Small World. I'm from L.A. too!
Lived there during the entire decade of the 90s. And yes, I miss it and the beach and ocean and the people very much. AZ is nice and it has been good to us. We've been here about 10 years now, but living here is just very different. Like trying to compare apples and oranges. Will say I'm envious you get to live in Tucson! That's my favorite city here.
Hate to admit I don't get to Tucson as often as I'd like due to the schedule but will put Monsoon Vapors in my address book (Google the address and phone) and make a point of checking them out when I'm in town.
C.G. is cool. It is equidistance between Phoenix and Tucson so very convenient as far as location. It is also growing by leaps and bounds. A little slow in some regards but getting there. My favorite spot is Vapor Etc. at 1609 E. Florence Blvd. Very good juice and reasonable prices (my opinion if that matters much). People there are informative and knowledgeable and will help you. They're happy to spend a lot of time with you and answer questions. They get busy though. I'm very pleased with their service and treatment so have pretty much made them my main shop and go to them for 90% of my needs.