L.A.

Over the summer my friends and I took our annual vacation to sunny Los Angeles, California and I realized I never shared my thoughts on this amazing city. Seeing as though Connecticut has been beyond gloomy and depressing these past few days, I'm excited to reminisce on warmer days in the city.

To begin, I purchased my ticket through Jet Blue and got it for less than $300, round trip, from JFK to LAX. I also booked my flight in February and the trip took place in late July. 

From there, our only other task was to purchase our AirBnb. Keep in mind we're all still in college so our budget was rather slim. We found (last minute) a home in Northridge LA which came with 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. We didn't spend much time in the home, but it was pretty comfortable to sleep in and our host was very friendly. I suggest staying in homes further away from Downtown LA if you want to save some money, but you will DEFINITELY need to rent a car. We used Enterprise which was convenient since LAX provides a shuttle to the nearest Enterprise location.

The traffic in LA is as real as people say it is so be prepared to include at least an hour of travel time before you go out.

On our first full day in LA, we immediately hit up Venice Beach. We spent the day walking down the beach, observing skateboarders, tanning and getting souvenirs. I also purchased a custom wire necklace from a pal named Mike which I've worn everyday since then (Thanks Mike!).

Over the next few days in LA we explored Hollywood, visited the Museum of Death, participated in an escape room, went to Redonda Beach, had brunch in Malibu, ate plenty of gelato and authentic Mexican food, hiked to the Hollywood sign, drove through canyons and so much more.

The food in LA was also nowhere near disappointing. In-n-Out Burger and Roscoes are definitely not overrated and I highly encourage any one of you to try them out!

I remember feeling so free in LA. Everyone was on the same page it seemed. Just taking each day as it was, enjoying the sun and making the most out of an amazing city. My favorite day in LA was when we visited Little Tokyo and I got some of the best Ramen in my entire life. Little Tokyo also had this mall that was basically dedicated to anime and had a dope vibe overall.

We all expected to run into celebrities all over the place, but sadly that did not happen. But, before leaving LA, our Lyft driver happened to be a movie producer, director and actor named Brandon Heitkamp who has a movie coming out in theaters soon called Valley of Bones (Don't worry, I got his card and told him that I'm coming back to work for him after graduation!) Why was he driving a Lyft if he's so successful? Well, Brandon wanted an inconspicuous way to get money for an engagement ring for his now fiancé and opened a separate bank account so that all his Lyft money could go into it. Needless to say, I'm happy to have been apart of the cause.

Overall, I love LA and I knew I would. It's really my dream to move out there when my pockets are a little heavier so that I can thoroughly enjoy this amazing city. For now, I find LA to be a known gem that is cherished and loved by all who choose to live out there.

My next vacation is still in limbo but I would like to get out of the United States and really experience something new. I'm also all about solo travel, so if you have any travel tips or suggestions let me know!

If you want more info on LA, I'll give you all the knowledge I have.

Keep checking out KayraJay as I've been working on some exciting projects including a music video and a short film!