HGTV, LA and Dining Room Tables
Jul 15, 2011 at 1:06 AM I've been watching a lot of HGTV since coming to LA. My favorite shows are House Hunters and House Hunters International. There's also another show I like to watch called For Rent, but only because it makes me angry.
When it comes to apartments/homes, I think living in New York for the past eleven years has made me bitter because there was this whiny broad on For Rent a few nights ago who was looking at a huge place—A HUGE PLACE—and was like, "There's no place for a dining room table..."
B*TCH, YOU'RE LUCKY TO GET A KITCHEN IN NEW YORK.
I hated her.
Now there's some stupid lady on House Hunters who wants a townhouse with a fireplace that she can turn on with a light switch. IT HAS TO BE A LIGHT SWITCH because she doesn't want to bend down and flip a switch on the floor.
WHO DO THESE PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE?
Anyway, I know my LA update is WAY overdue (and truth be told I wrote a long one last week but for some reason it didn't save so I lost the whole thing and I was so angry that I just said, "Ah, f*ck it," and closed the computer instead of rewriting) but to give you a quick update, I AM SO HAPPY HERE. I MEAN, I'M REALLY, REALLY HAPPY. And I think living here and watching HGTV—both of these things combined—has made me realize that New York was just beating me down. I mean, the fireplace lady—yes, she's an idiot. But there's nothing wrong with wanting a dining room table. Why did I get so mad at that lady?
Since being here, at least once a day I ask myself why I have lived in New York for so long. (It's like I had Stockholm Syndrome or something.) CALIFORNIA IS AWESOME. It's like the promised land. It's sunny all the time and there are birds and flowers everywhere. I have space out here. I have a sofa on the patio out here. I HAVE A SOFA OUTSIDE. I haven't seen one rat since I've been here. But hummingbirds? THEY ZIP BY MY HEAD EVERY DAY. I am so happy.
I'm supposed to go back to New York in November, but truth be told, I'm not sure I will.
Reader Comments (21)
Glad you are loving LA. I've lived here the past 10 years and love it too. The only reason I would leave is to live abroad...so actually moving to Easturn Europe in August. And...I want to be on House Hunters International. Fingers crossed!
It's like that Sunscreen song: Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. (I am subbing Los Angeles for Northern California because I'm one of those East Coasters who thinks that everywhere in CA is an hour away.)
It's so great that you're enjoying California and I completely relate to being angry for no reason. I rolled my eyes at some dude on the T because I was in the outside seat and he told me that he needed to get up because he was getting off at the next stop - and it was the last stop so we were all getting off. He probably didn't know that! Why was I so rude to him? Jesus, Ramou.
My father told me that I should live in CA sometime, but I have no idea when I would do that. I think I should take a vacation soon...
Truth be told, I am not surprised. I would cut off my arm to move back. Hopefully you'll still be there when that happens and you won't mind hanging out with a one armed bandit.
I'm so glad you're loving LA! I was born and raised here and don't think I"ll ever move! I keep hoping to randomly run into you one day but now I'm wishing I hadn't said that because if it does indeed happen I will look like such a creeper!
I'm so glad that you are HAPPY in L.A.! I think Laura needs a little Cali break from the Washington weather. Maybe you two can raise a little *heck* together? If I was a fairy godmother, I'd send her to you!
I am glad you are enjoying L.A. so much. I was born and raised in Cali and it is pretty awesome. Especially weather wise. We don’t really have seasons but we do have summer/spring from about March to October. You can’t go wrong with that. But being I’ve lived here my entire life I am trying to get out, to New York. Leaving all the sunshine won’t be easy.
OMG....when I moved to LA form NYC 5 yrs ago I had a House Hunters Binge too! Weird. I thought I was the only one. I HATED the 20 yr old couples who, upon entering a mansion...A MANSION, would balk at the $200k price and be all "well for THAT price I would expects a much better place to have party guests!" Also did u see the one in like germany or something and the guy would not get any place that didn't have a spot for HIS BICYCLE?!?! I don't care how happy you are in LA, you'll still want to kill THAT guy.
NOW I am obsessed with "curb appeal:the block." Just wait. juuuuust wait.
Last night I was watching and this lady didn't like some place because the closet was too small. IT WAS A WALK-IN CLOSET. Is she kidding me? My closets in NYC aren't deep enough to hold hangers so I have two huge wardrobes in the middle of my bedroom. Essentially, I DON'T HAVE CLOSETS.
I hate her.
Birds and flowers everywhere and you haven't seen one rat! I think the decision is made--stay in California. I love it there, but I only get to visit a few times a year - my birthday and Christmas, if I am lucky. I am glad you are enjoying it so much, and I am also hooked on HGTV. I like House Hunters because I have gotten so good at predicting which house they are going to choose!
One of us! One of us! One of us! One of us! One of us! One of us! One of us! One of us! One of us! One of us!
I am also obsessed with HGTV, especially House Hunters. The thing that always makes me screamy is when people walk into a room that's painted a color they don't like and they're all, "Ugh, I just DON'T KNOW about this wall color!" EVER HEARD OF PAINT??!?!?! That is by far the easiest thing to change about a house, and it's the one thing people complain about on that show the most.
Hmm...I wonder if living in a big city (Chicago) also makes me cranky?? haha
welcome to california, karyn!
I love House Hunters! What pisses me off about the show is when a young newlywed couple want a home that isn't too "cookie cutter" but has lots of "charm" and is historic. Reality check: charm = old and small. It's usually the girl that will complain the master is too small or there isn't a double vanity in the bathroom. Then they end up buying the newer construction home. Haha. Idiots.
I get so mad at House Hunters too! (I also saw that one with the crazy light switch lady.) I live in a tiny place in Atlanta, where I actually don't have a closet. My clothes are on handing racks in my bedroom. These people complain about walk-ins! (And I can promise, I have way more clothes than they do.)
Love your blog..it makes me smile.
http://teachchic.blogspot.com
This reminds me of the Part I and II episode of Sex and the City where the girls go to LA and Carrie sleeps with Vince Vaughn and Miranda meets up with one of her friends who use to live in New York but now lives in LA and loves it. By part II they realize that they have been looking at LA through rose colored glasses and everything is not as it seems. Since the show was all about New York love I guess it had to go the route of New York still rules in the end but I dunno...I still love me some Entourage.
Oh, and this also reminds me of that show that didn't even last half a season called, It's Like You Know, or something like that. Jennifer Grey was on it. And the guy from the movie Metropolitan moves from New York to LA.....And then the movie Swingers...that too...and some character was like, This is manifest destiny! Yeah....There's just something about the move from NY to LA and the eye opening moments that take place soon afterwards.
Glad you're having a good time in LA!!! Hope you stay. Ummm, so here's a stoopid Q: doesn't cable in the east coast include HGTV?
"I'm supposed to go back to New York in November, but truth be told, I'm not sure I will."
Did I read this correctly??? Wow. BTW, any proper updates about LA? Would love to hear your tales and see some photos.
HA! I love all those shows too!! House hunter’s international is probably my fav! I saw one like a week ago a family was buying in the South of France and these houses were sooooooo old and torn up, one didn't even have a bathroom and the paid over a mil! I definitely hated them! lol
HGTV has great features about furniture and dining sets. But as expected, they are not cheap but worth it. furniture repair nyc
Contact Rick Rifle - he is a host on HGTV and a great friend of mine. You can e-mail him from his website info@armorydesign.com
He is awesome!