Blackstone Way, North Gate

I grew up just off this street. The park at Blackstone and Ferry Lane was always a fine place for kids to meet and hang out. There are also other smaller playgrounds to explore inside the common areas. Nowadays I'd be careful about traffic and such if I were riding a bicycle, which was one of my favorite things to do down Blackstone Way. In Fremont, though, the intersections are well-marked and properly outfitted with safety signage. The off-streets have speed bumps, too.

There is a fine shopping center nearby, featuring a major supermarket. Overall, though, this now feels like a somewhat marginal neighborhood surrounded by nicer, larger homes. The Northgate townhouses were built in the early 1970s and have not been that well-maintained, which is disappointing to those of us who were raised there.