Washington Square, Pasadena, CA

Washington Square wraps around Washington Park, one of the oldest parks in Pasadena, and the story locals tell is that the land was a municipal dump until horticulturist Theodore Payne turned it into parkland in 1922. Craftsman bungalows share the streets with Spanish Colonial, Tudor and English cottage designs, which gives a walk here more variety than the all-Craftsman blocks of Bungalow Heaven across Lake. Big camphor, oak and palm trees shade the sidewalks, and one of the older houses was once home to novelist Upton Sinclair. Washington Park is the everyday anchor, and because the neighborhood is only a few blocks deep in any direction, most homes are a short walk from it. Woodbury Creek still runs beneath the area, mostly underground. Lake Avenue, the eastern edge, is where people eat. Mely's Pupuseria makes Salvadoran pupusas to order, and La Caravana, a few blocks up Lake, cooks the same cuisine. Gladstone Donut House handles early mornings. For coffee, Lavender & Honey is a short walk east along Washington Boulevard. Groceries are easy, since Food 4 Less sits on North Lake. Metro and Pasadena Transit buses run on Lake and the streets around it, and the 210 Freeway is a few minutes south by car, which keeps commutes toward downtown Los Angeles simple. The tradeoff is Lake Avenue itself. It's a busy commercial street with steady traffic, and the blocks closest to it trade some quiet for convenience. Living in Washington Square means the park, the old houses and the Lake Avenue counters are all within a ten-minute walk of each other, and most errands never need the car.