San Rafael, Pasadena, CA

San Rafael sits on the west rim of the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena, and the canyon is the reason people end up here. The Lower Arroyo runs right along the neighborhood's edge, with the Colorado Street Bridge at the north end and trails following the streambed south toward South Pasadena. The Lower Arroyo covers roughly 150 acres and gets used in ways most city parks don't. There's a fly casting pond with its own clubhouse, an archery range, a bird sanctuary and La Casita del Arroyo, a small community center. Homes here are mostly midcentury, and the streets were laid out to follow the hills rather than a grid. Ranch houses and split-levels line winding streets, and many are built into the slope, stepping up or down from the road. Owners tend to hold on for a long time, so houses don't come up often. The neighborhood has almost no businesses, which suits the terrain. The San Rafael Branch Library on Nithsdale Road is the one civic stop inside. Coffee and groceries mean crossing the bridge into Old Pasadena, about ten minutes away, where Copa Vida on South Raymond Avenue runs a slow bar and pours teas on tap. Getting around takes a car. Buses run along Colorado Boulevard, and the 110 handles the drive to downtown Los Angeles, but walking to errands isn't realistic from most streets. That is the tradeoff for this much quiet, and most San Rafael residents plan errands in batches. What you get in return is a morning walk that goes from your own street straight down into the canyon.