Midway, Escondido, CA

East Valley Parkway is the spine of Midway, the stretch of east-central Escondido between the parkway and El Norte Parkway. Strip centers line the parkway for well over a mile, and the homes behind them sit close enough to walk over for groceries. Residential streets fan out north of the parkway. Expect single-story ranch houses on cul-de-sacs and side streets, some with hill views, RV parking or fruit trees in back, plus condo complexes and apartments closer to the main roads. Upkeep varies block to block. Midway's food runs heavily Mexican and family run. Kennedy's Meat Company is a butcher shop and deli whose carne asada recipe goes back to a family business founded in 1972, and it serves tacos and burritos at the counter or packs marinated meat to grill at home. Small bakeries and paleterias fill the strip centers, and TJ Tacos, a short drive west on the parkway, makes Tijuana-style adobada and lengua. Coffee here is mostly drive-through. Washington Park on North Rose Street is the neighborhood's real gathering place. It started as a farm more than a century ago and now has a public pool that has been in use since 1964, a lighted ballfield, tennis, pickleball, basketball and futsal courts, a skate spot and a fitness court. El Norte Park, a small grassy park off El Norte Parkway, handles quieter afternoons, and Dixon Lake's trails and fishing pier are a few minutes north up the hill. Groceries are everywhere. Vallarta, Aldi, Grocery Outlet and Vons all sit along East Valley Parkway, along with butcher counters and produce markets. The Escondido Transit Center, where the Sprinter starts, sits a couple of miles west, and Highway 78 is close by to the south. The parkway that makes errands easy also brings traffic, noise and a long run of parking lots, and the commercial frontage is more practical than pretty. Living in Midway means a public pool, a ballpark and a full week of groceries all within a few blocks of the front door.