Odds & Ends - The Monterey Bay Coast and Beyond

The drive on Highway 1 from Monterey to Santa Cruz offers some interesting spots to stop for a quick bite to eat or just to explore. Here are a few that I visited and some others I missed but that are worth a mention.

Castroville

This town is "The Artichoke Capital of the World". There is an Artichoke Festival every year with all kinds of activities and the crowning of the Artichoke Queen. Guess who the very first Artichoke Queen was in 1948? None other than Norma Jean Mortenson, better known as Marilyn Monroe!  

https://artichokefestival.org/

A great place to eat in Castroville is Phil's Fish Market & Eatery. If you love seafood like I do this is the place to go. There is also the Giant Artichoke Restaurant and a Japanese restaurant.

                     http://www.philsfishmarket.com/

Moss Landing

I only drove through this town so I can't tell you too much. It has a beach - Moss Landing State Beach but from information that I read, there are dangerous rip currents so swimming is not safe. There is a big power plant that you pass when driving through. 

Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve is a few miles east of Moss Landing. It is a coastal wetland, a large tidal salt marsh with an abundance of wildlife. There is  a visitor center, picnic areas, a boardwalk and trails. I did not get a chance to visit the reserve but I think it is worth a visit. 

As you leave Moss Landing you will see J & S Surplus, a military surplus store. I did go into the store and look around but I loved the outside more as you can see in the photo.

Aptos

OK - In Aptos I did only one thing. Eat ice cream. Marianne's Ice Cream is a small ice cream shop but they have amazing flavors. And the ice cream is "hand-crafted". Yum! Delicious.

Marianne's also has 2 shops in Santa Cruz.

https://mariannesicecream.com/

The next stop was Santa Cruz. Check out my previous post on Santa Cruz.

Now, let's head south on Highway 1 from Monterey. This takes you through Carmel-By-The-Sea to Big Sur, a beautiful, scenic drive along the coast.

As you drive down the coast you will see many state parks. There is the Big Sur area where there are amazing beaches, state parks and breathtaking scenery.

Close to San Simeon is Hearst Castle. What an unbelievable place! It is hard to believe one person could possess all that opulence. It really is extravagance in the extreme.

View from the drive below

                        

      
                     

As you can see there is so much to do and see in this short stretch of coastline. Something for every taste. Anyone who loves the ocean this coastal drive is one of the best. It is definitely some of the most spectacular scenery I have experienced.

Santa Cruz, CA - A Day Trip

*Note :

On December 23, 2024, about 180 ft. of the southernmost end of the Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed into the ocean. It had been damaged in winter storms and was under construction when this occurred. While the wharf has since reopened, repairs are still underway on the affected portion, which remains closed to the public. The trip described in this post took place in April 2023, well before the collapse.

     

During my time in the Monterey Bay area I took a trip up the coast to Santa Cruz. The photo above is a view of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Amusement Park (which I did not visit). The photo was taken from the Santa Cruz Wharf, the destination of my visit.

Driving on Beach Street

On the wharf

Woodie's Cafe was the place for lunch. Their theme is surf boards and old cars, offering good food and a scenic view. As an added bonus I came across some bargain t-shirts in the attached gift shop.

There are numerous restaurants to choose from and interesting shops to discover a special gift or just enjoy browsing.

Now for the stars of the day - the sea lions. The wharf has cut-out sections with railings and wire around them, where you can look down and spot sea lions lounging on the beams below. There were so many but my favorites were a mama and her baby. It was a treat to hear their chorus of barks echoing from below.

                                           

    

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

                                                  

                                                           

I am an animal lover so anytime I can see wildlife up close and in their natural habitat it is a thrilling experience.

In conclusion, this city on the northern end of the Monterey Bay is well worth a visit. 

           

                      

                                     

                                  

                                                         

                  

                 

               

Epilogue - Pacific Grove, California

 

In this post I will share a little bit about everyday living in Pacific Grove. My three months there were really enjoyable. The location of the apartment where I stayed was perfect. It was right near the Monterey/Pacific Grove line. I was able to walk to most of the places where I needed to go.  I did a lot of walking, sometimes just in the neighborhood, looking down the hill to the view of the bay. 

As I said in a previous post, I walked the few blocks to the Monterey Bay Aquarium many times and spent the afternoon strolling through the different sections - Kelp Forest, Into the Deep, Open Sea, Touch Pools, the outside deck and so many more. It was relaxing because it was not as busy on the week days and was easier to move around and get closer to observe all the wonderful and amazing creatures.

                                                                                                           

                                   

One of our favorite restaurants in the neighborhood was Vivolo's Chowder House on Central Avenue. The food was always delicious and the service was great.  https://vivoloschowderhouse.com/

On the corner of Central & Eardley Avenues. is the Second Chance Thrift Store. This is a good place to browse for anything you might need or even something you don't really need but that  catches your eye. I got many great deals here including some folding camp chairs. They have a senior discount and special prices every day.

There is also Andronico's Community Markets which is actually in Monterey but it was a close walk from my home base. They advertise this as an upscale specialty market with organic food and local produce, but it was handy to pick up a few things without driving to the big grocery store. And if you do your homework you can find bargains.

There are a lot more businesses, thrift shops and restaurants on Lighthouse Avenue in the central part of the area between 1st Street and 17 Mile Drive. The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History has a cool whale sculpture outside the building. The Post Office is also in this part of the city.

Another interesting thing in Pacific Grove - the deer. They would show up on the street, on steps in front of a house or in the grassy strip dividing the street. Once, as I walked my dog there were three of them coming from the opposite direction, down the middle of the street. And they will stare you down and not move. Needless to say I turned around and walked away from them.   

                                                

                                          

                                                                     

                                                                                         

                                                                        

                                                               
                                                            

                       

           

                                                                                                              

I hope these posts conveyed what in my experience is the beautiful and unique Monterey Bay area. And there is so much more to explore in addition to what I have shown.