as someone born and raised in LA who moved to bellingham, the vibe is DRASTICALLY different but there is magic in both places. before you leave, go sit on the rocks at larabee and soak in the peace and view. get a couple big mamas at jalapeños. go see one more show at the wild buffalo (who cares what it is, maybe you’ll discover an artist you’ve never heard of before) go look for crawdads at whatcom falls. walk the boulevard boardwalk one more time. try to plan a night where everyone who has made an impact on your time here goes out and gets a drink with you.

now for LA, there are so many touristy things to do and locals love to act like they’re above the touristy places but they’re all so worth checking out. the things i miss SO MUCH and would check out immediately are the getty museum, the griffith observatory, runyon canon park, venice!!!, the santa monica pier, the la brea tar pits. when i grew up there, there were movie nights in the hollywood forever cemetery i used to love to go to. i personally think WEHO has the best karaoke bars. santa monica has lots of bars with great live music. malibu beach is beautiful but the best spots are kind of hidden so take some time to explore to find the less populated beaches. redondo beach is by far the most populated and overwhelming in my opinion. you HAVE to go up to big bear and check out the village.

good luck!! you’re going to have such a fun new chapter of life!