posted by Judy Wang on May 18, 2019

This January, I took a trip to Los Angeles California to visit colleges as well as sight-see. After flying from Tallahassee to Charlotte to Los Angeles, I finally made it to the west coast. I thought the flight was going to feel like forever, but the planes came with mini TVs for each seat and I binged watched Marvel movies. After arriving in Los Angeles and driving to the hotel, I felt like Los Angeles had a laid-back vibe, along with a diverse population of people and places. To me, Los Angeles seemed like the perfect balance for a college student: great food options and attractions, coupled with colleges and institutions with strong academics.  

The hotel I stayed in was in Westwood, a wealthy neighborhood in Los Angeles that was home to UCLA and Westwood Village. Westwood Village contained multiple shops and restaurants, my favorite of which was California Pizza Kitchen. I had never been to California Pizza Kitchen before and loved their unique combinations of toppings, such as broccoli, eggplant, corn, and mushrooms on their veggie pizzas.  

I also visited Downtown Los Angeles, which housed attractions like the Staples Center, the Broad, and the Grammy Museum. My favorite restaurant downtown was the Wokcano, an Asian fusion restaurant that served sushi along with other Asian dishes such as teriyaki chicken. 10/10 would recommend trying if you love Asian food and are in Los Angeles! 

After going downtown, I took the metro (which is super convenient and cheap!) to Hollywood, where I saw the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the TCL Chinese Theatre. At the Chinese Theatre, I was able to put my feet in the cement footprints that Stan Lee once made! 

The first college I visited in Los Angeles was the University of Southern California, which was really close to downtown. I really liked how the campus was enclosed and prohibited cars on campus. It really gave me the vibe of a classic college campus, with the addition of palm trees and a cupcake vending machine.  

The other college I visited was Pomona College, an hour train ride from Los Angeles. Fun fact: there is a city called Pomona, California; however, Pomona College is not in Pomona, California but is in fact in Claremont, California. I found that weird but interesting. At Pomona, I met up with my friend Mercy, who is a freshman at Pomona. Mercy showed me her dorm room and around Pomona’s gorgeous campus that was surrounded by snow-covered mountains. Pomona’s campus reminded me more of a luxury resort than a college, but I could still see students studying and walking to class.  

My trip to Los Angeles made me fall in love with California’s diverse offerings. From pizza to Asian food and from sandy beaches to snow-capped mountains, Los Angeles really had it all. My trip really influenced me to decide to go to college in Los Angeles. I cannot wait to be back and explore more of LA!