SoCal Exodus

My brother did the Silver Lake to Albuquerque move about five years ago and it stuck. He's off Central Ave near Nob Hill and says the vibe reminds him of Los Angeles in the early 2000s before everything got polished. His mortgage on a three bedroom adobe is less than what he was paying for a studio near Sunset Junction. The food is different but the green chile breakfast burritos from Golden Pride are a legitimate replacement for a good LA taco, just spicier. He still flies back twice a year for family and says the two hour time difference and direct flights on Southwest make it feel closer than it is.

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if you can handle humidity, savannah georgia is a wild contrast that somehow works. i grew up in santa monica and landed here after a decade in the bay, and the biggest surprise was the pace. people actually stop to talk at the grocery store without it feeling performative. the historic district has that same density of interesting old buildings you get in parts of los angeles, just with spanish moss instead of palm trees. summers are brutal in a different way, but my mortgage on a 1920s craftsman is $1,400 and i can walk to like six bars and a concert venue. the food scene is growing but you'll still crave good mexican and korean, so stock up when you visit family

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Moved from Silver Lake to Tucson about three years ago. The thing that surprised me is how much the Sonoran Desert landscape actually reminds me of the high desert near Joshua Tree, just with more saguaros. I miss the food scene for sure, but my rent went from $2,400 for a one-bedroom to $1,100 for a two-bedroom with a yard on the east side. The trade-off is summer heat, but honestly the dry air makes 105 feel less oppressive than a 90 degree day in the San Fernando Valley.

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honestly the SGV has a ton of licensed cart operators who mostly do private stuff now. look up "hot dog cart catering San Gabriel Valley" on Yelp and you'll get a handful that are fully permitted, which matters if your venue needs a health permit on file. expect around $400 to $700 for a few hours plus a per person minimum, usually 50 or so. the ones based in Alhambra and Rosemead tend to be cheaper than Pasadena because they're not paying that rent.

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fwiw the county health dept keeps a public list of permitted mobile food operators, its searchable by city on the LA County Public Health site. filter for "pushcart" or "MFF" and you'll get vendors cleared for SGV zip codes, which saves you the headache of a venue asking for paperwork later. also worth checking with the Old Town Monrovia or Alhambra farmers market folks, the carts there are usually booked solid but they know who's free and they'll pass along names. just dont wait till the last week, good ones book out 2 to 3 weeks in teh summer.

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You could try hitting up the folks who set up outside Home Depot or the DMV in El Monte on weekends, a lot of those carts are owner operated and they'll do private gigs if you ask. Just walk up and grab a card, they usually have one taped to the cart.

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