Top Things to Do Near Our Monterey Bay Hotel

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

There is nothing like getting a free ride, no parking hassles and stress free sightseeing. So, make a day of it, start in Old Downtown Monterey, lunch in Cannery Row and catch the Pacific Grove trolley for a view of the ocean and the bay, taking the FREE Monterey trolley back from the aquarium into Downtown Old Monterey. Spend an innovative day visiting the places the locals visit.

Catch the free trolley-buses between the hours of 10 AM and 6 PM daily. Visitors can enjoy Monterey Peninsula and have a chance to see things that they might miss when driving or don’t know the area. This year, there are two trolley lines running that will take you all over the Peninsula. Park at the downtown parking lot and catch the main trolley line that runs from Downtown Old Monterey to Old Fisherman’s wharf, through Cannery Row and stops at the Monterey Bay Aquarium before returning to Monterey. Second, for those that want to see more of the Pacific Ocean and visit Old Pacific Grove and take a drive along the bay, there is the trolley-bus for Pacific Grove. Both trolley-busses intersect at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, making it convenient to transfer from one bus to the other. Remember, these trolleys are FREE and you can get on and get off the stops at your leisure.

http://www.monterey.org/Portals/1/parking/pdfs/trolley_map_color.pdf

http://www.monterey.org/en-us/departments/parking/thewavefreeshuttle.aspx

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

People seem to think whales migrate South in the winter, but the truth is that whales migrate all year long, different types migrating at different times and, don’t forget, that they have to do a trip back up to the North also, which happens in late spring and summer. So, any time is a good time to go whale watching from Monterey. To celebrate whale and its impact on Old Monterey, every third Saturday in January ( this year Jan 21, 2012), is devoted to the Monterey WhaleFest, a celebration of the whale and its migration. As such, it is also a celebration of Old Monterey, with entertainment, food stalls, art and music all coming together to make for one nice afternoon and evening. For me, this is a nice break from the daily drudgery of winter. Definitely a top 10 things to do in Monterey. Whale watching packages available: http://www.stayatmonterey.com/special-pkg/monterey-whale-watching-pkg.aspx

There are a number of interesting ways to tour Monterey and visit top Carmel attractions.

Top things to do in Monterey include the Monterey Aquarium, Fisherman’s Wharf and world famous Pebble Beach golf course among many other Monterey attractions.