Monterey Dining

A weekend getaway on the Monterey Peninsula often involves kids and keeping them occupied.  A great getaway doesn’t always mean big or expensive events, a getaway can be as simple as getting out of the city for awhile and visiting Monterey.  Obvious choices are a day on the beach at Del Monte Beach or Lover’s Point Cove in Pacific Grove.  However, there are alternatives a-plenty.  Ask our Front Desk Associates about places to purchase a sumptuous picnic lunch and make a day of it at Lake El Estero right by Old Monterey.  There, you can rent paddle boats or kayaks and spend the day on the lake.  Another use for that picnic lunch would be to visit the playground at Dennis-the-Menace Park—also by Lake El Estero—where there are picnic benches, grills and a large play area for the younger set complete with swings, jungle gym and other play-inspiring toys.  Afterward, finish off the day with dinner at the kid-friendly Bubba-Gump seafood restaurant in Cannery Row.  Return that night to a comfortable room at our hotel with accommodations for the whole family. Maybe just relax and watch a movie on our new Flat Screen TVs, or relax at the Poolside or if you want to get some exercise use our fitness room.  In the morning, enjoy our complimentary  hot served daily 7am to 10am.

Ever wonder where great novels come from?  Think community.  Monterey and its surrounding environs, especially Big Sur, are well known as a highly literary, audacious community of productive writers.  Not just novelists reside here, but poets and columnists too.  The Monterey Peninsula’s history is well populated with writers as well.  Ever wonder where Robert Lewis Stevenson got his idea for Treasure Island?  It was the time he spent sitting and writing at Lover’s Point in Pacific Grove.  Of course, there is John Steinbeck (“Cannery Row”), probably the most well-known writer this area has produced.  Visit the John Steinbeck Center in Salinas to learn about his history and have dinner at the house he was born in, now a museum and restaurant.  Touring through Carmel and its wealth of restaurants, there are many writers’ hangouts to be found, such as the Hogs Breath Inn, a classic example of a place where writers used to congregate.  Next time you plan a getaway, make a little time to pursue the environs of writers and don’t forget to book a room at our hotel early, the weather is warming up and walking tours are a must, or take a driving tour of Hunter Thompson’s (“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”) Big Sur.

The Steinbeck House:  http://www.steinbeckhouse.com/

National Steinbeck Center:  http://www.steinbeck.org/

More about Historic Monterey:  http://www.historicmonterey.org/literature.html

March brings thoughts of pots of gold, green beer and how lucky the Irish might be.  After doing a little research, I discovered that the phrase “Luck of the Irish” is actually a misnomer.  Throughout their history, the Irish have had spectacularly bad luck, in terms of famine, wars and misunderstandings between Catholics and Protestants.  Some trace the origin of the phrase to the US where, during the exploration for gold in the West, there were a high number of Irish people who got lucky, and found their “pot o’ gold” in the gold fields of California, or were equally prosperous in silver mining.

Luck of the Irish does owe its origin to the U.S.A.  When they arrived, they were very disliked, treated badly, despised and hated.  When the Irish had any kind of success, most Americans at the time didn’t believe that the Irish were capable of such successes, so they called it luck.  Hence the term “Luck of the Irish.”  Once a year, we can consider ourselves lucky too, lucky to not get pinched, lucky to have green beer and lucky that there are a multitude of Irish and British bars in Monterey in Monterey where we can celebrate this day with the Irish.

Favorite Local Pubs include, Crown and Anchor (ps love the British version of Chicken Curry!), Britannia Arms, London Bridge Pub (Decent Fish and Chips too).

Spooky happenings flourish for adults and children alike on Halloween on the Monterey Peninsula. Like Sleepy Hollow on the East Coast, the seaside town of Monterey has been around for over 240 years and it is said that the old adobes and Victorian-era houses are haunted with many old spirits, maybe a pirate or two. On Halloween, to get in the mood before going to my usual party, I like to get out and take the Ghost Trolley of Old Monterey, a trolley tour around some of the creepiest houses, adobes, cemeteries and the first church in California, all on the Monterey Peninsula that will make you shiver with delight. I like to do it every year because the tour changes from time to time and for the special tour held on Halloween Night they pull out all the stops. I always bring a friend to share the fun and coming in costume is encouraged. It’s a great way to start the Halloween night right before attending that blowout costume party on Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey.

