"Visiting a Lifelong Friend" Monterey by kaloz

My friend Andy moved to Monterey in 2005, and never having been to the state of California, I decided to visit. It would be good for him to see a familiar face. Much of his time was spent at his new job, leaving me plenty of time to explore the area. A trip to Monterey will also likely involve the many small communities in the area, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Carmel, and we took a short drive to Big Sur. So this is a good way to get several VT locations onto your list.

Castle Rock -- Pastures of Heaven

This area of California is Steinbeck country. Many of his stories were set in the Salinas - Monterey area. My friend Andy now lives in a place that Steinbeck wrote about called the Pastures of Heaven, it is not one of his more well known works, but Andy has a copy and the cover features this rock formation near to his home.

Some like it hot

Monterey used to be a fishing town, it's most known feature is cannary row. The grounds were overfished and the industry went elsewhere, but with Steinbeck power, "Cannary Row" lives on as a tourist draw. What was once fish processing plants are now filled with stores, restaurants, museums. Monterey capitalizes on it's history.

• Pros:Lifelong Friend
• Cons:A bit touristy
• In a nutshell:I have enjoyed my visits.