After losing too many bidding wars for a home in LA, I bought a 5-bedroom house in the suburbs. I quickly realized it was a mistake.

Courtesy of Lauren Palmigiano

After 17 years in Los Angeles, I was fluent in traffic shortcuts, niche coffee shops, and how to be optimistic when someone casually mentioned they were working on a screenplay. I could parallel park on a hill, one-handed. I'd survived preschool waitlists, earthquake drills, and overpriced poke bowls. Los Angeles felt like home, and I saw myself growing old there.