Great story, btw. My cousin moved to LA to study and she used to come and visit us and tell us all about life in those parts. She is 9 years older than me so, when I was 9-11ish, she was 18-20ish and embodied everything that I thought was worth striving for in life. I used to imagine myself moving to LA at 16. Of course, my dreams and aspirations had changed by then and I have still never been.