I’ve had people ask me from time to time “what is the attraction of living on the Monterey Peninsula.” People think that it’s a small, exclusive, expensive area with three petite towns and a gated community (Pebble Beach) that provide limited year-round opportunities for shopping and entertainment. I counter that image by pointing out that I live where there are pristine beaches within easy walking or driving distance from any door. Beautiful scenery abounds wherever I go. Arrays of fresh vegetables are to be had direct from the Salinas Valley by shopping locally at a collection of farmers markets. To satisfy my needs for entertainment there are live performances year around by headliners at the Sunset Center in Carmel, several jazz clubs, two dance venues, and many cinemas. Most people don’t know that the Monterey Peninsula supports its own symphony that can be heard at various events throughout the year. On the Monterey Peninsula, I don’t think we are missing any of the variety and diversity of a major city. What we don’t have is congestion, bad air and gridlock traffic (except in the summertime). I don’t think any of those features of city life are missed by those lucky enough to be residents of the Peninsula. What we do have is one of the best and widest choices of shops found anywhere, from designer and artisan goods to the big-box stores in Sand City. There really isn’t any shortage of things to do on the Peninsula, just going for a walk around town can be a lesson in history or an experience in great food. No, I don’t think large cities have anything over our slower-paced lives and gorgeous surroundings, and I can’t, after nineteen years, imagine living anywhere else.
Contributed by Writer by the Sea

Did you wonder why there is an overwhelming interest on the Bay in Monterey? Well, it’s because our spectacular coastline is highly accessible.

People who have been to Monterey seem to naturally gravitate to the Recreation Trail, a walking and cycling path that takes one from Fisherman’s Wharf all the way to Asilomar State Beach, where the bay meets the Pacific Ocean. If you walk, or prefer to rent a bike, you can start on the Recreation Trail by visiting the many shops and restaurants at Fisherman’s Wharf, then stroll or bike for a few blocks along the trail to Cannery Row and more shops and outdoor restaurants.

After Cannery Row, it is about a mile along the untamed coastline to get to Lovers Point Cove and take in the view of the entire bay. A small hamburger stand at the Cove makes for a picnic lunch by the sand. Photo-ops abound along the trail plus many tide pools. From the Wharf to the Cove, sea otters frolic and sometimes whales can be seen, but if going to the Cove is far enough for one day, the free Monterey Trolley stops every 45-minutes at the Cove for the trip back to Cannery Row. At Cannery Row you can take the Trolley and travel back to Old Downtown Monterey. If you don’t want to walk the trail, there are several places along the Recreation Trail that rent bicycles or pedal-surreys for up to four people. Also, there are many places to stop and eat a picnic lunch purchased from one of the fine vendors along the trail. Enjoy our coastline, it’s one of the best features of the Monterey Peninsula and it’s free!

Feeling Blue or Jazzy? Take your pick, Blues Festival in June or jazz Festival in September at Monterey Fairgrounds, Monterey CA.

It’s nice to be able to get away from pressures and demands and simply go on a road-trip whenever we can make a little time. Value is the byword today in travel, how do you get the biggest bang for your buck? At the Comfort Inn Monterey by the Sea, there are real cost-saving values. There’s the substantial discount for booking early, a free hot breakfast with waffles, eggs and sausages pastries and much more. a free fitness room if you feel like a workout, free parking and wireless internet, restaurant coupons at the front desk and a free second day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium if you buy tickets at the front desk. The free second day is available only at hotels, not at the Monterey Aquarium. There is enough savings here to satisfy any need for solid value, enough so that you might even think about making another trip later in the year and book it now to lock in the discount!