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Tour Kensington, one of San Diego's most gentrified neighborhoods, on a perimeter sidewalk route.

Civilized and gracious Kensington is one of the most interesting of San Diego's distinctive neighborhoods to tour -- especially by foot, on skates, or by bike. Kensington sprawls across nearly flat terrain, so skating and biking -- let alone strolling or running -- along its streets do not involve much effort.

Most of Kensington was built prior to World War II on a formerly barren terrace overlooking Mission Valley. Although busy freeways snake their way through canyons below today, the streets of Kensington proper are quiet, consisting mostly of long, looping drives and numerous cul-de-sacs. Kensington was one of the first neighborhoods to break out of the rectilinear mold.

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Kensington's developer long ago bestowed English place names on the streets, but the houses here are typically Spanish-style with red tile roofs. Behind the rows of palms, every lawn seems meticulously trimmed, flowers grow in profusion -- especially at this time of year -- and most homes offer a bright, freshly painted face to passing onlookers.

Kensington's streets connect with the rest of the city only on the south. Other than on Adams Avenue, the principal thoroughfare, there's not much traffic to worry about. So take the time to relax, look around, and appreciate the scenery.

A good place to start is the small park and library on Adams Avenue between Kensington Drive and Marlborough Avenue. Go south on Marlborough, and follow the circuitous, counterclockwise, six-mile route shown on the map, which is configured to maximize right turns and minimize encounters with automobile traffic. North of Adams Avenue, you can stay put on sidewalks (only if skating or walking; bikes legally belong on the street) and hardly ever cross a curb as you circle each of the cul-de-sacs that reach out to the edge of the terrace. Omitting some of the dead-end streets will shorten the trek, but don't miss the east extension of Ridgeway, where many of the finest homes in the area can be found.

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Civilized and gracious Kensington is one of the most interesting of San Diego's distinctive neighborhoods to tour -- especially by foot, on skates, or by bike. Kensington sprawls across nearly flat terrain, so skating and biking -- let alone strolling or running -- along its streets do not involve much effort.

Most of Kensington was built prior to World War II on a formerly barren terrace overlooking Mission Valley. Although busy freeways snake their way through canyons below today, the streets of Kensington proper are quiet, consisting mostly of long, looping drives and numerous cul-de-sacs. Kensington was one of the first neighborhoods to break out of the rectilinear mold.

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Kensington's developer long ago bestowed English place names on the streets, but the houses here are typically Spanish-style with red tile roofs. Behind the rows of palms, every lawn seems meticulously trimmed, flowers grow in profusion -- especially at this time of year -- and most homes offer a bright, freshly painted face to passing onlookers.

Kensington's streets connect with the rest of the city only on the south. Other than on Adams Avenue, the principal thoroughfare, there's not much traffic to worry about. So take the time to relax, look around, and appreciate the scenery.

A good place to start is the small park and library on Adams Avenue between Kensington Drive and Marlborough Avenue. Go south on Marlborough, and follow the circuitous, counterclockwise, six-mile route shown on the map, which is configured to maximize right turns and minimize encounters with automobile traffic. North of Adams Avenue, you can stay put on sidewalks (only if skating or walking; bikes legally belong on the street) and hardly ever cross a curb as you circle each of the cul-de-sacs that reach out to the edge of the terrace. Omitting some of the dead-end streets will shorten the trek, but don't miss the east extension of Ridgeway, where many of the finest homes in the area can be found.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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