Sunset Drive, Pacific Grove, CA

Sunset Drive is the part of Pacific Grove closest to the town's gate onto 17-Mile Drive, which sits just past its edge. It's a residential area with a small shopping cluster at its edge. The housing follows the town's older cottage and bungalow pattern, with fewer homes per acre than downtown, so the blocks feel more open and the pace of the streets is calmer than around Lighthouse Avenue. Higgins Park is nearly at the boundary, and George Washington Park, Caterpillar Park and the community center playground are all close. Asilomar State Beach lies a little farther west, with the boardwalk through its dunes and a rocky shoreline where tidepool life can be seen at low tide. The local favorite for seafood and pasta is Fishwife, which keeps a casual room and grills a daily special. Pizza My Way on Forest Avenue covers the other kind of night, with gourmet toppings and gluten-free options. A Jersey Mike's sits inside the neighborhood for a quick lunch, and Taste Cafe & Bistro on Forest Avenue, a from-scratch European bistro that has served dinners since 1990, makes a quieter evening out. A Starbucks sits right at the edge for morning coffee, and Julia's Vegetarian Restaurant is another option up on Forest Hill. Safeway is the nearest large grocery store, and Trader Joe's is on the same stretch of Forest Avenue. Both are a short drive and within reach on foot if you don't mind a longer stroll, and the community center playground and Caterpillar Park fill in the closer, smaller outings. Sunset Drive carries traffic to and from the gate, so it isn't as quiet as the streets deeper inside town. The 17-Mile Drive gate is the thing only this neighborhood has so close, and the beach is a short distance past it.