LA Arrival

Maritza Machuca
Senior
Marketing and Information Systems

Day 1 feelings: excited but exhausted. 

The group met at Loyola’s Damen Den at 7:45 a.m. to eat breakfast together before heading to the airport. It was early, so I was tired, but also excited. It made everything feel more official seeing everyone there with their bags, knowing we were about to spend the next few days visiting companies and meeting professionals in a completely different city. 

The airport part went smoothly overall. I grabbed Dunkin’ before boarding the plane, since I knew it was going to be a long morning. The only issue was that once we boarded the plane, they told us it needed maintenance, which delayed us for about an hour. It wasn’t a huge deal, just a little frustrating sitting there ready to leave and not actually moving. Thankfully, everything else went fine and we eventually took off without any other problems. 

Once we landed in LA, it felt noticeably different from Chicago. The weather was warmer, and everything just looked more spread out. Even from the plane window, the city feels more wide open. We finally arrived at our hotel and took some time to explore the building and downtown LA (quick Target trip ☺). 

Today was mainly about getting here and settling in. Tomorrow is when the activities really start, and I’m especially looking forward to touring Griffith Observatory. I think seeing the city from up there will be a cool way to start understanding where we are and what this experience is going to feel like. 

Day 2: First Real Day 

I started the morning with breakfast buffet-style in the hotel lobby, then got ready for the day before we all headed to Sol Agave for lunch. I ordered four street tacos, which were a great choice. It was nice getting to sit and talk as a group before heading to our main activity. 

After lunch, we went to Griffith Observatory for a two-hour tour. Our tour guide, Estevan, gave a wonderful tour where we learned a lot about the building and astronomy. The views were easily the highlight. We could see the Hollywood Sign perfectly from where we were standing, and the city stretched out in every direction.  

For dinner, we went to In-N-Out. I, of course, had to grab one of the iconic hats to bring back home. On the Uber rides, we talked with our drivers about good local spots to visit, which was actually a fun way to get recommendations from people who know the area. 

We ended the night walking around the mall for a bit before heading back to the hotel. It was a good mix of exploring, learning, and getting more comfortable being here. 

Tomorrow we shift more into the professional visits, and I’m super excited for the week to start!