No humidity = Good hair days.  Every. Day.  #highfive
19. Helicopters.  #badboysbadboys
20. I never take for granted that I get to see palm trees everywhere.  #butwherearethecoconuts
21. Mountains.  #boom
22. Handheld umbrellas are used for shielding the sun instead of rain.  #goodforsomething
23. The question “How far…” (distance) is answered in measurements of time, not miles.  And it takes roughly a half hour to get just about everywhere.  #pedestriansrule
24. Sunglasses are a must.  Good thing I have 30 pairs.  #thankyouknockoffs
25. Passive aggressive.  #whoa
26. Anything goes when it comes to fashion.  Boots, hats and scarves in 97-degree weather is one.  #functionoverfashion
27. Dog owners don’t pick up poop.  Even in the middle of the sidewalk.  #watchyourstep #howdoyoujustwalkawayfromthat
28. I am most comfortable hanging out in Huntington Beach with my dog.  #likehome
29. East coast people tend to find each other.  #universe
30. It. Feels. Like. Slow. Motion.  #nosenseofurgency
31. Shopping at Goodwill is kind of awesome.  #onemanstrash
32. Tinder.  Want to feel shallow and judgmental immediately?  Download this app and start swiping.  #swiperight #swipeleft
33. I still only need about 400 square feet of living space.  #tinyhousemovement
34. Murphy beds rock my world. #nevermakethebedagain
35. People are surprised / weirded out when you do things for them that a good friend would do.  #paranoid #beafriendtohaveone
36. Home is not a place at all.  Home is where your heart is.  #iloveyou