Wooded Area, San Diego, CA

Eucalyptus and evergreens shade most streets in the Wooded Area, the San Diego hilltop near the southern tip of Point Loma, and with no sidewalks the streets feel almost rural. Many of those trees trace back to Lomaland, the Theosophical community that planted eucalyptus and avocado on the headland around 1900. Lots are big and thickly planted, so a lot of houses sit back from the road behind hedges, old stone and tall trees. A handful of notable estates stand among them, including one built for Reuben H. Fleet, and the 1912 Rosecroft estate is on the National Register of Historic Places. The old Rosecroft Begonia Gardens became a block of homes in the 1970s, and a stone wall and a street name still mark where it was. Point Loma Nazarene University occupies the western edge, the side of the hill where Lomaland once stood. Part of Sunset Cliffs Natural Park also falls inside the neighborhood along the bluffs, with tide pools and whale watching in winter. Closer to home, Point Loma Park and its recreation center on Catalina Boulevard sit just north in Fleetridge, and the Bayside Trail at Cabrillo National Monument is a short drive down the peninsula. Daily errands center on the small shopping center at Catalina and Talbot. Jensen's Foods is the grocery there, with a meat department, a deli and a bakery counter. That center is about the only commercial land in the Wooded Area. For a meal out, head downhill to Roseville-Fleetridge. Jennings House Eatery on Rosecrans Street, set in Point Loma's oldest house, is a good breakfast or lunch stop, and the fried fish and tacos at Point Loma Seafoods, open since 1963, are a short drive down the hill. Catalina Boulevard carries most traffic north through the peninsula, and reaching a freeway means driving out past Midway. With no sidewalks, a walk here means sharing the pavement with cars. Evenings on the hill are dark and quiet, and the trees define the place more than any single house does.