The town of Monterey, California, has a long history. It was founded in 1770 by Spanish explorers, and became the capital of the Province of California in 1777. But I was in town for only a little over 36 hours, and I was planning on touring the 17-mile drive, so I spent my time as most tourists in a rush, visiting the “big name” sights of Old Fisherman’s Wharf and Cannery Row.
If you read my posts regularly, you know that this is not how I usually visit a town. But I did have my reasons. Let’s talk about Old Fisherman’s Wharf first. It is home to all of the stores you might expect to find in such a place - tee-shirt shops, souvenirs, and fancy candy stores. There are also a range of sea food restaurants, although none were open for breakfast. Old Fisherman’s Wharf is where you can find several wildlife watching boat tours. But, the draw for me is the beautiful Marina. Especially on a quiet morning, with calm waters all around, it is a beautiful place to visit.
My other visit to “touristy” Monterey was to Cannery Row. This waterfront street was the home to several sardine canneries from 1908 through to 1973. Cannery Row was made famous in two novels by John Steinbeck - Cannery Row (1945) and Sweet Thursday (1954).
Cannery Row was also home to Pacific Biological Laboratories, founded by Dr. Ed Ricketts. PBL was one of the countries largest suppliers of marine samples and slides for labs and schools.
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| Pacific Biological Labs |
Today Cannery Row is filled with a wide range of stores, shops and restaurants. I had a great lunch at Fish Hopper, on the pier at Steinbeck Plaza.
The biggest draw in this part of town is the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is considered one of the best in the world, and which played a central role in Star Trek IV - The One About the Whales.
I admit that my reason for this way too short visit to Monterey was for it be a base for a day touring along the 17-Mile Drive on Monterey Peninsula. But that’s next week’s story, sooo…… see ya then.
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