Extra Credit: living in southern california

If you follow along, you may recall that I’ve mentioned that I live in Southern California. Los Angeles to be exact and to be even more exact, West Los Angeles very close to the beach. The trade off for biking distance to the beach, cool breezes, mild winters and plenty of sunshine is a smaller house. When we were first house hunting, we considered a larger house in different areas but both my husband and myself were willing to sacrifice square footage for the beautiful surroundings and mild weather.

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The Venice Boardwalk is nearby and I used to frequent it when I was younger.

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If you ever visit Los Angeles, you’ll want to check out the Venice Boardwalk. It’s a hodge podge of beach, food, vendors, entertainment and people watching,

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The happiest place on earth is less than an hour away. We don’t get to Disneyland very often but I could practically call Pluto, Mickey and Donald neighbors.

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I just heard that the Santa Monica Pier is one of the most Instagrammed photos. I was so surprised that this location was so popular. I drive by this area all the time so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised because it’s always crazy busy with tourists and locals walking around.



Snow and skiing are also less than a few hours away. It’s not uncommon for people to take day trips up the mountain for a fun day on the slopes.

Even with all the popular Southern California attractions close by, we don’t visit them very often. Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, Universal Studios, The Getty, Hollywood, major sporting events and more are all within a short car ride. But for us, our home is just another home that really could be in any neighborhood. I forget that we’re in a huge city and tend to stay pretty local.




Walks along the nearby bike path turn up unexpected surprises like this rock art. And even though it’s nice to have all the entertainment options available to us, this is what I love about our neighborhood. The quieter more peaceful spots where you forget that you live in a big city.

And while I enjoy the cool ocean breezes and quiet aspects of our area, our son can relish in the fun of all that’s available to him – the beach, amusement parks, snowboarding and his passion – volleyball.

Thanks for visiting.

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.