Del Rey, Los Angeles, CA

Del Rey is a compact Los Angeles neighborhood almost surrounded by Culver City, with Marina del Rey, Venice and Playa Vista at its other edges. It grew up around a 1902 streetcar line and market gardens that were still growing celery into the 1950s, and the old rail route now carries a bike path. Housing here is a mix of small single-family houses on flat blocks and a large stock of apartment buildings and condos, and most households rent. The land is flat throughout, which makes it easy to get around by bike. The Ballona Creek Bike Path runs the length of the neighborhood to the marina, and the Culver Boulevard median path follows the old streetcar route. Bill Rosendahl Del Rey Park, long known as Glen Alla Park, has playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts and a dog park, and it hosts the local farmers market. Coni'Seafood on Centinela Avenue serves Nayarit-style mariscos, and its whole snook, butterflied and grilled over charcoal, is the dish to order. The same stretch of Centinela has Häsi Bread, a bakery, and Evil Twin, a wine bar, and a string of taquerias and small cafes. Northgate González Market on Inglewood Boulevard and Pavilions on Glencoe Avenue cover groceries. Errands mostly happen along Centinela, Inglewood Boulevard and Lincoln, and downtown Culver City, the Marina del Rey harbor and the shops at the Runway in Playa Vista are each a short drive. Del Rey's retail is spread across a few busy corridors rather than one walkable main street, so most trips still start in a car. Because Del Rey sits on the Ballona Creek path, a bike ride to the jetty at the mouth of the creek needs almost no time on busy streets.