Brigden Ranch, Pasadena, CA

Brigden Ranch is a small slice of northeast Pasadena where the city line runs right through the neighborhood, leaving some blocks inside the city and others in unincorporated county land. Its draw sits on the edges, along North Allen Avenue and East Washington Boulevard, where Armenian bakeries, pastry shops and delis cluster close together. The residential streets run from Casa Grande Street north to Galbreth Road, between Allen and Martelo avenues, and take in the short cul-de-sacs of Westlyn Place and Eastlyn Place. Brigden Ranch homes sit on quiet single-family blocks, with commercial activity pushed out to Allen. Old Sasoon Bakery on North Allen has been baking for about four decades and is best known for khachapuri, a bread boat filled with melted cheese and a runny egg. Bloomfield Creamery on Washington is the ice cream stop, with pistachio saffron and ube coconut among the flavors it makes. There are no parks inside the boundaries, so a patch of grass or a trail means a short drive. The closest greenery is in the neighboring districts to the south and west. Daily errands are simple. Stater Bros. on North Allen covers groceries, and Starbucks has locations on both Allen and Washington. Jameson Brown Coffee Roasters is a short drive south on Allen, and the Allen Avenue light-rail stop sits just past the 210 for trips toward Old Pasadena and Los Angeles. The tradeoff is the lack of public open space. Living here means driving for parks, even while bread and pastry are a walk away. In Brigden Ranch the corner bakery is not a figure of speech, since Old Sasoon sits right on Allen at the neighborhood's western edge.