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.

                                                                                                                                               

Dream Trip - Galapagos Islands Part 4

 In this post we will visit some more interesting and beautiful places on the island. 

This was a special day, my husband's birthday. We took a taxi to Tortuga Bay. The trail to the beach is about 1 1/2 miles long and starts out with stone stairs. The trail is paved and runs through a desert-like area. It was a hot day and by the time we made it to the beach we were ready to cool off. But - the first beach we reached is mostly for the wildlife, there are big waves and strong currents here and no swimming is allowed. We got some good closeup shots of the marine iguanas. If you keep walking you reach a cove or lagoon where there is another smaller beach where swimming is allowed. This water was calm, more like a lake. There were lots of marine iguanas swimming around. It's a nice beach with a few trees and lots of little birds.