Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, CA

Boyle Heights sits across the river from downtown Los Angeles, and its history shows up on nearly every main street, from the Breed Street Shul to the musicians who still gather at Mariachi Plaza on First Street. Over the last century the neighborhood has been home to several immigrant communities, and for generations it has been one of the centers of Mexican American life in the city. Most of the housing dates to the early 1900s. Brightly painted bungalows and Spanish-style houses line many side streets, often with driveways and alleys behind them, and duplexes and small apartment buildings are mixed in throughout. Hollenbeck Park, on St. Louis Street, has a jogging loop and a skate plaza, and the path around Evergreen Cemetery gives runners about a mile and a half to circle. Prospect Park and the Boyle Heights Sports Center add fields and courts. Food is a big reason people cross the river. Guisados on Cesar Chavez Avenue makes its tacos with handmade corn tortillas and braised fillings, and Al & Bea's on First Street has been turning out classic burritos since 1966. Northgate Gonzalez Market on Soto Street and Vallarta on Whittier Boulevard handle groceries. Four Metro E Line stations serve the neighborhood, including Mariachi Plaza, so downtown is a few minutes away by train. The trade-off is the freeways. The East Los Angeles Interchange and the roads feeding it cut through Boyle Heights, and the traffic brings noise and air quality complaints to nearby blocks. Up on First Street on a weekend, though, the plaza still draws mariachis in full dress, waiting on their next gig.