Coronado Village, Coronado, CA

Coronado Village is the town most people picture when they hear the name Coronado: a flat grid between San Diego Bay and the Pacific, Orange Avenue running down the middle, and the Hotel del at its southern end. Naval Air Station North Island borders it on one side and the Shores towers on the other. Orange Avenue carries most of the eating. Clayton's Coffee Shop has stood at Tenth and Orange since 1942, back when it was called Gerry's, and it still turns out diner breakfasts with a jukebox at each table. Chez Loma serves French bistro cooking inside an 1889 house on Loma Avenue, a block off the main street. Miguel's Cocina, on Orange near the hotel, keeps its courtyard patio busy with margaritas and Mexican plates. For coffee, the Coronado Coffee Company cart at the Ferry Landing pours seasonal lattes and makes acai bowls you can carry out to the pier. Homes in the village mix Victorian, Craftsman, Georgian and modern designs, often on the same block, with custom townhomes and a few small condo buildings set between them. It is the biggest and most varied neighborhood on the island, and the style can change from one house to the next. The ocean side is Coronado Beach, a wide band of sand that runs past Sunset Park and the hotel. Spreckels Park, on Orange Avenue, holds free Sunday concerts at its gazebo every summer, a series that began in 1970. Along the bay, Centennial Park and Tidelands Park look straight at the downtown skyline, Tidelands has a skatepark, and the Bayshore Bikeway curls around the water. The city golf course adds more open green. Vons on Orange and Smart & Final on B Avenue cover groceries, the public library sits on Orange as well, and bikes are a normal way to run errands. The ferry from the landing crosses to downtown San Diego near the Convention Center, and drivers take the bridge. Traffic is the friction. Third and Fourth streets carry cars between the bridge and Naval Air Station North Island, a commute fight that goes back decades, and summer visitors pack Orange Avenue and its parking. Still, the bay, the ocean and the main street all sit within a short bike ride of any front door in Coronado Village.