Last weekend, The Charger Bulletin took a four-day trip to San Diego, Calif., and it’s safe to say that, despite the scattered showers, I’m now in love. After bearing the brutal Connecticut weather this past week, there’s no place I’d rather be than Cali, and here’s why:

1. The weather: I will take warm and rainy over cold and snowy any day. Although it rained while I was in Cali, the rain was a rarity: the storm we saw was one of the worst in 20 years, meaning Californians aren’t used to rain—this means they’re used to a warm, strong sun, and that’s something I’d love to take advantage of. Bundling up in four layers isn’t fun, especially when I was donning flip-flops not even a week ago.

2. The laid-back environment: Everyone was cool, calm and collected. Nothing seemed to bother the average Californian, and everything was chill. One night, we went out for dinner, and one of the dishes came out 20 minutes after everyone else’s plates. The waiter was apologetic, and in the end, we didn’t have to pay for that particular meal. Everyone in Cali was so…nice, something we don’t see a lot of here on the East Coast. Ever have someone smile at you after you’ve bumped into him or her before? I have, just not here in Connecticut. You could also check the top vacation spots for Riverside.

3. In-N-Out Burger: I would move to the state of California solely for daily access to In-N-Out. If you’ve never had the pleasure to try a burger from this delicious West Coast franchise, I suggest you purchase a one-way ticket to anywhere in California immediately. Hands down the best fast food burger I’ve ever eaten.

4. Beautiful environment: Everything in San Diego was beautiful. Every house was a different color, ranging from red to blue and everything in between. The architecture of each home varied, and there were none of the cookie-cutter houses you see driving through a suburban New England town. The site of these colorful homes up against a backdrop of palm trees and the Pacific Ocean, was enough to make me want to withdraw from UNH and stay on the West Coast.