#LongLA

When Brittany and I left Chicago we had made a decision to optimize the next phase of our lives for happiness. We knew we were moving to the West Coast but we didn’t know where. We looked at Portland, San Francisco and LA and spent about 10 days in each city exploring what it would be like to live there.

Portland and SF were great (we lived in SF in 2012–2013) but ultimately we decided on LA. To be honest, I just kind of meh on the city itself when we made the decision. The biggest driver was family. I had been away from my family for the last 17 years and both of us felt it was important to be close to people we love.

But one short week into LA, I’m already starting to fall in love with this city.

The tech scene here is exploding and growing faster than anyplace else in the country. But it’s not just the tech community that is thriving. Everything in LA right now seems to be thriving: art, music, food, culture, tech. It’s like the city is in the midst of a renaissance.

Though I won’t pretend to have figured out the freeway system yet, I’m beginning to feel like a native. In my first week in LA, I witnessed a mudslide, took a road trip to Vegas, and ate Chinese food in the San Gabriel Valley. Also, I did 90% of this in a Prius. So yeah, I’m pretty sure this makes me a certified, full blown Angeleno.

There’s a hashtag people in the LA tech community throw around a lot: #LongLA. Before I moved here I thought it was a little goofy — you know a little too rah-rah LA. But now that I’m here I think I’m starting to get it. This place is pretty great.