Why I Hate the Cold in Los Angeles

The last few days the high here has only been around 60 degrees, with temperatures dropping below fifty at night.  Yes, yes I know, all of you in the Midwest or Northeast are laughing at the pitiful temperature sensitivity I’ve developed after almost half a decade in Southern California.  But after being home in Colorado for the holidays and then traveling to Ohio (where highs were in the teens every day) two weeks ago I realized that the problem isn’t us wimpy Angelinos aren’t wimps, but rather a city that is fundamentally unable to deal with non-paradise-like weather.

In places used to the cold, the buildings are insulated and the heaters always at the ready during the winter months. Even if you have to wear a parka, scarf, and three pairs of gloves to walk from your car into work, at least once you’re there you can strip down to a comfortable t-shirt or blouse. In LA, some buildings don’t even have heating systems, and the ones that do are definitely not maintained regularly, and even when they are working properly, the heat rarely stays inside due to poor falls and single-pained windows.  Therefore, when it’s 58 degrees outside in Los Angeles, it’s also 58 degrees inside.  Even with a sweater on, this is not a particularly comfortable temperature.  I don’t want to have to wear a jacket, hat, and gloves while I’m working.  So I don’t.  And then I just end up chronically chilly all day, which leads to crankiness, and nobody wants that.

In conclusion, the same way that DC and Baltimore are not equipped to deal with two feet of snow, Los Angeles is not equipped to deal with sub-70 degree weather.  I’m cold.  Come back 75, I miss you.