Lindaraxa Park, Alhambra, CA

Lindaraxa Park is a 1920s neighborhood in northern Alhambra, and its streets move from Spanish and Mission Revival houses to English cottages and Storybook homes, sometimes on the same block. It also has more parkland close at hand than most of the city. The houses are mostly single-story period homes from the 1920s, with stucco, arched windows and tile on the Spanish side and steep gables and brick trim on the cottage side. Lots are comfortable, streets are quiet, and the small park that shares the neighborhood's name, along Lindaraxa Park North, sits right among the houses. Story Park holds the Joslyn Adult Recreation Center, and Almansor Park at 800 S Almansor St wraps around a small lake with walking paths. The Alhambra Golf Course next door adds lessons through Ace Golf Academy and a grill called Birdies, and the YMCA of West San Gabriel Valley is on Corto Street. East Main Street handles food and errands. The 99 Ranch Market is the big grocery stop, with Bread Farm Bakery and Cafe and Mr Rice Yunnan Rice Noodle in the same center. Dog Haus Biergarten at 410 E Main pours beer alongside its sausages, and Ten Ren's Tea Time on East Main is the boba stop. Getting around is easy for Alhambra. Main Street runs west to downtown in a few minutes, and many blocks sit within a walk of the 99 Ranch plaza. The 10 freeway is a short drive south past the golf course. Traffic on Main Street and the parking lot at 99 Ranch can back up on weekends, and houses right on the arterials get the noise. Step two blocks in and the evening sound in Lindaraxa Park is mostly sprinklers and people heading to the lake at Almansor.