Del Monte Park, Pacific Grove, CA

Del Monte Park is the everyday-errands part of Pacific Grove, a stretch along Forest Avenue where the supermarkets, bakeries and neighborhood restaurants cluster. If Lighthouse Avenue is where visitors eat, this is where locals shop. Homes sit behind the commercial frontage on quiet side streets, mostly single-family houses of mid-century vintage with a scattering of multi-unit buildings. Yards lean practical, and the pines overhead keep the blocks green even beside the traffic. Trader Joe's, at 1170 Forest Avenue, and Safeway, at 1212 Forest Avenue, anchor the strip, and most weekly shopping in town happens right here. For a casual meal, Michael's Taqueria at 1126 Forest Avenue is a standby for tacos and grilled plates, Pizza My Way at 1157 Forest Avenue turns out pizzas, and Julia's at 1180 Forest Avenue is the place for vegetarian and gluten-free cooking. Patisserie Bechler, at 1225 Forest Avenue, makes Alsatian cakes and pastries, from a triple chocolate mousse cake to a lemon cake, and opens at 7 each morning. Michael's has won local awards for its Mexican plates, and Julia's has built a following for its curries and gluten-free baking. Green space is thinner than elsewhere in town. Rip Van Winkle Open Space is the nearest trail, and the shoreline at Lovers Point or Asilomar is a short drive in either direction, so people often treat the beach as their yard. Getting around Del Monte Park is simple. Shopping is a walk for the blocks closest to Forest Avenue and a drive for the rest, and the road toward Highway 1 and Salinas starts nearby. Parking lots, delivery trucks and weekend traffic come with a commercial strip, and the hum of Forest Avenue rarely fully fades. In return, a loaf of bread, a pastry and a decent dinner are all within a few minutes of each other.