Tropico, Glendale, CA

Tropico in Glendale started as a Southern Pacific depot in 1887, grew strawberries for the Los Angeles market and was its own city briefly before joining its larger neighbor in 1918. The name still hangs on the local post office and the neighborhood around the old tracks in south Glendale. Homes here run from early twentieth century single-family houses, some of them Craftsman, to condos and townhouses built over later decades. Many blocks mix the two, and the street grid is flat and easy to walk. The local park is Cerritos Park on San Fernando Road, with a playground and lawn. The Los Angeles River runs just west of the 5, and Griffith Park is across the river for bigger hikes and rides. Dinah's Chicken on San Fernando Road serves Southern style fried chicken with homestyle sides, and Amai Coffee and Tea shares the same center. Papillon Bakery on South Central Avenue does pastries and coffee, and the neighborhood beer bar is Glendale Tap on San Fernando Road. Getting around is a strength. The Glendale Transportation Center sits in the neighborhood, where Metrolink trains on two lines, Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner and Greyhound buses all stop. The tradeoff is the industrial and commercial edge along San Fernando Road, where trucks, trains and freeway noise are part of daily life. Tropico still feels like a railroad town in small ways. Trains roll past on schedule, and the depot area keeps a steady flow of travelers with bags on their way somewhere.