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Monday, August 29, 2011

The Top 5 Reasons Why L.A. is Overrated

I found Ameena at Fancy That Fancy This through Kat at Tenaciously Yours and I am so glad I did! I love finding someone who is honest: sometimes, ya kind of get sick of your husband and your kid. Do you love them? OF COURSE! But do you sometimes want to smack them until they stop whining? OF COURSE! The thing is, there's never a post where you don't think she's an awesome mom and wife. Her writing is captivating and funny, self-deprecating and humble. Start with this post on being overwhelmed whether at home or on vacation. Something tells me I am sitting here relating right now as I return from my trip.

Those of you who are familiar with my blog www.fancythatfancythis.com know that I hate Los Angeles with a passion. You probably also know that I escape at every opportunity. I even welcomed a visit to Stephanie's home state of Minnesota during the depths of winter this past January! But what you may not know is why I detest L.A., so when Stephanie called for guest posts tackling Top 5 lists, I realized this was the perfect chance for me to explain myself.

The Top 5 Reasons Why L.A. is Overrated

1. L.A. is hard on the self-esteem. Some days I'll actually make an effort with my hair and clothes, maybe even slap on some blush if I'm feeling particularly energetic, and I'll feel pretty good about myself. Until I walk out of the house and run into Jessica Alba and/or Jennifer Aniston and/or one of the many other gorgeous stars that inhabit L.A., at which point I'll feel like a fat, hideous, unattractive mess.

2. The traffic is horrific. Since 99% of my day is spent sitting in gridlock traffic trying to get somewhere, there is little to no time left to enjoy what few attractions (the beach, Disneyland) L.A. has to offer.

3. L.A. is hard on the skin. You are probably thinking, "Ameena, must you complain about everything? Just put on some lotion." Trust me when I say that even a trough of Curel can't repair the damage that the dry and smoggy L.A. weather causes. I've tried. My skin still looks like crap.

4. Everything is fake. From fake body parts to fake people...L.A. is full of it. Literally.

5. The weather is overrated. Yes, I realize I am likely the only person who complains about the mild L.A. weather. But spend one Santa Ana wind-driven, fire-filled October and/or November here and you'll want to hightail it out of here as well. I guarantee it.


The beaches here are gorgeous. If only it didn’t take hours to get to them.


I hate to be so negative so I'll end this guest post with the one major perk Los Angeles offers: LAX is the second busiest airport in the country which means that if I can maneuver my dry-skinned self through the horrendous traffic and the sea of fake people surrounding me, I can hop on a flight out of here at the drop of a hat.

So I guess L.A. isn't so bad after all...

4 comments:

Mads said...

You jut listed all of the reasons I hate LA proper too! Thank god I live in Long Beach and it's a bit more sane here. We're a block from the beach, traffic is relatively sane (unless you think you need to leave Long Beach), and most of the people in our neighborhood are extremely laid back.
I do get sick of the weather though. Nothing is nice about the marine layer haze that lasts until noon and the complete lack of seasonal change.
I love CA, but I doubt it will be my forever home.
This comment is seriously dragging on and on and on. I will leave now.
Thank you. Goodbye.

Aleta said...

I've been to L.A. a couple of times. I have relatives that live there. The traffic is horrible. I remember going there and seeing the smog.. and at times being able to see the stars. It was strange. But the weather is really nice. In New Orleans we swim in the humidity whereas L.A. can have the heat but not the humidity and it makes a huge difference :)

Kat said...

Seriously. When you came here in January, I was so baffled about what we were meant to do because it could be acceptably freezing or below zero and you never get any warning about either of them.

That being said, you have bags that are just 11/10 for carrying in LA.

Finally, for a laugh...in Minnesota, when you step out the door, you're more likely to run into someone wearing an applique vest involving denim and flannel patches than someone who is unnaturally beautiful.

Ameena said...

Thank you Stephanie for letting me guest post here...I've found some amazing blogs through your site and some amazing readers have come to me the same way.

Mads: Long Beach is beautiful! At least you have the 710 and NOT the 405 at your fingertips.

Aleta: I thrive in the humidity! I think I need to check out New Orleans soon.

Kat: The great thing about Minnesota is that you can wear denim and flannel vests without feeling like a freak. Here? Not so much.