Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles, CA

Baldwin Hills is the part of Los Angeles where the flatlands rise into rolling hills, with Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area and its trails as the neighborhood's backyard. The area covers several distinct pockets, from the hillside Baldwin Hills Estates, known locally as the Dons, to Baldwin Vista and the landmark Village Green. Housing varies by elevation. Up in the Dons, mid-century hillside houses with pools and city views line winding streets. Village Green, a garden-city apartment community named a National Historic Landmark in 2001, sets low buildings around large shared lawns. Outdoors is the draw. Kenneth Hahn covers about 400 acres on the site of the old Baldwin Hills Reservoir, with trails, open lawns and a disc golf course. The Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, just across the line in Culver City, has walking paths and a discovery center at the top. Mizlala serves Israeli food with a patio, Vicky's All Day is a Mediterranean diner known for shakshuka, and MIAN makes hand-pulled Sichuan noodles. At the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, the Museum of African American Art occupies an upper floor and a farmers market sets up outside. Errands are simple by car. Ralphs is on Obama Boulevard, a Whole Foods sits on La Cienega near Jefferson, and the plaza anchors the eastern side. The K Line runs along Crenshaw with stations nearby, and the E Line stops at La Cienega and Jefferson. The tradeoff is that the hills make walking to shops impractical from many homes, and the Inglewood Oil Field still pumps across La Cienega. What sets Baldwin Hills apart is the view, since from the top of the Overlook or the higher streets of the Dons the whole basin opens up on a clear day.