Coming to America

I remember when we first moved to La Jolla, there has been several things that really marked me.

The day that we left officially Montreal, my husband, my daughter and I had 2 suitcases, 2 carry-on, a park&play and a stroller.

Prior to our departure, we had organized to receive the rest of our things by road transportation some weeks later. Strange as it may sound, we had only come once to San Diego before to find our accommodation. We certainly did not had time to visit nor explore our future "home" during these overloaded 48 hours but I remember staying at The Grand Colonial Hotel in La Jolla and I thought the hotel was really cozy and warm.

In the first days and weeks following our official arrival, we lived with the bare minimum which is to say, a borrowed mattress and our landlord's refrigerator, oven and microwave. (Sears made a mistake with our delivery dates for which we had precisely scheduled a perfect synchronization with our arrival day!)

Can you imagine living without a washer or dryer for weeks with a 6 months old baby?

And how to cook without your kitchen items?

The first days consisted of shopping for E.V.E.R.Y single things! From Bed Bath & Beyond to Maci's followed by Ace Hardware .... It was chaotic to say the least. We were eating take-outs for breakfast, lunch and dinners. Looking back, I now see this experience as a big family adventure that had allowed us to explore and get lost in the greater San Diego. We were driving a large black SUV Chevrolet Tahoe. Oh what fun!

We had rented a great apartment located on the famous Prospect street and he had unobstructed views of La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores.  It did not take long before I fell in love with LaJolla.

After having finally succeeded in settling in our house in a functional way, I gradually began to explore LaJolla and that's how I started to discover several surprising or new things that I was not used to seeing in Montreal.


I even started to write a list in my Iphone to be sure not to forget anything. 

• Women wear stockings in their sandals in the summer. I thought it was strange.

• Pedestrians and cyclist are pleasantly accepted by drivers and have priority on the roads. Not in Montréal. 

• More than 50% of cars on the road are luxurious automobiles in La Jolla (Over $100,000). I did not know that La Jolla is one of the most expensive places to live in the United States which kind of explains the cars...

• The merchanders/business onwers are very welcoming and kind regardless of where you are from. Certainly not in Montréal where Anglophones are not well accepted. 

• Local residents are worried by the seals because they are too many. In Montréal, people are worried about snow storms.

• The air smells good (except near the cove).

• The roads are clean and there are free magazine kiosks. In Montreal, the kiosks would be vandalized immediately.

• Children are welcome in all upscale restaurants with no problem. Try to bring your infant in a restaurant in NYC. We tried. It did not work very well. 

• People are thin and EVERYONE is training or is physically active. That's different from anywhere else I went. People look good and healthy. 

• Mexican food is everywhere and is very popular among Southern Californians. It's amazing. 

Now that we have been settled for a few years here in LaJolla, I can tell you that we eat Mexican food several times a week. I am not ashamed to admit that we are totally immersed and converted to the Southern California culture. 

I realized that it's no surprise that La Jolla is one of the most popular beach destinations in California and is consistently voted one of the top beach destinations in the world. 

La Jolla is a natural beauty and truly lives up to its nickname as "the jewel" of San Diego.

Here is my favorite description of LaJolla  by The Urban Dictonary.  Hilarious but true. 

"LaJolla, the most beautiful and elite self-contained community of San Diego, home to such prestigious establishments as Scripps Institution of Oceanography, The Salk Institute, La Jolla Playhouse, and, of course, The Cookie Lady. The average La Jollan is wealthy and, in most cases, tan. Though La Jolla is one of the most expensive places to live in the United States, it is a surf town at heart. 

Some believe La Jolla to be snobbish, but the community members are simply very dedicated to their community and its improvement. They love their home, and for very good reason. Windansea and Black's are the best beaches, La Jolla Farms is the most expensive residential area, and the view from the top of Mount Soledad is to die for. La Jolla was voted "The Best Place To Live In America" in 2002."