Many visitors comment on how cool it is here on the Monterey Peninsula. Like Mark Twain is reported to have said, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco,” and since San Francisco is close by, the same can be said of our area.
Our weather is cool during the summer for several reasons:
1. Our ocean currents run from the Arctic Circle and (North to South) and our water temperature tends to be around 49 degrees to 55 degrees Farenheit.
In contrast, the Eastern seaboard of the United States experiences water currents flowing North from the Equator (South to North) with an added bonus of the warm water originating from the Gulf of Mexico known as the Gulf Stream.
2. We have a deep underwater canyon that begins in the Monterey Bay (at Moss Landing and Carmel) and there is a lot more water depth than eyes on land can see.
To compare, the Eastern seaboard tends to be shallower and can heat up from the sun more quickly.
3. Water currents and wind churn the water up from the depths to the surface, which causes cooler water to circulate up. This makes for very happy marine life because the upwellings bring food closer to the surface.
Now you know why you don’t see Sea Lions and Otters frolicking on Florida beaches.
4. The water’s cool water temperature and wind from the ocean makes the air cooler and creates a marine layer/low cloud ceiling. When that cooler air blends with the warmer air temperature over land, fog is created. Our marine layer usually evaporates from the sun after noon.
We hope this helps explain why our air is cool and why we rarely need air conditioning. It also explains why you should always keep a jacket or sweater handy when you’re visiting the Monterey Peninsula.
Like this:
Like Loading...
The annual Cherry’s Jubilee, another great car weekend, will be held on the Monterey Peninsula on September 8 – 12, 2010. Venues 
include Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas, and the Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca. The event kicks off on Wednesday, September 8th, at Oldtown in Salinas, at the Passport to Cherry’s. Passport to Cherry’s is a hometown party for the whole family. It is a strolling food tasting event through charming Oldtown Salinas with over a dozen participating restaurants and great entertainment.
On Thursday and Friday, September 9th and 10th, enjoy the Monterey Waterfront. Show N’ Shine will be from 8 am to 11 pm on the wharf waterfront lot and on Alvarado Street, where spectators can come and view cherry cars and trucks. Restaurants and entertainment will just be steps away. Also on Thursday, Otis Auto Sales welcomes all to the Nostalgic Nights Show & Shine Official VIP kick off party for Cherry’s Jubilee from 9am until 9pm on the corner of Figueroa and Del Monte Avenue, with plenty of food and 
vendors, including a DJ spinning those oldies but goodies that will have you singing and dancing in the street (parking lot).
Friday night there will be a cruise through downtown Monterey and the wharf waterfront from 5:00p.m. To 9:00 p.m. The cruise will head out of the wharf parking area, south on Figueroa Street and turn right on Pearl Street; it will go right again onto Alvarado and proceed through the wharf parking lot. Spectators are free. Friday night, September 10th, you may enjoy 
dancing under the stars, as Fiesta Italia presents The Joe Sarino Band, one of the most popular dance bands in Northern California. From 7:00pm to 10:00pm at the Custom House Plaza in downtown Monterey, there is no admission charge. All of your favorite Italian foods and drinks will be sold on the plaza.
Saturday and Sunday, things heat up at Mazda Laguna Seca Recreation and Raceway. Show N’ Shine for all categories will begin each morning at 8am. For a real adrenalin rush, you may want to consider Hot Laps, on the Mazda Raceway corkscrew. For $30, Hot Laps participants are given the thrill of riding in a Porsche driven by a seasoned driver on the famous Laguna Seca track. All of the cars are safety equipped and tested for track driving and the drivers are certified. Hot Laps are Saturday starting at 9:00 a.m. Also at the Raceway will be a food court, manufacturer’s midway, car sale area, sports bar and official Cherry’s Jubilee memorabilia for sale as well.
Cherry’s Jubilee will also be in Pacific Grove for Saturday’s Show and Shine. Cherry’s Jubilee participants will cruise the shoreline and 
charming, cottage-lined streets of this Victorian-era resort town and park their pride and joy on Lighthouse Avenue in downtown PG. Local restaurants and other downtown businesses invite you to enjoy a relaxed, Saturday afternoon experience with your family and friends.
Cannery Row is Cherry’s destination on Saturday night starting at 5pm, Cherry’s cars will be parked on Cannery Row from Drake Street to David Avenue and in the El Torito parking lot. Cannery Row will be closed to all traffic beginning at 3pm. There is plenty of food, fun, music and cars on the evening’s agenda, and “Restaurant Row” has something for every car lover. The pubs and clubs will be rockin’ with live music.
An exciting way to wind up the weekend is with the Cherry’s Jubilee Pancake Breakfast. Pancakes are tossed from a flatbed truck to the hungry crowd. Diners listen to oldies played by a DJ as they gobble up pancakes tossed hot off the griddle by their servers. Eat as many as you can catch or, if you are not the “Frisbee” type, you may serve yourself, buffet style. The pancake breakfast is followed by the awards ceremony.
Monterey Bay Property Management welcomes all Cherry’s Jubilee participants and spectators. If you need an accommodation with a garage for your special vehicle, please ask the reservation agent to insure that the house or condo you book includes that amenity.
Like this:
Like Loading...
