California Coast #3 - Monterey and Carmel

It was time for another road trip!  My sister Elaine had just arrived from Pennsylvania, and she had a hankering to return to the southern coast for a visit.  

So we booked a hotel in Monterey.  We picked the Monterey Bay Inn because it is right on the bay, and near some beaches where we could take a morning stroll.  

We decided to drive down to Carmel first to do a little shopping, and have some lunch.  We could not check into the hotel until after 3pm anyway.

Driving down there was a breeze.  Because there were three of us, we were able to take the HOV lane.  That saved us so much time.  As we sped past, there were lines of cars to the right of us trying to get to work in Silicon Valley.  It's nice being retired!

The weather was overcast with thick clouds, and occasional misty rain.  Still, it was not cold enough to bother us.  Though it is the middle of the summer, the weather that comes in from the sea keeps the coastal communities cool all year round.

Carmel, or more formally "Carmel-by-the-Sea", is a tranquil coastal town just a few miles south of Monterey.  Perhaps it is famous because Clint Eastwood was once the mayor of Carmel.  With a population of just under 4000 people, Carmel is home to numerous artists and writers.  Downtown Carmel, which encompasses roughly 6 square blocks, has some of the most unique art galleries and shops that you will find in Northern California.

We had lunch at the Treehouse Cafe, which is, as it sounds, built around a tree.  Though skewed towards Mediterranean fare, their menu was rather eclectic, with things ranging from red Thai curry to Philly cheesesteaks.  Being from Philadelphia myself, I had the cheesesteak, which was not a bad choice.  The ladies had salads and pasta, which were fine too.  

After lunch, we walked the streets of Carmel, poking our heads in some of the voluminous shops and art galleries in this little bucolic town.  Keep in mind that the art for sale here is rather expensive.  After an impromptu rest at a coffee shop, we decided to go to Monterey and check in at the hotel.  As we checked in, we were given a room upgrade to a larger room with a fireplace.  Cool!  Well, it turned out that the fireplace was artificial, but the room was indeed large, and had a nice view of the bay.

That evening we decided to walk into the center of Monterey for dinner.  That turned into a bit of a stressful situation, because we had not made any dinner reservations.  My bad.  So we tried to get into a few places, and found long wait times.  We settled on Louie Linguini's.  Our wait time was about 30 minutes.  Frankly, my expectations were low.  But I was wrong.  We were seated on the outer balcony facing the bay, and the fish dinner was better than I had hoped.  There are better restaurants in Monterey, like the Chart House and Sardine Factory, but when you are stuck, Louie's was a plausible alternative.

The next day after breakfast we set off for 17 Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula, which stretches from Pacific Grove to Carmel.  There are five entry points; we chose to start at the entrance at Pacific Grove.  The majority of the parkway flows along the Pebble Beach coastline.  Coincidentally, there are exactly 17 stops along 17 Mile Drive.  Stop #12, The Lone Cypress, is by far the most well known stop. This 250-year-old tree may be the most photographed tree in America, and serves as the logo for Pebble Beach Resorts. 

Afterwards, we were satisfied with our brief hiatus in this picturesque area, and started to head back to the Bay Area and home.