Bean Tract, Alhambra, CA

Bean Tract occupies the northeastern tip of Alhambra on land that once belonged to orchardist Jacob Bean, and the houses that replaced his trees in the 1930s and 1940s give it a tidy, low-key feel. It is one of the city's smaller neighborhoods, and it sits just east of the 1920s streets of Lindaraxa Park. Homes here are mostly single-story houses from the late 1930s and the 1940s. Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival designs mix with the simpler Minimal Traditional homes that went up after the war, with small front lawns, driveways to detached garages and a fairly even rhythm from block to block. East Main Street, along the neighborhood's southern side, handles food. Bun N Burger is the old-style stand for burgers and fries, and the Landmark Plaza holds A and J Bakery and Pho Super Bowl for a bowl of noodles. Wilson's BBQ Rib Shack on North El Molino Street is the neighborhood's own barbecue spot. There is no park inside Bean Tract. The closest green space is Story Park on North Chapel Avenue in Lindaraxa Park, a few minutes west, and Almansor Park with its small lake and walking paths is a short drive south. Groceries mean a quick drive or a longer walk to the 99 Ranch Market at 345 E Main St, and Dog Haus Biergarten in the same stretch covers a beer and a sausage. Most errands happen by car along Main Street or Garfield Avenue, and downtown Alhambra is a few minutes west. The tradeoff is simple. Few shops sit inside the neighborhood, so nearly every errand starts with a drive. The quiet that comes with that is the point, and on the interior streets of Bean Tract the main sounds on a weekday afternoon are lawn mowers and the occasional delivery truck.