Atwater Village, Los Angeles, CA

Atwater Village sits on the east bank of the Los Angeles River, across the water from Griffith Park, and its main street still reads like a small town set down inside the city. Glendale Boulevard is the spine, and its wide median once carried Red Car streetcar tracks until the line shut down in 1955. Most homes in Atwater Village are 1920s Spanish-style bungalows, set on relatively small lots under big deodar cedars. A few small apartment buildings sit closer to the commercial strips. The streets are flat, which makes the whole area easy to cover on foot or by bike. This stretch, the Glendale Narrows, has a natural soft bottom with trees and birds, and the LA River Greenway Trail follows it past Red Car River Park, where the old streetcar bridge crossed. Glendale Boulevard handles most of the eating. Proof Bakery is known for croissants, danishes and focaccia sandwiches, and Cognoscenti Coffee pours at the same address. Dune does Mediterranean breakfasts and a fried chicken shawarma, and Hugo's Tacos serves soft and crispy tacos plus a torta ahogada. Daily errands stay close. Los Feliz Boulevard and the 5 freeway are a quick hop for anything farther, and most trips beyond the neighborhood start in a car. Lots are small, so yards are compact and neighbors sit close on either side. The payoff is that a bakery on Glendale Boulevard and the river trail are a short walk apart from almost any house.