La Mesa Village, La Mesa, CA

La Mesa Village covers the big western half of La Mesa, running from the old depot where Spring Street meets La Mesa Boulevard out along University Avenue and El Cajon Boulevard to the San Diego line near Rolando. It holds the west end of downtown and a long run of residential hills behind it, so the name covers far more than the few blocks of shops most people picture. Some of the oldest ground in the city is here. The town's first business center grew up near 70th Street and El Cajon Boulevard, until the railroad pulled it east, and the 1894 depot, now the La Mesa Depot Museum with a steam locomotive parked out front, is the oldest building still standing in its original form. Housing ranges widely. Windsor Hills, laid out in 1927 on the hills above the depot, holds older houses that step up the slopes, while the streets farther west fill with postwar homes and, closer to the boulevards, apartments. The Secret Stairs are the local workout. Hillside paths built into the early tracts climb nearly 500 steps past bougainvillea and hibiscus to Summit Drive, with views east to Mount Helix. Rolando Park on Vigo Drive, Highwood Park on Parks Avenue and Vista La Mesa Park on King Street spread grass across the rest of the area. Eating out splits between the Village and the boulevards. Farmer's Table on La Mesa Boulevard serves farm-to-table brunch and dinner, from charcuterie to whole red snapper, and Lightbulb Coffee a few doors away bakes in-house. Out on University Avenue, the Riviera Supper Club lets diners grill their own steaks and keeps live jazz going in its Turquoise Room under a Googie sign, and Better Buzz Coffee roasts its own beans under a giant cup on the roof. Vons on University Avenue covers groceries, and the city's public library is on Allison Avenue. The Orange Line stops at Spring Street near the depot, Interstate 8 runs along the north side and State Route 94 is just to the south. University Avenue and El Cajon Boulevard carry heavy traffic, and homes close to them hear it. Living in La Mesa Village means the stairs, the depot and the Friday market are all within reach of quiet side streets that most visitors to downtown never see.