“Fiery Sunset” by Warren Strouse
Or art, music, and wine walk? Any way you look at it, this Pacific Grove event is super fun – and free.
Pick up an Art Walk map at the Chamber of Commerce or any participating location, and head downtown on Friday, October 28, from 6-9 pm.
Listen to live music, pop into the shops and galleries, sip wine and enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres at the following venues:
- Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History – 165 Forest Avenue
- Tessuti Zoo – 171 Forest Avenue
- Sun Studios – 208 Forest Avenue
- Sprout Boutique – 210 ½ Forest Avenue
- Artisana Gallery – 309-A Forest Avenue
- Glenn Gobel Custom Frames – 562 Lighthouse Avenue
- The Pacific Grove Art Center – 568 Lighthouse Avenue
- Pacific Grove Hometown Bulletin – 620 Lighthouse Avenue
- Monterey Bay Educational Center and Gallery – 153 Fountain Avenue
- Barry Marshall Art Gallery – 213 Grand Avenue
- Strouse and Strouse Studio Gallery – 178 Grand Avenue
And why not enjoy the area in one of these great Pacific Grove accommodations?
“Cottage on the Park” is perfectly located for a stroll downtown (and it’s just two blocks from the beach).
Or, if all that art has you in a fervor to break out your brushes, there’s plenty of plein air at this lovely four bedroom home near the white sand dunes of Asilomar Beach.
Visitors to the Monterey Peninsula can’t help but notice that the area is blessed with an extremely high number of fine bakeries.
In the words of one Yelper: “Okay, teeny, tiny Monterey has at LEAST four fabulous bakeries. How come in Newport Beach we have zero???”
We don’t know why, and we’re certainly not about to question our good fortune. Here are just a few of our favorites:
Parker-Lusseau Pastries • 539 Hartnell, Monterey
This weathered white adobe with a petite porch looks as if it were transported from another era… and the savories, croissants, and pastries are as delectable as any you will find in the finest Parisian patisserie.
Paris Bakery Cafe • 271 Bonifacio, Monterey
A downtown tradition, the almond croissants (especially if you’re lucky to get one warm from the oven) are to die for. But you will have a mighty difficult time stopping there when faced with an extensive display of pastries pretty enough to paint.
Pavel’s Backerei • 219 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove
Pavel’s is yummy and reasonable – check out the Texas-sized glazed donuts for only $2.50. (And oh, those apple fritters and the gigantic cinnamon rolls… and don’t get me started on the bombolinis!)
Patisserie Bechler • 1225 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove
You’ll swoon from the sugary aroma when you walk in the door. Locals rave about the quiches and the French macarons (colorful little bites of heaven in flavors like caramel sea salt and pistachio). And the adjoining cafe is a good spot for breakfast or lunch.
Pastries and Petals • Mission & 5th Ave., Carmel
Hard to find but definitely worth the search. Surrender to their scrumptious cheesecake and red velvet cupcakes, lemony treats, breakfast muffins and warm cinnamon pull-aparts… accompanied by a delicious latte or cafe mocha, of course.
Ready for an evening of wining, dining, and dancing under the stars?
It’s all happening at The Taste of Carmel on Thursday, October 6 from 6-9 pm at the Carmel Mission.
The theme of this year’s annual food and wine celebration is “Footloose and Fancy Fare”—and attendees are encouraged to come dressed in their best 80s attire.
The fundraiser, which benefits the Carmel Chamber of Commerce, takes place in the lovely Mission courtyard.
Twenty local wineries will pour libations while more than thirty local chefs—including those from Aubergine, Basil, Bahama Island Steakhouse, Forge in the Forest, Highlands Inn, Fresh Cream, and Il Fornaio—serve “small bites” showcasing their cuisine.
And whether you want to take a spin at Laguna Seca—or attend next year’s Academy Awards—you’ll find a wide range of enticing items to bid on during the Silent Auction.
Tickets are available at www.tasteofcarmel.com or by calling 831.624.2522.
Everyone knows how important honeybees are—but what about the butterflies?
An essential part of the ecosystem, these delicate, fluttering jewels also pollinate flowering plants— and every autumn a small but determined population of Western Monarchs migrates from Washington and Oregon to Pacific Grove, California: a.k.a. “Butterfly Town, U.S.A.”
You can view these natural wonders October through February at the Monarch Grove Sanctuary, free and open from sunrise to sunset.
But don’t miss the annual Butterfly Parade and Bazaar on Saturday, October 1 (with local schoolchildren dressed in wings) or the Historic Home Tour of classic Victorians on Sunday, October 2.
Looking for a Place to Land?
To commemorate this inspiring natural migration, Monterey Bay Property Management is offering discounted $999 weekly rates at select Pacific Grove rentals between Oct. 1, 2011 and Feb. 29, 2012 (subject to availability, holiday dates excluded, tax and cleaning fees additional).
For more info, contact the little butterfly on the left – reservationist Ashley Magallanes in her first Butterfly Parade, circa 1993.
Ashley@MontereyRentals.com or call (831) 655-7840.
The words “cute” and “Great White Shark” are not usually found in the same sentence.
Try telling that to the visitors who are currently oohing and cooing at the newborn baby great white shark at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The “little guy”—a 43 pound “bundle of sharp teeth and predatory instincts”—was collected off Malibu in mid-August.
There’s no way to determine his exact age, but his size suggests he’s about two months old, and he is the smallest great white the Aquarium has ever exhibited.
Currently the Aquarium’s newest addition is chowing down on mackerel and salmon while on display in the one million gallon Open Sea exhibit. Like all six of the Aquarium’s previous great whites, this shark will eventually be released into the wild when his size—or behavior—warrants it.
Monterey Bay Property Management is offering two free Aquarium passes at any of these fin, er, fine ocean view vacation rentals within walking distance of Cannery Row.
831F: Bright, open one bedroom/1.5 bath sanctuary with gorgeous art plus ocean and city light views.
193B: This oceanfront one bedroom/one bath duplex has spectacular views of Monterey Bay – just hop on the seaside recreational trail and head to the Aquarium.
215A: Spacious two bedroom/two bath vacation condo just three blocks from the water—and ocean views from every room.
901BH: For twosomes, a one bedroom/two bath with a peak of ocean, a fireplace and a jacuzzi tub.
Contact: Reservations@MontereyRentals.com or call (831) 655-7840.
Downtown Monterey is buzzing: a number of new businesses have opened or will open soon (Restaurant 1833, Caffe Trieste, Pinkberry and Starbucks… with more to be announced soon).
Here’s another reason to explore Monterey’s rejuvenated downtown: the weekend of Sept. 30-Oct. 2, the inaugural Art in the Adobes festival will display masterpieces of California art that have been hidden from public view for decades. The venues: some of Monterey’s most historic adobes, including the former home of Robert Louis Stevenson.
Some of California’s greatest painters, sculptors and photographers lived in Monterey in the late 19th Century, producing some of the most important works in the cultural history of the West.
Along with an opportunity to view some of the finest examples of the period, this new festival will feature lectures, live period music, and an opening night reception.
We’re including two free day passes to Art in the Adobes if you book a stay in this one bedroom, one bath penthouse apartment overlooking Monterey Bay that includes the Sept. 30-Oct. 2 weekend. It has a view worth painting—and every accoutrement you need in a “home away from home.”
Email ashley@montereyrentals.com or call 831.655.7840, and ask about the “Art in the Adobes” special.
