Castle Park, Chula Vista, CA

South of L Street, Third Avenue keeps going, and the long stretch it runs through is Castle Park in Chula Vista. Annexed into the city in 1985, Castle Park is the largest residential area on the city's southern west side, running from Fourth Avenue across Interstate 805 to the hillside streets beyond. Single-story houses are the norm. Many date from the late 1940s onward, sitting on lots of around 7,000 square feet with attached garages and backyard patios. East of the freeway, the streets turn into curving cul-de-sacs, and some of the hillside homes look out toward the coast and the downtown San Diego skyline. Greg Rogers Park, east of I-805 on Oleander Avenue, is the big green space, with 42 acres of lawn, shaded picnic areas and play equipment. Closer to Third Avenue, Lauderbach Park on Oxford Street has a basketball court, barbecue grills and a small playground. The southern half of Third Avenue is a run of small, family-owned counters. The House of Cuban Flavor at 1372 Third Avenue serves Cuban sandwiches, ropa vieja and guava and cheese pastries, with coffee to match. Tocumbo, at 1172 Third Avenue, is a Mexican neveria with fruit pops, chamoy slushies and Tostilocos. Izakaya Naruto, in a plaza on the same street, turns out sushi and ramen. Groceries are spread around. Northgate González Market on Third Avenue is the main stop, and 99 Ranch on Telegraph Canyon Road carries Asian groceries. The Blue Line stops at Palomar Street, just west in Harborside, and I-805 cuts straight through the neighborhood for trips north to San Diego or south to the border. Castle Park is large, and getting across it mostly means driving. Third Avenue is lively but built around parking lots rather than sidewalks, and the blocks east of I-805 have few shops within walking distance. Few parts of the South Bay put a Cuban bakery, a Mexican neveria and a Japanese izakaya on the same short run of Third Avenue, with quiet single-story streets just behind them.