Fourth Addition, Pacific Grove, CA

Fourth Addition sits at the eastern end of Pacific Grove, where the town's residential streets run up against Monterey and the Cannery Row side of the bay. It sits closer to Monterey's shops than almost any other part of Pacific Grove. The town began in 1875 as a Methodist tent-lot camp laid out on small 30-by-60-foot parcels, and the same compact pattern carries on here before the streets run into Monterey. Homes in Fourth Addition are a mix of older houses and a few multi-unit buildings on tight lots, some with glimpses of the water between rooftops. Houses sit close to the sidewalk, echoing the small footprints the town started with. Streets are easy to cross and parking is mostly at the curb. The shoreline is the draw. The Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail hugs the water here, linking Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium with Lovers Point, and walking, jogging and biking are the main uses. Pocket beaches and tide pools lie below the bluffs. On Central Avenue, Happy Girl Kitchen Co at number 173 serves house-made baked goods, preserves and pickles from a cafe counter. Vivolo's Chowder House at number 127 is the stop for clam chowder and fresh seafood. Lighthouse Avenue downtown has more cafes and restaurants a short ride west. Groceries mean a short drive. Andronico's, at 900 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey, is the closest market, and Safeway and Trader Joe's on Forest Avenue handle the bigger runs. The street grid makes walking pleasant for coffee and the shore, but most weekly shopping involves a car. The aquarium and the shops of Cannery Row are within reach on foot along the trail. Visitors heading to Cannery Row and the aquarium pass through, so traffic and curb parking get tight on summer weekends and holidays. Side streets off Central Avenue skip most of it.