I'm still untangling what the previous owner tried to do on my car and have a potentially really dumb question.

My PCV hose/valve now connects to the firewall side of the valve cover.

Are there any issues if I flip the valve cover around so that the PCV is towards the front of the car instead of the firewall?

If I do that I can cut off much of the hose and clean up my engine bay a bit more....

The PCV just releases pressure from the crankcase, so there should be no issues with doing what you are wanting, other than it not looking original.

Thanks! So the original was placed at the rear of the valve cover?

The PCV goes on the driver's side towards the front of the motor.