East of Roselle, Riverbank, CA

East of Roselle is a pocket of Riverbank organized around its parks and its closeness to downtown. Castleberg Park, at 5845 8th Street, anchors it with a big gazebo, baseball fields, basketball courts and a restroom, with a sizeable parking lot, and Harless Park adds a second green space close by. The city counts eighteen parks in all, so there is no shortage of lawns anywhere in town, and Castleberg is among the better-equipped. The housing follows the pattern of the rest of Riverbank, with single-family homes in Craftsman, ranch and stucco styles, and the area sits right next to downtown's older streets. Sports facilities are also part of the neighborhood, including California Field and a recreation spot called Rancho 7 Estrellas. El Sumeri Market and Village Market cover day-to-day groceries here, so you can pick up basics without driving to Crossroads. For breakfast or dinner the best bet is just across the line in downtown, where Get Toasted and the Black Sheep restaurant are about a third of a mile away on Santa Fe Street. Palo Santo Cafe and Ramen 101 are a drive in the other direction. Plaza Del Rio and the skate park downtown are another walkable green stop. The farmers market, library and museum can be reached on foot or a short bike ride for anyone who wants to leave the car at home, and the Cheese & Wine Festival is practically around the corner each October. StanRTA runs buses through the city, and Modesto is a short drive south. There are no real restaurants inside East of Roselle itself, so dinner out means heading to a neighboring neighborhood. The upside is that the parks make it easy to spend an afternoon outside, and the main commercial roads are close enough that nothing is a long haul.