The First Tee open returns to the Monterey Peninsula over Labor Day weekend, featuring the nation’s outstanding junior golfers and amateurs competing side-by-side with the PGA Champions Tour players. From a spectator’s point of view, it is one of the most entertaining of all golf events to observe. The skill of the senior players combined with the youthful enthusiasm of the juniors makes for a heart-warming formula, as one generation gently guides another. This enjoyable event will be played at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Del Monte Golf Course September 3rd to 5th. The First Tee is an organization dedicated to impacting the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf. Monterey Bay Property Management has vacation rental housing available for First Tee Open participants, their families, and spectators.
Like this:
Like Loading...
We have one of the most gorgeous coastlines in the world. Our Monterey Bay is home to spectacular sea life and unsurpassed beauty. However, our rugged coastline can be dangerous to those unfamiliar with the power of the Pacific Ocean, so here are a few tips to keep our visitors safe from rogue waves.
Several people have climbed out onto the rocks of Lover’s Point and have been swept off those rocks by rogue waves. The same can be said for visitors who get too close to the the waterline at Monastery Beach, nicknamed Mortuary Beach due to its dangerous riptides.
To keep yourself safe and away from harm, follow these general guidelines:
1. Never turn your back to the ocean.
2. Make sure you watch the wave patterns before venturing into the water. If the water is calm and there is plenty of flat beach, chances are you can wade in the water without any issues. If, however, the water is rough and/or you see big waves crash ashore, that’s Mother Nature’s signal to stay clear, because she’s far more powerful than you. Also, if no one else is in the water nearby, there’s probably a good reason why.
3. If you are at Monastery Beach, in particular, stay several yards away from the wave break portion of the beach. Most visitors are unaware that they are at the foot of an enormous underwater canyon and when waves crash onshore, there is a steep precipice that can literally sweep you off your feet and out into the deep water. DO NOT go for a swim or get close to shore at Monastery Beach…and if you’re a scuba diver, exercise EXTREME caution.
4. If you are swept out in a riptide, swim along parallel to shore until you feel the current subside, and then swim into shore. Riptides are swift currents running perpendicular away from shore, and if you try to swim into the riptide going back toward shore, you’ll get tired very quickly. So, if you’re swept out, remain calm, swim along side the shore until you feel you are safely out of the rip current, then swim back toward shore. If you get tired, float and rest until you can start swimming again.
5. If you are at the beach and see someone get swept out to sea, dial 911 and alert the rescue teams of your exact location. The Fire Department, Coast Guard, and Parks Service are all trained in water rescue, so act quickly if you see a distressed swimmer.
Water safety is a life skill, and we hope you find these tips useful. These guidelines are not intended to scare you away from enjoying the water. Instead, these guidelines are meant to help keep you safe when visiting our beautiful and powerful Pacific Ocean.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Many who love to celebrate the automobile equally love to attend the Concours d’Elegance in Pebble Beach every year in August.
This year’s event will be held on August 15, 2010. “First conducted in 1950, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is often said to be the world’s premier celebration of the automobile. Only the most beautiful and rare automobiles are invited to appear on the famed eighteenth fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links each year, and connoisseurs of art and technology congregate to see them.’
‘The annual affair, which has raised over $12 million for charity, includes a series of related events, such as the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance presented by Rolex, Pebble Beach RetroAuto, Pebble Beach Motoring Classic and the Pebble Beach Auction presented by Gooding & Company.” What makes a Concours car? “A concours d’elegance is, quite literally, an automotive contest of elegance.’
‘To contend in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, an automobile must be a well preserved or accurately restored vehicle still quite capable of doing what it was meant to do—be driven. It will almost certainly have some historic value—perhaps in its day it served to debut new technology or new styling trends or it has an amazing racing record. And it will be rare—possibly a singular example of a special chassis bearing a respected coachbuilder’s art.’
‘After these criteria have been met, a concours car must be one thing more. Above all, it must be elegant. And elegance is a matter of the eye and the heart.”
Here are some famous quotes regarding the Concours d’Elegance:
“There is no such thing as a score sheet for elegance. It’s largely a matter of taste, recognition of design advantages, and knowledge of the performance and quality of the total architectural concept.”– Strother MacMinn, Renowned Automotive Designer and Former Chief Honorary Judge at Pebble Beach
“From a strictly personal point of view, my definition of an elegant car would be ‘the kind of car I would like to be buried in.’” – Ansel Adams, Photographer and former Honorary Judge at Pebble Beach
We locals love hosting the Concours d’Elegance, and we are delighted to share this event with our visitors. Welcome!
Like this:
Like Loading...
Shopping can be terrific fun, year-round, and we are lucky to have some amazing shopping areas in the Monterey Peninsula.
For people who like the Mall experience with nation-wide retail stores, visit Del Monte Center in Monterey, Carmel Plaza in Carmel, and Northridge Mall in Salinas.
For outdoor shopping centers with large parking lots and big box stores, visit Sand City, The Dunes Shopping Center in Marina, and Harden Ranch Plaza in Salinas.
For downtown Main Street shops and boutiques, visit Oldtown Salinas on Main Street, Alvarado Street in Monterey, Lighthouse Avenues in Monterey and Pacific Grove, and Ocean Avenue in Carmel.
For tourists who are looking for souvenirs, visit Cannery Row in Monterey and The Pebble Beach Company in Pebble Beach.
Like this:
Like Loading...
