Road Trip! Monterey, CA and environs, and little blurbs of SLO and Hollister!

sopas ej · #1 Posted **Feb 21, 2023, 9:00 PM**

Road trip!

My partner and I decided to make ourselves a 4-day weekend for the Presidents Day holiday and drove up CA's central coast. We stayed in Monterey, but explored other areas.

Leaving South Pasadena, headed north...

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Some hours later... San Luis Obispo for a pit stop. SLO is often our pit stop whenever we head north to Monterey or the Bay Area.

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We were happy to see the Lokum place. We've been to the one in Santa Barbara and I didn't realize they had a San Luis Obispo location too.

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Yum. Their lokum is so good. The business is owned by Turks.

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I had it with Turkish coffee.

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On the road again...

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Monterey.

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It's funny to me that Monterey has some historic adobe structures that they use as commercial buildings, and newer buildings were built right next to them.

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We decided to have dinner at this pub.

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Cider.

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I had chicken curry with veggies. It included papadam.

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Sticky toffee pudding for dessert.

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The Rodriguez-Osio Adobe, completed in 1849. Now used as a commercial building.

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The Custom House. From Wikipedia: "The Old Custom House is the oldest surviving government building in California, built in 1827 by Mexican authorities in Monterey, then the capital of Alta California. The former custom house is the first designated California Historical Landmark, marking the site where U.S. Commodore John Drake Sloat raised the American flag and declared California part of the United States in 1846 during the American Conquest of California. In 1821 New Spain—Mexico won independence from Spain, in the Mexican War of Independence, and for nearly 25 years Monterey was in the Mexican Territory of Alta California. Under Mexican rule the trade restrictions were lifted and coastal ports were opened to foreign trade. This drew in trade from British, American, and South American traders. To collect customs duties (tax monies) at the Monterey Bay port, the Mexican government built the Custom House, making it the oldest government building in present-day California."

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Here you can see the context of how the Custom House is right near the shore of Monterey Bay, where taxes/duties were collected for goods at the port.

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Is this Porsche from the 1970s or 80s?

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The following morning...

OK, I wanted to hike to Calla Lily Valley because I thought I was gonna see this:

mustloveroses.com

But instead, because of all the heavy storms that California had last month, we saw this:

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Oh well! It was still a fun hike though. There were SOME calla lillies there...

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I really like that the state has been encouraging native California plant species to grow. It looks pretty nice in my opinion...

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Much better and more varied-looking than the non-native ice plant they planted decades ago; I think it was originally done to help with landslides/erosion... ice plant is kind of ugly, at least IMO:

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See the difference? Native plants on the left, ice plant on the right.

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I think it's a combination of high tide and the huge storms from last month; it seems like the beach has disappeared. The storms washed away a lot of sand. I blame climate change.

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Carmel Beach...

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...which is known for its white sand.

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We wanted brunch and left Carmel...

And went to Carmel Valley Village, which is some miles inland. From what we've heard, people go here to escape the cold/fog of Carmel-by-the-Sea. It's usually sunnier and warmer in Carmel Valley Village. It's known for its wineries.

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This place wasn't crowded.

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Nice view out the window.

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I got a guava mimosa...

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And a very tasty vegetable omelette.

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Sand City.

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Pacific Grove.

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Asilomar State Beach. The heavy January storms washed out the wooden walkway, and also left a mess. We were a little saddened by it. We've always loved this beach.

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Dinner at our favorite place in Pacific Grove.

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Riesling.

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I had barramundi.

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Crème brûlée and Licor 43 for dessert.

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The following morning... and the day we drove home.

Back in Monterey.

My breakfast. A ham and brie sandwich from Whole Foods.

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We hadn't been to a Whole Foods in a long time. And we've never been to the one in Monterey before.

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Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo, which is the cathedral of the Catholic diocese of Monterey. It was originally a wooden hut built in 1771, but the current structure dates from 1794, the oldest continuously operating parish and the oldest stone building in California.

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We decided to take a leisurely route home. We went to Hollister, which is the county seat of San Benito County. We've never been there before. My partner has ancestors who settled in San Benito County around the time it was created in the 1870s (it had broken away from Monterey County), and some descendants still live there.

