One of my favorite parts about living in Las Vegas was Los Angeles. And while I didn’t go amazingly often, I just liked having it nearby.

Being from New York, it was always kind of a given: I had to be anti-LA. I had trained myself to think it was shallow and full of wannabe whatevers and void of culture and excitement. And the traffic! I had never sat in it, but got enraged just thinking about it!

Until I started going for weekend trips. Since the company I worked for had a partnership with Morgans Hotel Group, I got great rates at the Mondrian and loved the location. I like being a pedestrian, and when I didn’t bring my car along,  it was so convenient being within walking distance to EarthBar for morning juices and a cadre of bars for late night (well, semi late night; it IS LA after all and that 2am last call makes for very reasonable evenings) cocktails.

But whatever the weekends in LA were spent doing, I was just happy to be with my friends, some of whom I have known for over 10 years and others that I met during these trips. On multiple occasions when I thought I was starting to lose my mind from sleep deprivation in Vegas, I would hop in the Fiat and head south on the 15, with no plan except to escape for a minute. And four hours later, when I spotted the Hollywood sign, or Chateau or whatever landmark, my entire energy shifted.

No matter how we were connected, my LA friends made me feel at home and real. And while the city may not have the same level of culture as NYC (but, really, how often to I go to The Met or the theater?) , I still managed to do fun, exciting things during my excursions: a Helmut Newton exhibit at the Annenberg, live music at Sayers, dinners by the ocean in Manhattan and Huntington Beaches and super casual brunches with these amazing friends that lasted all day and turned into perfect nights. And the sun. It was just the right amount, always.

Bottom line: I have learned to love LA. It will never be “home” in the same way New York is, but I still look forward to spending time out there again soon and embracing the place for what it is and what it does for me.