Out Spokin': Circling the U.S. Chapter 55: Monterey

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Monterey has lots of tourist activities, too many to see in one morning, but we did our best.

The old fisherman's wharf is now filled with tourist shops.

I thought the back of the buildings on the wharf were more interesting with their multitude of colors, than the front with the swarms of tourists.

Cannery Row was a disappointment. It has been appropriated by first class businesses. You have to hunt down plaques describing the history.

John Steinbeck maded Monterey famous with his book Cannery Row.

The historic Custom House overlooks the wharf. We saw a sign outside for a walking tour and decided that was a good idea.

Monterey's history includes periods of settlements by Native Americans, Spanish, Mexican, and Americans. Monterey was the first capital of California. A half day was not enough time to soak it all up. We'll definitely return.

We saw this in one of the historical houses. The second step from the top and the second from the bottom is higher than the others, causing the unsuspecting burglar to fall and wake up the inhabitants of the house. What happens next is anyone's guess. It was put in by a Scotsman but I didn't find out if it was traditional to Scotland. Anyone from Scotland know the answer?

The Casa del Oro, a general merchandise store, is still home to the first safe in Monterey, where goldminers would bring their gold for safe keeping.

We visited a museum featuring the works of Salvadore Dali, who lived in Monterey for about ten years, coming to the United States to escape WWII. They had over 500 lithographs from a private collection. I didn't realize how many of his works were illustrations. I would have liked to have seen the original paintings, which we found out are in a museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. I did enjoy seeing the sculptures.

A tapestry of Dali's "The Persistence of Memory."

Dali's works have many repeating images, such as a dripping clock.

We left Monterey around noon, taking the scenic route to Carmel-by-the-Sea, passing the outskirts of Pacific Grove.

We passed this mural while we were on the bike path outside Monterey. It talks about the history of Pacific Grove, founded as a religious community.

An example of the foliage along the side of the road.

We saw a lot of this shrub.

We cycled around the Monterey Peninsula on the famous 17-mile drive. It's a private road and costs $10.50 if you are driving a car, free if you are on a bicycle. There were a number of scenic pullouts along the way, and it was certainly lovely, but I think we've seen more stunning views elsewhere that are open to the public at no cost.

I'm always inspired when I see evidence that bicycles belong. When there is no place off the road to park, the sign under the bike lane sign says, in red, "No Parking."

I said, "I wonder what it costs to play golf here."
"Probably more than I make in a year," said Rob.

We passed luxury hotels and mansions hidden by trees and tall fences. It felt like we were riding through a giant gated community.

The Lone Cypress is the emblem of Pebble Beach. Just like the Old Man of the Mountain in New Hampshire, it is being kept alive with human intervention. If you look carefully you can see the cables holding it in place. Some day it, too, will be gone, but it will live on forever in the literature of the 17-Mile Drive and Pebble Beach Resort.

Our sightseeing day ended after 22 miles in Carmel-by-the-Sea, a town that drips with money.

We found a reasonably priced room within walking distance of downtown for $109, including tax.

We set out to explore the town and find dinner, popping into art galleries along the way. There were dozens populated with excellent artwork.

The first couple restaurants we looked at had entrees priced over 30 and 40 dollars. It wasn't looking good for the budget. Then we found one with a 3-course Sunset Special for $27. Sold! But once we were committed we found out the cheapest glass of wine was $12.

Our meal began with a cup of shrimp bisque, filled with bits of shrimp.

We both ordered the sand dabs with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. "What are sand dabs?" we asked our server. "They are baby flounders, found everywhere in Monterey Bay. Every restaurant serves them." They were tender and moist and delicious.

We didn't have a choice for the dessert that was included with the special. The server brought us tiramisu, which I've never ordered because I don't like coffee. Rob didn't care for his but I was happy to try something new. It was quite good, although I probably wouldn't order it if given a choice.

After dinner we walked around the main streets of town. We passed a number of clothing shops, one with men's clothing and some ties in the window. "I wonder how much those ties cost," I said. "Probably three figures," said Rob.

The door was open so we went inside. The young man came over to talk to us and told us that the store specializes in clothing designed by entrepreneurs working in the United States. The ties and shirts were designed by "Eric" in New York City, with fabric made from a limited stock in Japan. The price tag on the ties was $98. The shirts were over $200. They were really nice shirts. If you buy one of them the chances are pretty good that you will never be at a social gathering where someone else is wearing the same shirt as you.