Eastwood Park, Cameron Park, CA

Eastwood Park takes its name from a quiet CSD park of open turf and picnic tables under oak trees, and the neighborhood in Cameron Park stretches along Cameron Park Drive from there. It is a small area where houses and a short run of everyday shops share the same few blocks, so a lot of life happens within a couple of minutes of the park. Rasmussen Park is in the neighborhood too and has a baseball field. Eastwood Park is the one people picnic in, with room to spread out on the lawn. Cameron Park Lake is just over half a mile away, with a loop path and a disc golf course for a longer walk. Homes are single-family and sit close to the commercial stretch on Cameron Park Drive. The Airport Saloon, at 3181 Cameron Park Drive, is the neighborhood bar, with burgers, karaoke on Tuesday and Thursday nights and a big Bloody Mary at weekend breakfast. Cameron Park Coffee & Deli at number 3161 is the cozy cafe locals tell newcomers about, with drinks, pastries and smoothies. Thai House has been around since well before the area's recent growth and is the pick for Pad Thai and pumpkin soup. The owner sometimes plays the piano. Cameron Park Drive, where the saloon and the cafe sit, works as the main street of this part of town. For groceries, head to the Coach Lane shopping district, and Highway 50 is the way west. The El Dorado Transit loop for Cameron Park and Shingle Springs runs hourly on weekdays. Rasmussen Park's ball field has no lights, so games and practice end at sundown, and in summer the heat usually pushes them to evenings anyway. Two parks, a bar and a cafe sit within the same few blocks, and that is the neighborhood in a sentence.