California Street / Mission Hill, Santa Cruz, CA

California Street / Mission Hill climbs from the flats near Bay Street up to the rise where Santa Cruz's Spanish mission once stood. All that remains of the mission itself is a restored adobe on School Street, kept today as Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park, with a view over the city from the hilltop. Homes in California Street / Mission Hill are mostly older single-family houses, mixed with apartment buildings and a few mid-century infill lots. Streets are narrow and steep in places, front porches face the sidewalk, and the old trees give the upper blocks a settled feel that the flat grid below lacks. Neary Lagoon is the outdoor anchor, a city park and wildlife refuge reached from the Bay Street side. A pontoon walkway and trail let you loop around and across the water, where wood ducks, coots and the occasional great blue heron are easy to spot. Dogs stay home, since this is a wildlife refuge. Pacific Avenue is a downhill stroll to the east, so an evening stop on the way home is an easy habit. Two places carry the local table. Avanti on Mission Street cooks seasonal Italian food with pasta, focaccia and sauces made in house. The Abbey Coffee, Art & Music Lounge, as the name promises, pairs a coffee bar with art and music. Groceries are a walk or a short drive to downtown and Mission Street, and the city bus system's routes pass through, so getting to the university or over Highway 17 doesn't require a car. Mission Street, which doubles as Highway 1, runs along the hill's flank. Hills are the tradeoff in plain terms, and so is the noise from Mission Street at the bottom, where the main road carries most of the area's traffic. Parking near the lagoon fills up on sunny weekends. The best view in the area belongs to anyone who walks up to the mission grounds and looks back across the rooftops toward the bay.