Many tourists are in a rush and don’t get a chance to enjoy the full extent of the recreation trail that extends from Lover’s Point in Pacific Grove to Marina. Due to most foot traffic staying between the American Tin Cannery and Fisherman’s Wharf, a lot of beautiful views are overlooked.
I live in New Monterey, the neighborhood just up the hill from Cannery Row. I often walk down the hill and turn right toward Fisherman’s Wharf so I can have a nice, long walk to Del Monte Beach, which is north of the Commercial Wharf.
My favorite time of year is between April through June when the sea lion pups are newly born and they hang out by the docks and shore-lining rocks. They can be a little stinky (and what baby isn’t stinky at times?) but they’re so darned cute! Hearing them vocalize and bark is so much fun.
I love the change of scenery along the rec trail. I start my walk from the hill, where the view can extend out over the blue water all they way to Moss Landing…or on a really clear day…Santa Cruz. On cloudier days, I’m satisfied looking out over the old buildings of Cannery Row.
As I head north on the rec trail from Cannery Row, I see the grassy park and Coast Guard pier of San Carlos Beach. Sometimes I’ll walk out to the end of the pier to see the snoozing and/or barking sea lions.
I then proceed north toward Fisherman’s Wharf and enjoy the view of the fun houseboats moored out in the water, right next to the colorful buildings along Fisherman’s Wharf.
Once I hit the foot of Fisherman’s Wharf, I look over at the Custom House and think about all the history that building has seen over the centuries.
I continue north down the rec trail and hear the tourists beeping their horns as they go through the tunnel. Yes, we know you’re a tourist when you honk your horn. Only tourists do that…all summer long…and it drives some of us locals a little crazy.
After the rec trail delivers me safely around the Fisherman’s Wharf parking lot, I can then visit the Commercial Wharf. If I want to check in with the commercial fisherman, I’ll walk down the wharf and see their haul. Squid season tends to be the most spectacular time of year because the boats are out on the water all night long with their lights on to attract the squid. This gives those of us up on the hill a wonderful boat light show.
Having my fill of the Commercial Wharf, I then step onto the sand of Del Monte Beach, right by the aqua-colored Adventures By The Sea building. Once my toes hit the sand, my senses are more keen to hear the sounds of the waves and smell the sea mist. I have walked as far as the Monterey Dunes Beach Resort on days where I want to walk about 4 – 5 miles.
For those with bicycles, or longer legs, you can continue all the way down the rec trail to Marina. You can see the rec trail as you drive down Highway 1, and I love seeing folks ride their bikes or walk their dogs.
The rec trail is a Monterey Peninsula treasure, and it has made our area rank high on the “city walkability” scale. Our rec trail has consistently been a site for many marriage proposals. I, for one, was just recently proposed to by my honey after a nice walk down the rec trail where he got down on bended knee on the beach at Lover’s Point.
Imagine that…the rec trail is just as romantic as it is healthy, beautiful, dog- and family-friendly…and that’s pretty special.
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If you’re visiting the Monterey Peninsula and are looking to go out dancing, join the locals at the following dance hot spots. See you out on the dance floor!
Ballroom:
Classes:
Saturday night dance parties:
Salsa:
Classes:
Thursday night dancing:
Blue Fin Billiards — Monterey
Friday night dancing:
Swing:
Classes:
Tuesday Night West Coast Swing Classes at the Carmel Woman’s Club –Carmel
Wednesday night dancing:
Thursday night dancing:
Friday night dancing:
Saturday night dancing:
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Leave it to America’s last hometown to put together an old-fashioned celebration for no good reason – but then, who needs a good reason? Just because it’s good, plain fun – reason enough to join locals and tourists alike for Pacific Grove’s Good Old Days Festival! This small town of only about 15,000 people will put on the largest event of its kind in Monterey County on April 10 and 11, 2010. There’s something for the whole family here, including a parade, live entertainment at six different venues, arts and crafts vendors, delicious food booths, carnival rides, a classic car show, a dunk tank, pony rides, historic tours and more! And what do local families like best about the Good Old Days? There is no admission cost to this once-a-year entertainment that appears out of nowhere in the middle of downtown Pacific Grove each spring.
The Good Old Days parade starts Saturday, April 10, at 10:00 a.m., and proceeds down Pine Avenue. The over 100 entries will include historic vehicles, live bands, community groups, and more. Over near the Post Office, you will find carnival rides, inflatable jumpers and exhibits that will the entire family will enjoy. The kids may want to take a pony ride at Jewell Park. Young and old alike enjoy playing eighteen holes on a miniature golf course at Caledonia Park. The youngest members of your family will enjoy the Kids’ Fair at Jewell Park on Saturday. And even the family dog is invited! Jewell Park will be the site of games for the furry member of your family as well as an agility show and other dog events on Sunday.
