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On the bus somewhere between Nashville, TN and Kinder, LA: As I make my way to one
LA, I think about another
LA I will be headed to in a few months. The boss got
a new gig starting in the fall and was gracious enough to let me tag along for the ride.
Since I'll be there long enough to make a hotel stay feel a bit too impersonal, I decided to opt for the guest house option. (Though I'll miss daily maid service and 24 hour room service.) After looking around at the plethora of choices the City of Angels offer, I narrowed it down to three choices, all with their own pluses and minuses.
Option 1: Colorful
Pluses: The first option was by far the prettiest. With bright, colorful walls, the two bedroom guest house (with an additional sleeper sofa) was surrounded by tropical flowers and flower beds. It's online description said "sun drenched" and on a beautiful day, it couldn't have fit more perfect. It made me feel like I was in a big kids' playhouse or secretly crashing at a celebrity's hidden bungalow.
Minuses: The home was located in the Hollywood Hills. While that sounds, well, very Hollywood, the truth of the matter is there is only one to get in and one way to get out. And that road is extremely curvy. (Enough to make me car sick, even as the driver!) Plus, being in the hills means no street parking for guests. It's great to have a two bedrooms, but when only one person can actually park their car to get to the house, it doesn't really matter.
Option Two: Trendy
Pluses: The second option was in the trendiest neighborhood. Close to shops, restaurants and an independent movie theatre, I could literally never leave the hood for entertainment. The one bedroom, right-side duplex was bright and offered stylish furniture (including a clear, plastic chair in the living room) and a side garden with Mexican bamboo and ornamental grasses.
Minuses: A friend who hails from the area said the two most important things to look for while living in LA are air condition and parking. There was a single window air conditioner in the bedroom only and street parking was available... but only when it wasn't filled up with visitors to the hip neighborhood. Which made me think that I would be parking in the paid parking lot two blocks away more often than not. And the 7 mile drive to work might be a quick 17 minute drive according to Google Maps, but in LA traffic, who know how much time I'll actually be spending in the car each day.
Option Three: Homey
Pluses: The first time I walked into the third option, I felt immediately comfortable. The bottom level, one bedroom duplex offered plush couches (one, a sleeper sofa), pillow top king bed and my personal fav - a cozy office area overlooking a private garden patio. Additionally, there was plenty of street parking in addition to two tenant-allocated driveway spots. And a most important feature: it's a mere 1.5 miles from work. Even in LA traffic, I think I could make it there in 10 minutes.
Minuses: The neighborhood it's situated in is a bit... dull. When I typed in "restaurants" in my Around Me app, it brought up Taco Bell. There are no cute coffee shops within walking distance and it's situated in the Valley, which makes my former West Hollywood self turn her nose up.
After seeing all three places, I kept wishing there would be a way to combine them to the perfect home away from home. The bright & colorful look... in the hippest neighborhood... that is just 10 minutes from work. But, the reality is that the 100% exactly-what-I'm-looking-for place doesn't really exist. It's about ranking them in order of what is most important to you, what you can and can't live without and how you think you'll feel in the long term.
This is very similar to choosing a partner. Sure, I'd love the best looking with the most adventurous life who is in the same mindset as me. But chances are, all three of those men might be friends, but they're probably not one person. So it's about ranking the importance of the same attributes: what is most important to me, what I can and can't live without and how I think I'll feel in the long term.
For my temporary west coast stint, I've decided to go with homey. I figure I can always venture out to trendy areas after work if I want, but my main hub will be something nearby where I feel most comfortable. And by way of visiting friends and new projects I've already begun dreaming of, I'll add my own splash of color to the place.
I'm not sure what that says about my choice of men, but I'm hoping that they won't mind making a voyage to the Valley.
