Alsace Lorraine, Half Moon Bay, CA

Alsace Lorraine is a flat grid of mid-century streets in west Half Moon Bay, between Highway 1 and the state beach. Its cross streets carry Spanish-era surnames such as Miramontes, Correas, Valdez and Garcia, and Kelly Avenue cuts through to the water. Most houses in Alsace Lorraine are one story or a story and a half, built in the mid-century decades on regular rectangular lots with a driveway in front and a yard behind. Older cottages and a growing number of rebuilt houses are mixed in, and the blocks look much alike from one to the next. Francis Beach is the southernmost of the four beaches in Half Moon Bay State Beach, with a campground and the end of the Coastside Trail. Ocean View Park and Oak Ave Park give the grid a couple of small green spots with play structures. Many people just walk Kelly Avenue out to the sand, and a foggy morning here often clears by lunch, which makes the beach a natural afternoon plan. Everyday meals lean toward Mexican food. Taqueria Tres Amigos at 270 Cabrillo Highway South is known for its birria, and Taqueria La Gallina sits right beside it at number 250. On Saturday mornings from April to mid-December, the Coastside Farmers Market runs just up the highway at 222 Cabrillo Highway South. Alvin S. Hatch Elementary and Pilarcitos High School both sit on the grid, on Miramontes and Kelly avenues. Main Street's shops sit a few blocks east across the highway, and Cunha's Country Store and Deli is the quick grocery stop for a sandwich or a few staples. Highway 1 forms the east edge, so traffic noise reaches the streets nearest it, and Kelly Avenue backs up on sunny weekend afternoons when beach traffic arrives. Kelly Avenue ends at the sand, so an ordinary errand across the grid can finish with a look at the ocean.