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We decided to have lunch in Hollister.

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The view out the window.

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Chips and really good salsa.

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Mango margarita on the rocks.

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I had a chicken quesadilla.

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I was like "Wait, I thought that OTHER building is the city hall??" As it turns out, THIS building is; the other building is like an annex or something, with other city offices.

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Hollister United Methodist Church, completed in 1869.

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Sacred Heart Catholic Church. I don't know when it was built. I associate this architecture with Protestant churches, being that most of the Catholic churches in southern California are all either Spanish/Mission-style or Modern. It was locked; we otherwise would've gone inside to see what it looks like.

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Instead of getting back to the 101 right away, we decided to take CA-25 south from Hollister, a highway we've never taken before. After all the winter rain California got, the hills were a very nice vibrant green, some shades looking like matcha! We just had to pull over and take pictures of it. They'll be brown or that golden wheat color come summer.

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Then it was back to our pit stop San Luis Obispo for another Lokum snack break.

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I got different kinds from the last time.

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Leaving SLO.

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That's all, folks!

enro · #2 Posted **Feb 21, 2023, 9:34 PM**

Even though I live nearby, I always enjoy your photo threads of your trips around town or up the coast. I may have just missed you at Wanderlust creamery the other weekend haha.

I may have asked this before, but what camera do you use?

Great thread as always.

sentinel · #3 Posted **Feb 21, 2023, 9:37 PM**

Fantastic photos, and totally wild because I was JUST in Monterey not even two weeks ago!! Did we cross paths at all??? LOL I stayed at the Portola hotel in the DT area.
I landed in LA for 4 days, spent time with friends I had not seen in a while - then drove up to Monterey to visit family for 2 days, then another 1-1/2 in SF, my first time.

LA is great because I've been there numerous times and feel comfortable/know my bearings well enough to get in a car and just drive around. The drive up to Monterey was lovely and fairly warm, as was Monterey itself. I was there for a family wedding last summer and it wasn't as fun because of the wedding prep, etc., but I had a fantastic trip this time.
SF was amazing, and exceeded my expectations...I'm still thinking about it

I could easily EASILY see older me snowbirding in Monterey, or the south Bay area

Glad you and your partner had a great trip.

OhioGuy · #4 Posted **Feb 21, 2023, 10:24 PM**

It is quite nice down there around Monterey Bay. We had some decent weather this past holiday weekend though it's going downhill quickly now through the end of the week (very chilly).

The coastline in Pacific Grove is wonderful to stroll along. What is the restaurant you really like there?

homebucket · #5 Posted **Feb 21, 2023, 10:38 PM**

Nice photos! Heard Monterey (at least the aquarium area) was packed this weekend. Good to see the native plants thriving. The Central Coast does have a lot of nice wildflower blooms during the spring.

I also never realized Sand City has its own version of Wynwood Walls! Will have to go check it out sometime.

ChrisLA · #6 Posted **Feb 21, 2023, 11:09 PM**

One of my favorite areas to visit in California, well this and Santa Barbara. Actually we are spoiled rotten to live near so much beauty. Also thanks for sharing the photos of Hollister, I used to pass through this town often on my way to Monterey coming from Fresno. I always enjoyed the scenery going through this town. It’s been at least 25 years since I’ve drove through, I’m sure it has changed.

sopas ej · #7 Posted **Feb 22, 2023, 3:28 AM**

Thanks for the comments!

Quote:

Originally Posted by enro

Even though I live nearby, I always enjoy your photo threads of your trips around town or up the coast. I may have just missed you at Wanderlust creamery the other weekend haha.

I may have asked this before, but what camera do you use?

Great thread as always.

Thanks!

I love Wanderlust Creamery; maybe we bumped into each other? Hehe.

My camera isn't a fancy one; it's a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sentinel

Fantastic photos, and totally wild because I was JUST in Monterey not even two weeks ago!! Did we cross paths at all??? LOL I stayed at the Portola hotel in the DT area.
I landed in LA for 4 days, spent time with friends I had not seen in a while - then drove up to Monterey to visit family for 2 days, then another 1-1/2 in SF, my first time.

