La Puente, CA

La Puente is the incorporated city at the center of a ring of county communities, and its name ends up on far more mail than its own boundaries would suggest. The old core, where Main Street crosses 1st Street, has the oldest storefronts and the shortest blocks. North of it, Hacienda Boulevard and Amar Road turn into long commercial strips, and the residential grids between them are filled with modest one-story houses from the postwar boom, with a few mobile home parks and apartment buildings mixed in. The city's biggest green space is La Puente Park, with a skate park and ball fields. The San Gabriel River trails and the county parks in neighboring communities pick up the rest, and the Sunkist Library on Puente Avenue fills a similar role on hot afternoons, with a teen area and homework help. Food is where the variety shows up. Feathered Serpent Brewery pours beer on Main Street, and Double Play Pizza, on the corner of Main and Stimson, turns out deep dish and wings a few doors away. Caramelo Cafe on Amar Road draws the brunch crowd with crepes and cafe de olla, and Tierra Mia Coffee hands espresso drinks out a drive-thru window a bit farther east on the same road. Groceries are never far, with several supermarkets and discount chains lined up on Hacienda and Amar. Foothill Transit and the nearby freeways cover longer trips, though most errands happen by car. Spend a Saturday in La Puente and the whole valley seems to pass through, with neighbors from the county areas all around filling the taquerias and the brewery alike.