THE HUNGRY HOURS
Your SGV Survival Guide
Your SGV Survival Guide: every version of life in the 626 universe, in one place. The cutthroat top tier, the boba-in-the-veins core, the studious foothill suburbs, the nightlife elite of the east, and the promised land for anyone escaping the 626.
Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.
Key points
- San Marino · Peak old money: Ultra-low-density luxury homes, century-old shade trees and quiet gardens.
- Rancho Cucamonga · The 909's newest frontier and windy valley: The only problem is that it's so windy my trash can runs away from home every Wednesday.
- Irvine · The Final Boss: where the Chinese neighborhoods retire: Hang in there; you made it out.
Full text
The complete guide to LA's Chinese neighborhoods universe 2026 (cover)
Your SGV Survival Guide: every version of life in the 626 universe, in one place. The cutthroat top tier, the boba-in-the-veins core, the studious foothill suburbs, the nightlife elite of the east, and the promised land for anyone escaping the 626.
PART 1 | The cutthroat top tier (San Marino · Arcadia · Pasadena · South Pasadena)
Don't let Hollywood fool you: LA's real wealth code isn't in Beverly Hills; it's at the top of the 626 universe. Old Money's ultimate quiet luxury vs. New Money's flashy big-logo G vs. the museum crowd who think they're the most cultured of all.
San Marino | Peak old money
A Loro Piana cashmere sweater, straight white pants, The Row Margaux, but the point is there's not a single visible logo anywhere; the IG only posts corners of the Huntington Library gardens. Ultra-low-density luxury homes, century-old shade trees and quiet gardens.
Arcadia | The perfect balance of financial freedom and an Asian appetite
Dressed up for Santa Anita Mall, dressed up for groceries at 99 Ranch too, because you'll run into people you know. Wild peacocks as a daily occurrence, a boba battle zone, Din Tai Fung within ten minutes, an old-money neighborhood of understated luxury.
Pasadena | The bookish socialite with a built-in artsy filter
Honestly, I barely leave Pasadena. Why would I? We have museums, Michelin stars, and my Craftsman bungalow still has its original 1920s wood trim. The designer bag is an accent; the Norton Simon tote is the soul of the outfit.
South Pasadena | Independently wealthy, refusing to follow the crowd
Thank goodness our area bans drive-thrus. Old-money aesthetics, handmade bread, orange wine culture, Craftsman homes and indie bookstores; head to toe it looks thrifted, and every piece is actually very expensive.
PART 2 | The boba-in-the-veins core (Monterey Park · Alhambra · San Gabriel · Rosemead · El Monte)
Welcome to LA's real battlefield, where half-sugar, less-ice oolong milk tea runs through your veins and finding parking is a bloodless (but absolutely profanity-filled) survival game.
Monterey Park | The OG dim sum empire, frozen in time
In Monterey Park, time seems to stand still; the only thing moving is the aunties at the dim sum place at 8 a.m. on weekends, fully geared up, numbers already in hand, catching up on gossip. In their carts are Sea Harbour to-go boxes. This isn't fashion; it's equipment.
Alhambra | The Main Street, an endless loop of traffic and lines
Boba in one hand, a Savoy Hainan chicken rice takeout bag in the other; a 40-minute wait, worth it. The traffic lights on Main Street must be designed by the city so we can contemplate life in our cars, right?
San Gabriel | The Valley Blvd, center of the boba universe
I just had an elegant 20-minute standoff with a Tesla outside Kuei Ji's first US store, then crossed the street to wait another hour for Molly Tea. This stretch of Valley Blvd is my Walk of Fame.
Rosemead | The Pho-nomenal king of street food
Remember: as long as the floor at this pho place is sticky enough, the broth is guaranteed to be legendary. A good bowl of pho cures all of life's problems.
El Monte | The Car Dealership: where you buy a car and start over
Buying a car? The dealers on Peck Road are denser than the boba shops on my corner. Here, you're not buying a car; you're trading your soul for a Camry. Eight hours on the showroom couch is standard; you're only reborn once the deal closes.
PART 3 | The 626 parallel universe, foothill edition (Temple City · Monrovia · West Covina · Walnut · City of Industry)
Away from the bustle of Valley Blvd, the 626 has a parallel universe: a camellia city that collectively goes to sleep at 9 p.m., an old town where bears raid the trash cans, a whole generation's souls held hostage by AP classes, and a mysterious city with almost no residents.