LA is great because I've been there numerous times and feel comfortable/know my bearings well enough to get in a car and just drive around. The drive up to Monterey was lovely and fairly warm, as was Monterey itself. I was there for a family wedding last summer and it wasn't as fun because of the wedding prep, etc., but I had a fantastic trip this time.
SF was amazing, and exceeded my expectations...I'm still thinking about it

I could easily EASILY see older me snowbirding in Monterey, or the south Bay area

Glad you and your partner had a great trip.

It was indeed a great trip! And being that you were in LA not too long ago, maybe we crossed paths? It's possible.

SF is indeed amazing. We go there regularly. In fact we're planning on going there in June.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OhioGuy

It is quite nice down there around Monterey Bay. We had some decent weather this past holiday weekend though it's going downhill quickly now through the end of the week (very chilly).

The coastline in Pacific Grove is wonderful to stroll along. What is the restaurant you really like there?

Yeah, the weather seems to be going another direction fast. It was sunny this morning here in the SGV but by the afternoon, it got really cloudy. It's supposed to be really cold the next few days and rainy.

The restaurant we really like in Pacific Grove is called FishWife: https://fishwife.com/

Quote:

Originally Posted by homebucket

Nice photos! Heard Monterey (at least the aquarium area) was packed this weekend. Good to see the native plants thriving. The Central Coast does have a lot of nice wildflower blooms during the spring.

I also never realized Sand City has its own version of Wynwood Walls! Will have to go check it out sometime.

Monterey and Pacific Grove did seem packed this weekend, though we didn't go to Cannery Row/Aquarium area. And I've never heard of Wynwood Walls, so I looked it up. Interesting!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisLA

One of my favorite areas to visit in California, well this and Santa Barbara. Actually we are spoiled rotten to live near so much beauty. Also thanks for sharing the photos of Hollister, I used to pass through this town often on my way to Monterey coming from Fresno. I always enjoyed the scenery going through this town. It’s been at least 25 years since I’ve drove through, I’m sure it has changed.

We really are spoiled rotten to live near a lot of beautiful areas. Hollister was interesting I thought, especially because I haven't been there before.

EastSideHBG · #8 Posted **Feb 22, 2023, 2:49 PM**

Wonderful!

LAsam · #9 Posted **Feb 22, 2023, 6:05 PM**

Yet again, I find myself envious of you! Thanks for the photos and I'm enjoying vicariously living through your photos until my toddler gets a little older and can better handle travel!

AviationGuy · #10 Posted **Feb 24, 2023, 1:51 AM**

I really enjoyed every photo of your thread. I've never been anywhere between Santa Barbara and San Francisco, but would love to sometime.

xzmattzx · #11 Posted **Feb 24, 2023, 2:46 AM**

Nice pictures!

I heard from a co-worker who has a daughter that lives near Monterey that Carmel Valley got snow for the first time in recorded history.

Do you ever travel outside of California? It seems like you just stay inside the state.

sopas ej · #12 Posted **Feb 24, 2023, 3:28 AM**

Thanks for the comments!

Quote:

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

Nice pictures!

I heard from a co-worker who has a daughter that lives near Monterey that Carmel Valley got snow for the first time in recorded history.

Do you ever travel outside of California? It seems like you just stay inside the state.

We were last out of state 2 years ago when we went to Tucson. It's easy and cheap for us to travel around California, we just drive everywhere, and we really love our state. And there are still some areas we haven't seen yet.

We're sorta kinda planning a trip to New Mexico, another state we love, and we almost went 2 years ago, but we ended up going to Tucson instead; NM is still up in the air. We pretty much think we've seen everything in the US that we want to see. My partner has never been to the northeast, but frankly he doesn't really have a desire to see it, and for me, I don't really have a desire to go again. He's seen the Pacific Northwest (Seattle and Washington state), but he has no desire to go again; I've never been to the PNW, but like the east coast for him, it's really low on my list of places to see. If anything, we'd like to go to New Orleans some time, neither of us has ever been there, and the history of the city is very interesting. My niece is currently a college student in Colorado, a state neither of us have been to, and she graduates next year. I'm pondering a road trip to her graduation... but it's tentative.

