Fairview Heights, Inglewood, CA

Randy's Donuts has been frying on West Manchester Boulevard since 1952, and its giant donut is the landmark most people use to find Fairview Heights on the west side of Inglewood. The neighborhood reaches toward the 405 and the airport edge of the city, with short residential blocks tucked between busy commercial streets. Homes here are mostly modest single-story houses from the early and middle twentieth century, many with stucco fronts, small lawns and driveways leading back to detached garages. Small apartment buildings fill in along the larger streets, and some lots have added a back unit over the years. Centinela Avenue is where a lot of the eating happens. Back on Manchester, Three Weavers Brewing pours its Expatriate IPA in the brewery's own taproom. Cadoro Bakery on North Oak Street bakes sourdough and ciabatta for restaurants around the area and sells loaves and pastries from a cafe window. Rogers Park on West Beach Avenue is the main neighborhood park, and Ashwood Park on South Ash Avenue is a smaller patch of grass a few blocks away. For a longer walk, Edward Vincent Jr. Park in North Inglewood is a short drive. Errands in Fairview Heights mostly run along Centinela and Manchester. Smart & Final on Centinela handles bulk shopping, and there is a Starbucks on each of the two main streets. The K Line's Westchester/Veterans station is close by on Florence, and the 405 is a quick hop for trips to the beach cities or the Westside. Planes descending toward LAX pass low over this side of town, so jet noise is part of the daily soundtrack, and Manchester backs up at rush hour with airport traffic. The payoff is how close everything sits. A warm box from Randy's and a cheesecake from Harriet's are both within a few minutes of most front doors.