Temple City | The 'Good Girl' camellia quiet zone
After 9 p.m. in Temple City, it's so quiet I can hear the neighbors one street over sighing. The worst traffic here is outside the elementary school at 3 p.m. Strong schools, clean tree-lined streets, a small, lovely, safe city.
Monrovia | The Foothill old town where 'bears may appear'
A bear got into my trash can again last night… oh, by the way, that new coffee shop in Old Town is amazing, have you been? Foothill life: good air, lots of trees, a slower pace. Lock your trash cans; bears are way smarter than we think.
West Covina | The 'half-American life' halfway house
Since moving to West Covina, I've been living my dream American life: a bigger backyard, a Costco and an In-N-Out. But every Saturday morning, my car still drives itself back to Valley Blvd.
Walnut | The Ivy League Pipeline: top schools and equestrian-trail wellness
I spent two million on a mansion with a horse trail and only use it for morning runs; my kid's soul is trapped in AP classes at Walnut High, and the other half of my life is stuck behind Mt. SAC students' taillights on Grand Ave.
PART 4 | The eastside nightlife elite (Hacienda Heights · Rowland Heights · Diamond Bar)
When the west side has turned off the lights and gone to bed, the east side's nightlife is just starting: hillside mansions bathed in Buddha's light, late-night plazas where modded engines are louder than the music, and a privileged enclave trapped by the 57/60 death interchange.
Hacienda Heights | Hsi Lai Temple's light over hillside mansions
I moved halfway up the hill in Hacienda Heights for Zen and peace, but my practice gets wrecked every Lunar New Year in the Hsi Lai Temple traffic; and the only thrill in my life is surviving the drive over haunted Turnbull Canyon to get a boba in Rowland Heights.
Rowland Heights | The East SGV Nightlife, late-night party central
Hungry at 11 p.m.? Let's go to Diamond Plaza, and listen to how loud that modded car next to us is while we're at it. Late-night food, KTV, boba and modded cars all in one: the east side's late-night living room.
Diamond Bar | The eastside elite, trapped by the deadly 57/60 interchange
I live in a million-dollar mansion in The Country, but my daily reality is risking my life on the 57/60 death interchange to get a decent boba in Rowland Heights. Hillside mansions are private and quiet; exercise is the only social life.
PART 5 | The promised land for those escaping the 626
Can any 626 girl's next stop really escape Valley Blvd? Some went east to the 909, some went south to the 562 and the 949. They all said they'd never come back, and then every weekend, you run into them on Valley Blvd.
Chino Hills | The 'We Escaped SGV' first-gen promised land
We live in Chino Hills now, the air is so good, and a 99 Ranch even opened right by us! But for that one grilled fish place… I still have to drive half an hour back to Rowland Heights.
Eastvale | The 909 New Build: brand-new mansions, fresh air and a lonely feeling
We bought a brand-new six-bedroom house with room for a pool in the backyard, and the neighbors are all old friends who moved from the 626. The only problem: for a decent late-night snack, the GPS says 35 minutes. One way.
Rancho Cucamonga | The 909's newest frontier and windy valley
Everything's great in Rancho: new houses, good schools, and Victoria Gardens. The only problem is that it's so windy my trash can runs away from home every Wednesday.
Cerritos | The 562 OG Taiwanese immigrant elder council
My parents moved to Cerritos in the '90s. Technically, we're the OGs who 'escaped the 626' first; back then the 626 didn't even have traffic yet. Family photo location: the spaceship-shaped Cerritos library.
Irvine | The Final Boss: where the Chinese neighborhoods retire
Irvine has everything: top schools, super safe, super clean. The only nightlife is the Diamond Jamboree parking lot. Miss 626 late-night snacks? Hang in there; you made it out.
Last word | A warrior who stays in the 626? Or a traitor who comes back every week?
Some moved to the 909, some settled in the 562, some ended up in the 949. They all say, 'I'm really never going back,' and then on Saturday night you run into them again in Rowland Heights, Arcadia and on Valley Blvd. But their stomachs never moved. Welcome to the SGV multiverse.
Bonus | The 626 soul-location quiz: 8 questions to guess where you live
Your first drink of the morning, Saturday afternoons, driving habits, 11 p.m., your boba order… whichever letter you pick most is you: A, Old Money Arts; B, Boba Core; C, Honor-Roll Foothills; D, East Side Night Owl; E, Escaped the 626.
Places in this story
Read it with the slides →The illustrated version on the LA Guide →
An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).