Sparr Heights, Glendale, CA

Sparr Heights holds most of the Montrose shopping district, so from nearly every block in this corner of Glendale the walk to dinner on Honolulu Avenue is short. The Sparr Heights Community Center still serves weekday senior lunches, runs classes and keeps a game room with pool tables. Craftsman bungalows, Mediterranean houses and plenty of ranch homes share the streets, with a few contemporary rebuilds mixed in. The land rises gently toward the mountains, so many front yards look out at the Verdugos or the San Gabriels, and magnolias shade a lot of the sidewalks. The Montrose Shopping Park stretch of Honolulu Avenue is the draw. Casa Córdoba does Spanish tapas and paella with live music, and Seasoning Alley handles Mediterranean plates across the street. Town Kitchen & Grill, open since 2014, serves seasonal American food with a happy hour that starts at 3 every afternoon. For brunch and coffee, toasted. Errands take care of themselves. Trader Joe's and the Montrose Library face each other on Honolulu Avenue, and the Sunday farmers market sets up on the same street. Montrose Community Park is a short walk east in Montecito Park, and Deukmejian Wilderness Park is a short drive up the hill for longer hikes. Living beside the district cuts both ways. Market mornings and weekend dinners bring crowds, and parking on the side streets nearest Honolulu Avenue can tighten up. A few blocks back the streets go quiet again, and in Sparr Heights the town's main street is also the neighborhood's.