(not MBA related post) I’ve just finished my 2nd visit to LA. The first one, almost two years back in time, was a complete disappointment.

This time though, my visit totally rocked! L.A. is a very special place that needs a special state of mind for it to be enjoyed. Let me share with you the wisdom (passed unto me by others) that allowed me to enjoy it:

• Discard the notion that L.A. is a city. It is not, it is a connection of interesting neighborhoods / sites / communities and attractions. If you expect a city, you will be dissapointed.
• Choose what you want to visit and plan to stay nearby. Driving can take forever otherwise. You are not “on the other side of the city, just a 30′ drive” but most likely 2h traffic jam away.
• Go visit Orange County beaches and relax for a day. The beaches are so much welcoming here than in cold-foggy Northern California!
• Think twice before visiting Hollywood attractions. They are tacky and in real light quite dissapointing. Either a movie buff or you’d be better off…
• Visiting the Getty Center. What a beautiful complex. The picture does not pay justice to the moving architecture. A must-see world-class collection housed in one of the most amazing yet very subtle classy and understated elegantbuilding I have visited in my entire life.
• L.A. - O.C. - San Diego has something for everyone, take advantage of it. I had a blast visiting Legoland, the LEGO theme park, and remembering about all those hours I spent as a child playing with the brightly colored bricks. Priceless!

I hope you can enjoy your SOCAL (South California) experience.