This just in from The Daily Cookie Guest Blogger, Jeannie!

Since I posted my top 5 reasons why I love LA, I felt I had to balance it out with a post to show some love to my adopted city of New York.

My relationship with New York is tumultuous. There are days when I really dislike New York (the rats!) and there are other days when I am in love with it (tanning while reading magazines on the Great Lawn in Central Park). Eventually, I hope to be as in love with New York as much as I am with LA. Here are 5 reasons why I still live in this crazy, chaotic, boisterous city.

Moving, Going, Coming And Leaving:  The entire city is like a human tidal wave. People are on trains, buses and subways going to work. Adventurous couples can do European weekend getaways out of JFK, LaGuardia or Newark. Or for just a dollar, you can take a bus to D.C., Boston, Philadelphia and a handful of other popular cities nearby. New York is confident in itself that she encourages you to leave knowing you will always come back.

Injera, Peking Duck, Ratatouille and Empanadas for Dinner:  My most favorite thing to do when people come to visit is to take them out to eat. Whatever their preference, there is a restaurant in New York that serves it. New York offers a wide range of choices for all types of foodies. Even Mario Batali has multiple restaurants in Manhattan to serve each of the dining classes (Otto – casual dinner, Lupa – refined and classic and Babbo – the gourmand’s dream). The city is an equally opportunity, international food court!

The World on the Streets of New York:  Have you ever walked down a street where English is the only language spoken? Have you ever walked down an avenue and saw the same color faces? If you’ve answered yes to either of these questions, you obviously don’t live in New York. New York is a magnet that attracts all types from all parts of the world. It’s exciting to be in a city where you can hear a woman arguing with her mom in Mandarin, a mother chatting with her sister in French and two men talking about baseball with New York accents.

Shop ‘til You Drop (or until your credit card company tells you to stop):  The city is dense with reasons to open up your wallet. When I lived in Manhattan, I’d run out for a cup of coffee and come back with a US Magazine, plastic earrings from a street vendor, and a pricey scented candle from Aedes de Venustas. The shops are like the sirens in the sea beckoning me and my wallet.

A Neighborhood for Each of Your Personalities:  So you’re feeling cranky today and want service and attention? Get brunch in Brooklyn. You’re feeling flirty and want to show off your latest designer handbag? Go shop with the cool and beautiful in SoHo. Are you feeling lonely and want to be reminded that you are not the only person on earth? Head up to 42nd Street and walk up Broadway. The neighborhood to match your mood is never far away. It’s just a short walk or an even shorter train ride away. When you find it, mentally file and return when you are feeling that way again.

I’ll wrap up this post with a picture of me from my first winter in New York. This would never happen in Los Angeles.

What’s your favorite thing about New York?

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This just in from The Daily Cookie Guest Blogger, Jeannie!

It’s been a week since I’ve been back from an awesome Los Angeles trip. I went back for my good friend Carol’s wedding and was able to squeeze in some SoCal fun with friends and family as well. Although New York has been my home for the past 3 years—I will always be a California girl. So to help explain my love for Southern California (extremely different from Northern California!), I thought I’d share the top 5 reasons LA will always have my heart.

The Beautiful, Sunny, Dry Weather: When the weather is mild and predictable, there is less anxiety over what to wear, when to rotate in sweaters and snow boots, and having rain cancel outdoor plans. I’ll admit that in the Valleys (both San Fernando and San Gabriel) it does get really hot during the summer months, but it’s a nice dry heat. There is none of this sticky, humid, icky, 3 showers-a-day nonsense. And an extra plus for year-long warm SoCal weather—not having say goodbye to your open-toed sandals and flip flops!

The Beaches, Deserts, Mountains and Outdoor Malls All Within Driving Distance: On my first full day in LA we drove out to the desert in Temecula for some wine tasting at Ponte Winery. On my second day, we hit up Zuma Beach. On the third night, I met with my gal pals for tapas in Santa Monica. And on the fourth day, my bride-to-be friend and I shopped for my bridesmaid dress at a strip mall in the foothills of Burbank. As Cher’s father said in the movie Clueless, “everywhere in LA takes 20 minutes.”

Free Parking: You might have to pay a little if you want to get spitting-distance close but if you have legs and don’t mind a little walk, there is plenty of free parking in Los Angeles. There have even been times when my friends and I went a little out of the way to get free parking (beach day in free-street-parking-Malibu instead of $10-per-car-Santa Monica) but it has always been worth it. As a matter of fact, my friend Lisette and I saw a dolphin that day in Malibu. I doubt we would have seen the creature in Santa Monica.

LA Radio Stations: My favorite stations are Power 106, 102.7 KIIS FM, Star 98.7 and 106.7 KROQ. While navigating through the streets of LA, I can always count on my auto-save stations to deliver Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff’s Summertime, De La Soul’s Buddy or something from 2-Pac. If I’m feeling international, I’ve even got Spanish stations to tune into.

Toilet Seat Covers: I attribute this reason to the germ freak in me. My New York friends can attest that I will only pee in certain public restrooms. I’ve guess it’s because I’ve been spoiled with toilet seat covers available all over Southern California. I know, I know—that sliver of tissue paper is not exactly an instant germ-killer but for some reason it gives me some psychological comfort. Is it so wrong to have feelings for a state that is concerned with the hygiene of its constituents?

Huge thanks to Janelle, Duane, Eddie, Margie, Lisette, Elizabeth, Carol, all of Carol’s family, Reggie, Lillian, Cabo, Sinia, Audrey, Veronica, Veronica’s adorable kids, Victor and my parents for making this LA trip my favorite.

Have you ever been to LA? Do you love it or hate it?

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