Rainy days in Los Angeles are the best. They’re so rare that I basically have decided that I’ll always drop what I’m doing to celebrate. The forecast is always unpredictable—whenever it says rain it usually means a 1-hour power storm that floods the city and dries up within minutes. But this might be our only month of really good rain (for better or worse), and I always like to do a few unexpected things. So, my guide for making the most of a rainy day in the city Los Angeles:
Get ice cream. Okay, all the trendy dessert spots in town usually require a long wait in an enormous line. Sometimes it’s worth it but I think we would all much prefer to get our treats and get on with out days. On a rainy day, put on a sweater like the rest of the world and enjoy Jeni’s Ice Cream, Milk, or Salt & Straw. All are located in particularly walkable and adorable hoods.
Go to the beach. Again, this is your sure-fire way to avoid a crowd. But will it be fun? I’m beach obsessed no matter the weather (I have many fond memories of enjoying the bay on cloudy 50 degree days in my college town) and nature is something I’m always amazed by. Kevin regularly asks me how it is that I can be fascinated by a sunset, day after day. So going to the beach on a rainy day is a different experience but you get to enjoy and appreciate the ocean in a whole new way.
Get your food to go. If you have a rain jacket, it’s nice to take a quick walk in the rain, knowing that when you inevitably get soaked, you can dry off at home quickly enough. There are a lot of lunch spots I love in my neighborhood, but the majority of their seating is outdoors. This is LA, people! We hardly ever eat meals inside! Don’t deal with the stress of having to wait for a rare indoor seat and grab takeout instead. I also like to stop by the bookstore and café in my area before heading home to my warm bed couch (where I totally don’t stay and work and/or watch Friends for the 999th time).
Get to work early. If you commute to work you know that when it rains traffic is horrendous. When I worked in an office, I walked to work, and would see coworkers tricklingat different times late into the morning. If it’s real bad, people will work from home. Yep. Missing work due to rain is real. In our city’s defense, we’re not well equipped to handle rain. I actually got caught in the last El Nino storm a few days ago, and couldn’t cross the street because all of the street corners were flooded. There’s no where for it to go. Anyway, it’s nice to take advantage of the slowness of the city by getting a head start on things. Anticipate this by leaving earlier than normal and enjoying a little extra time of productivity. Hopefully it will lead to being done earlier too!
Make yourself something warm. Soup, tea, hot coffee… all things I like curling up with but can’t bring myself to enjoy in the heat of the summer. I think a lot of people are far better adapted than I, but I personally take advantage of the cool weather on a rainy day to soak up something warm.
I don’t know how many of you are in SoCal, but this was a fun list! Hopefully someone can relate.
