Midwick, Alhambra, CA

Midwick carries the name of the old Midwick Country Club, whose land became this stretch of southern Alhambra when the neighborhood was built out in the 1940s. Today it pairs quiet residential streets with a Valley Boulevard frontage that holds some of the city's longest-running food, including the original pastrami counter that started a Southern California chain. Homes in Midwick are a real mix for one tract. Spanish Colonial Revival houses share blocks with Mid-Century Modern designs and plain Minimal Traditional homes from the postwar years, most of them single-story on standard lots with garages at the back or side. The variety makes a walk more interesting than the usual 1940s subdivision. Banh Mi My Tho turns out banh mi packed with fresh herbs and pickled vegetables that critics single out for generous fillings. Ipoh Kopitiam serves Malaysian comfort food, with char kway teow the dish to order, and Sam Woo on West Valley is the long-running Cantonese barbecue shop for roast duck and char siu to go. Outdoor space is the neighborhood's gap. No real park falls inside Midwick, so walkers use the residential streets themselves, and Granada Park on Hellman Avenue in neighboring Ramona Park is the nearest place with grass and play areas. Errands mostly run along Valley Boulevard, where Asian markets, bakeries like Freesia Cake and boba spots such as Tapioca Express line the strip malls. Driving is the default, and the 10 freeway is close for trips into Los Angeles. Garfield Avenue is the main north and south route to downtown Alhambra's Main Street. Valley Boulevard traffic and weekend parking lots that fill by noon are the price of living this close to so much food. The streets a few blocks south stay calm, and a pastrami dip or a banh mi run is a short walk or drive from almost any front door in Midwick.