Del Rey Oaks, Del Rey Oaks, CA

Drivers heading between Monterey and Seaside on the inland side of the Peninsula pass through Del Rey Oaks without much fuss. The small city rides along Canyon Del Rey Boulevard, which doubles as State Route 218, with Seaside against one edge and Monterey around the rest. Single-family houses fill the slopes off the boulevard, and most blocks sit a turn or two away from the traffic, so the side streets stay noticeably calmer than the main road. Voters chose to form their own city in 1953, and the town still behaves like a small one, with a modest city hall and a park that doubles as the gathering place. Del Rey Oaks Park, at 999 Angelus Way, has ball courts, a softball field, playgrounds and a dog park, and the old town hall building sits on its grounds. For quieter time outdoors there is Frog Pond Wetland Preserve, a 17-acre pond habitat that the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District keeps open for birders and walkers. It has been closed for now while trail construction goes on nearby, so check the district's page before heading over. The former Fort Ord, with its hiking trails, begins just past the city limits. A-Train's BBQ at 555 Canyon Del Rey Boulevard is the local barbecue counter, and it opens in the late afternoon on the days it serves. The Oven, in Stone Creek Village, is known for wood-fired pizzas. Coffee here means Starbucks, which has two locations in town, and anything more adventurous is a few minutes away in Seaside or Monterey. Safeway is the grocery anchor and covers most weekly needs. Seaside's shops and Monterey's downtown are both close, and Highway 68 is the way out toward Salinas. A car is how most trips happen. The boulevard is also the commercial strip, so the road that brings the pizza and the groceries also brings the traffic. A quiet side street and a short hop to everything come with the territory, and so does a busy road that is never far away.