Things I miss about California

I haven't been back here in almost two years (we moved to the midwest in June 2007), and I had forgotten so many things. So in no particular order, things that now stand out:

DIVERSITY. Asian, Hispanic, black, white, Indian, people of every color. On the way to Marleena's, about 15 minutes away, I saw signs in Cambodian, Vietnamese, Chinese, English, Spanish, and another language I didn't recognize. How wonderful. (Edited to add a day later: Three people in line in front of me at Starbuck's had tattoos. Hooray!)

FRESH PRODUCE. Every salad here is amazing. None of the lettuce is brown. The strawberries bought at the corner Albertson's and Von's are better than the strawberries bought at the fresh markets in Cincinnati.

HOLLYWOOD. I'd forgotten how many movie billboards there are here. And the people... they're stylish in a different way, with lots of hats and jeans and a casual chic. In a way I really like that Ohio isn't like that - there's not as much pressure to be thin or blond or look good - but in another way I like being in close proximity to the glamorous lifestyle, even if I don't necessarily take part in it.

OPENNESS. This comes part and parcel with liberal-ness. One of our friends here brought up living with post-traumatic stress disorder, another started talking very candidly about their love life. I like that people aren't as private here, that it's acceptable, and even expected, to talk about subjects that are more intimate and controversial.

LACK OF SPORTS. No billboards for sports teams, no TVs in restaurants showing sports, and it hasn't come up in conversation even once, whether with our friends, my mom's friends, or people from the temple community.

GOING GREEN. Recycle bins are as big as trash bins. The city recycles plastic containers up to the number 6 (Cincinnati recycles only 1 and 2). A trash collecting vehicle had a huge "Recycle!" poster on its side. The server at a burger joint we went to for lunch made a point of telling us that the placemats were made from recycled paper.

SUN. It's 71 degrees right now. And bright. And sunny. Sarah, who's cat-sitting at home, turned our heat back on because at home it was icy and she didn't want our pipes to freeze. Enough said.

GEEKINESS. There are ads everywhere for Renaissance Faire. We heard IT jokes at Jamba Juice. Jonathan and I don't stand out!!

To be fair, there are also some negatives about California. LA isn't nearly as child-friendly. The natural lushness of Cincinnati is missing (this also means all the greenery is stylized here, and almost every house utilizes a professional gardener). Traffic is heavy and constant; the 405 freeway is 16 lanes at points, while the 75 in Ohio I think is only 8 lanes. (Jonathan hates this about LA, but I actually like it for the busy-ness. I learned to drive on these freeways, so everywhere else seems slow and plodding to me. It felt like we were really home when we had to go 80 mph to keep up with the flow of traffic!). Also, Cincinnati may be cold right now, but there is something to be said for having seasons, for seeing the leaves fall and experiencing snow, and having the weather be a marker for time. That's completely missing in southern California, and I know that Jonathan really enjoys it.

For both of us though, this visit has cemented our decision to move to one of the coasts when I'm ordained. Our first choice to live has been and will always be San Francisco, but barring that... Boston, Seattle, Portland, LA, here we come!