Mayfair, Lakewood, CA

Mayfair is the oldest neighborhood in Lakewood, older than the city itself, and it still has a slightly different feel from the tracts that came after it. Homes in Mayfair are mostly single-story ranch houses from the 1940s, a decade ahead of the big Lakewood Park build-out to the south. Jacarandas shade many of the blocks and turn them purple in late spring. The street layout keeps through traffic out, so the interior feels calm even with busy boulevards on the edges. Mayfair Park, just to the south at the corner of Clark and South, shares the neighborhood's name and has been the city's main park since 1951. It has an outdoor pool, lighted ballfields, tennis courts and a fitness trail, and the Pan American Fiesta fills it every May. WinCo Foods, a large warehouse-style grocery, sits on South Street inside the neighborhood, and Fresh Donuts on the same road covers coffee and a morning dozen. For something better than a quick bite, Cassidy's Corner Cafe runs a drive-thru on Woodruff Avenue with bagels baked daily, and Frisco's Carhops is nearby on Bellflower Boulevard for burgers. Getting around means driving. The 91 and 605 freeways are close for trips toward Los Angeles or Orange County, and buses from both Metro and Long Beach Transit run the main streets. Lakewood Center is a few minutes southwest. One tradeoff is that the neighborhood itself is almost entirely houses, so nearly every meal out or errand starts with a short drive. The payoff is proximity to the park, and from much of Mayfair the pool, the fields and the May fiesta are close enough to reach on foot.