We'd really like to travel outside the US again but we'll have to save money for that. We were gonna go to Sri Lanka in 2020 but then COVID hit, and it ruined our plans, and the money we budgeted for it eventually got spent on other things. In the meantime, we've just been going around California on long weekends.

Mikle · #13 Posted **Mar 1, 2023, 9:35 PM**

Great photos - thank you for sharing. I was very surprised to see Hollister included in your intinerary (my current home). Hopefully you were able to visit a few of our wineries as there are some very good ones here - Eden Rift, Calera, De Rose. If not, maybe your nest trip out. :-)

edale · #14 Posted **Mar 1, 2023, 9:58 PM**

Great photos! The Central Coast is a really beautiful and tranquil area, and I'd love to take another road trip up there soon! Thanks for sharing your travels.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sopas ej

We pretty much think we've seen everything in the US that we want to see. My partner has never been to the northeast, but frankly he doesn't really have a desire to see it, and for me, I don't really have a desire to go again. He's seen the Pacific Northwest (Seattle and Washington state), but he has no desire to go again; I've never been to the PNW, but like the east coast for him, it's really low on my list of places to see.

I don't really understand this mindset. How does your partner not have any desire to see the Northeast and you the PNW?? There's so much to see and so many cultural offerings in both of those regions, and they offer a lot that California doesn't. Personally, I am curious to see just about every part of this country. I honestly can't fathom looking at a region that includes everything from our nation's capital to New England, with some of the best cities in the Americas, numerous scenic natural areas and National Parks, and just thinking...eh, no interest. You guys seem like a pretty adventurous couple, so that surprises me. A little California provincialism perhaps?

sopas ej · #15 Posted **Mar 1, 2023, 10:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by edale

Great photos! The Central Coast is a really beautiful and tranquil area, and I'd love to take another road trip up there soon! Thanks for sharing your travels.

I don't really understand this mindset. How does your partner not have any desire to see the Northeast and you the PNW?? There's so much to see and so many cultural offerings in both of those regions, and they offer a lot that California doesn't. Personally, I am curious to see just about every part of this country. I honestly can't fathom looking at a region that includes everything from our nation's capital to New England, with some of the best cities in the Americas, numerous scenic natural areas and National Parks, and just thinking...eh, no interest. You guys seem like a pretty adventurous couple, so that surprises me. A little California provincialism perhaps?

We're just so done with the US; there's a whole world out there to see. We've already been to Europe, Turkey... we really wanna explore southeast Asia and Sri Lanka, Ghana, the Caribbean... Lebanon... Iran--though once their political situation gets more stable. But of course the US has its restrictions for Americans traveling to Iran anyway, and to Cuba, another country we're really interested in seeing.

sopas ej · #16 Posted **Mar 1, 2023, 10:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikle

Great photos - thank you for sharing. I was very surprised to see Hollister included in your intinerary (my current home). Hopefully you were able to visit a few of our wineries as there are some very good ones here - Eden Rift, Calera, De Rose. If not, maybe your nest trip out. :-)

Thanks!

We were not able to visit the wineries of Hollister, though we might some time in the future. We'll be going up north again (hehe, do you guys say "down south" when you go to SoCal?

) in June, so... we'll see.

geomorph · #17 Posted **Mar 2, 2023, 8:55 PM**

Thank you for all the pics, especially the rarely-seen Hollister!

Mikle · #18 Posted **Mar 9, 2023, 7:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Thanks!

We were not able to visit the wineries of Hollister, though we might some time in the future. We'll be going up north again (hehe, do you guys say "down south" when you go to SoCal?

) in June, so... we'll see.

Hope to see you soon! No, I think typically we just say going to "LA" when heading South regardless of the final destination in Southern California. I used to live in Long Beach so I know that part of the state well.

SLO · #19 Posted **Mar 23, 2023, 6:07 AM**

Very nice tour and trip for you all. I've probably driven by Hollister 100 times but never stopped there.
I do like the native landscape as well, but maybe its nostalgia but I have an emotional reaction to the ice plant, also I like that it is evergreen and the blossums are always nice.

Coldrsx · #20 Posted **Mar 24, 2023, 12:04 AM**

Stunning tour and shots!

I need to get my Triumph down there ASAP.