"City by the Sea" a Monterey Travel Page by Lhenne1

“So my job is sending me to a new office,” my boyfriend told me one evening over dinner in his Delaware home.
“Where to? Philly? New Jersey? DC?”
“Not quite,” he replied.
“Where?”
“Monterey, California,” he said.
“Half of the Parent Trap takes place there,” I’m a Haley Mills fan, “Where is it?”
It turned out neither of us had an answer for that so off the Mapquest we went. A year later I was packing up my little apartment in northern Delaware, my two cats and my car and getting ready to leave the east coast for a life in “Sunny California.” Little did I know that Monterey is actually “Foggy California.”

Located 5 hours north of Los Angeles (when I’m driving, at least) and 2 hours south of San Francisco, Monterey is a world all it’s own. It’s not the California you see in the movies…it’s about 1,000 times better. Well, that’s just my opinion.

Being an east-coast girl, I’m used to seeing plenty of squirrels and sparrows hanging around heavily populated areas. I'm used to the occasional deer sighting when out of those heavily populated areas...but I was not ready for the animals I encountered in Monterey.

Sea lions fill the water and bark at each other loudly. Raccoons are as plentiful as squirrels (I had never seen a raccoon outside of a game preserve before). The trees are huge and twisted in odd contortions. Deer relax on golf courses as cars whiz by. The water is blue and clear.

I never expected to associate so much wildlife and nature with Monterey. From the creatures in the bay to the random and plentiful gardens downtown, Monterey is an interesting blend of natural and manmade that will keep you as entertained as the town's attractions.

The city is not large and you can walk from the wharfs to the aquarium to downtown easily. Since the area tends to be expensive, a drive down the coast is a nice way to spend a pretty Saturday afternoon. Big Sur and Carmel aren't far from Monterey and offer great sights.

Walk around the town and you'll find little gardens and plenty of historic buildings, from California's first theater to John Steinbeck's home. There are plenty of bars and restaurants, though the fare can be a bit pricey.