Fletcher Hills, La Mesa, CA

The La Mesa side of Fletcher Hills covers the rolling streets north of Interstate 8, where the city meets El Cajon and the land starts climbing toward Grossmont Summit. Most of the neighborhood carries the Fletcher Hills name with El Cajon, and on the ground the line between the two cities is hard to spot. Ed Fletcher, the San Diego developer whose name is on the hills, first laid out the area in the late 1920s. Homes here are mostly single-story houses from the 1950s, many of them remodeled over the years, and a backyard pool is a familiar sight. Townhome and condo complexes are mixed in among the houses, so the housing is more varied than a drive down one street suggests. Harry Griffen Park, at the end of Milden Street, is the big outdoor asset. At 53 acres it is the largest park in La Mesa, with an amphitheater that hosts the free Sundays at Six concerts, a fenced off-leash dog area, picnic tables under eucalyptus and dirt loops through a patch of native brush. La Mesita Park on Dallas Street has the city skatepark. The Junior Seau Sports Complex and a YMCA are its next-door neighbors. Northmont Park on Severin Drive and Briercrest Park handle the smaller, closer errands of a dog walk or a swing set. Eating out has a few long-running anchors. Anthony's Fish Grotto on Murray Drive has served seafood since 1946 and seats diners on a big patio along a pond. Narumi Sushi on Fletcher Parkway draws a line for its Southern California style rolls and early-evening happy hour. Lamplighters Community Theatre stages plays in a small house on Severin Drive, a company now well past its 80th season. Day to day, Albertsons on Fletcher Parkway covers groceries, and Grossmont Center is a quick drive west. The Orange and Green trolley lines stop at Amaya Drive and Grossmont Transit Center, and Interstate 8 and State Route 125 meet nearby. Freeway hum reaches the streets closest to the interchange, and the hills make walking to anything a workout. Fletcher Hills is a place where a Sunday can mean a blanket on the grass at Harry Griffen, a band on the amphitheater stage and the sea breeze arriving right on time.