Old Encinitas, Encinitas, CA

The golden domes of the Self-Realization Fellowship temple mark the south end of Old Encinitas, the original village core of the city and still the place where Encinitas does its socializing. The historic downtown runs along South Coast Highway 101 between the beach and a low coastal ridge that separates this side of town from New Encinitas. Housing starts with beach cottages from the 1920s on compact lots, many within a few minutes of the sand. Newer coastal contemporary homes have filled in between them, and a pair of boat-shaped buildings from the early 1920s on Third Street, known as the Boathouses, still sit among the houses. Yards tend to be small, and homes stand close together on most blocks. Moonlight State Beach is the town beach, with lifeguards, volleyball courts, a playground and fire rings, which few San Diego beaches allow. The Meditation Gardens at the temple are free to walk through and look straight down on the Swami's surf break. Up the hill on Quail Gardens Drive, the San Diego Botanic Garden fills its acreage with themed gardens, trails and a big children's garden. Coffee comes first on the 101. Lofty Coffee has roasted organic beans here since 2011 and runs a slow-drip Kyoto-style cold brew, and Ironsmith Coffee Roasters works out of a small space with a roll-up garage door and the roaster right behind the bar. Encinitas Fish Shop keeps things casual with seafood on the highway, and Herb & Sea on D Street is the spot for a sit-down dinner. The La Paloma Theatre, a Spanish Colonial Revival house from 1928, still shows films and books live music, with a cash-only box office. Daily life works on foot here more easily than in the rest of the city. Whole Foods sits on the 101 for groceries, and Coaster trains stop right downtown on their daily runs between Oceanside and San Diego. Encinitas Boulevard climbs east over the ridge to I-5. Yard space is what gives here. In exchange, Old Encinitas puts the beach, an old movie house and the train within a walk of most front doors.