One requirement for getting the most out of your old-school weekend in Pacific Grove is to come hungry! Start with the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast at Jewell Park on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. But don’t eat too many pancakes, because there will be more than thirty food vendors on hand throughout the Good Old Days to insure that you don’t leave hungry! My favorite is the kettle corn! While you probably won’t be able to see all 320 entertainers at Pacific Grove’s Good Old Days, you will be able to see a wide variety, including theatrical performances, dancing, and all types of music. Some of the local favorites we always look for are Trusting Lucy, The Cachuagua Playboys, Peter Muse, the Chicano All-Stars, the Cypressaires Barbershop Chorus, Island Breeze, Population Five and Alli Clark and the Boys. You can see a live puppet show with the Dickens Group and a performance of Kurt Vonnegut’s play, “Who Am I This Time?” The dance genres represented include tap, Brazilian, belly dancing, and more. In order to be sure you catch all your favorite live acts, check the online Good Old Days entertainment schedule to find out who’s playing where and when.
If you like arts and crafts, the Pacific Grove Good Old Days festival will not disappoint you. With over 200 artisans from across the country, it is the largest arts and crafts fair in Monterey County. And finally, you can see your favorite media personalities duke it out at the Ninth Annual Media Challenge Basketball Tournament. Or you may want to send a local official into the water at the Dunk Tank. Test your own physical prowess by scaling a rock wall in front of the Post Office. Bibliophiles can shop for books at the Wachovia location, and car buffs won’t want to miss a walk back in time at Saturday’s classic car show. Hear the best in live local Christian music on Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to Noon. Take a salsa lesson on Sunday at Chautauqua Hall from 2:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
The City of Pacific Grove is concerned about the environment, and as a demonstration of its concern, has committed to making the Good Old Days celebration a carbon-neutral event. You can find out more about ways to increase your environmental savvy with the Sustainable Environmental Fair on Saturday at the corner of Pine and Forest Avenues.
More events are constantly added, and the City of Pacific Grove will publish an official program in the near future.
For accommodations for you and your family in Pacific Grove, see www.PacificGroveRentals.com for vacation rental homes that can be reserved for two nights or longer. And by the time the Good Old Days happens, Monterey Bay Property Management will have our new branch office open at 650 Lighthouse Avenue, right in the middle of the action of the Good Old Days! So if you are in town for the fun, stop in and say hello!
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No tsunami on the California Central Coast this weekend, and the Monterey Bay is as beautiful as ever! A drive that started at Lover’s Point in Pacific Grove, meandered through Pebble Beach, and wound up in Carmel yielded some of the most spectacular scenery ever! 
While the rain threatened but never materialized, the sun fought to break through, eventually putting in an appearance that reminded those of us lucky enough to be here today just how fortunate we are! What a beautiful place!
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We just wanted to drop you a quick email and thank you for setting us up in our terrific little ocean condo. We had a marvelous time: the condo was lovely and the location superb.
http://www.montereyrentals.com/VacationRentalsDetail.php?585OV-5-130
Thanks for your flexibility and willingness to match our scheduling needs. Next time we come back, we’ll book for a month.
You made the entire process effort/hassle/stress-free. The result: we had 10 marvelous days in Pacific Grove and have become fans of Monterey Bay Property Management.
Thanks again for your assistance.
Penny and Chet
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We had a wonderful Thai meal last night in Pacific Grove at Pacific Thai Cuisine. I had the red curry, which was more than fabulous! It is reasonably priced and I had enough for lunch today!
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Weekend rentals are now available in Pacific Grove! Bring your Valentine to an ocean-front condo or a traditional Victorian cottage for Valentine’s Day weekend on the beautiful Pacific Coast.
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It is now legal to rent a house or condo for your weekend or weekly vacation in Pacific Grove, the quaint town on the tip of the Monterey Peninsula.On Wednesday, January 6, the Pacific Grove City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that will permit rentals for less than 30 days, which had previously been illegal. The City plans to regulate short-term rentals by registering them, issuing a license, and inspecting them for fire safety, including smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.
Property managers and owners who are renting their homes for less than 30-day periods will be required to collect the same ten percent transient occupancy tax as hotels and motels do. Visitors should not be surprised to see this surcharge added to the cost of renting a home.
You may have rented a home in Pacific Grove for less than a month in the recent past. City officials acknowledged that they have been aware that it was going on, despite the ban on such rentals. The City realized, however, that licensing and taxing those rentals could generate some much-needed income to the city.
Property owners may register their homes by contacting the City of Pacific Grove, or Monterey Bay Property Management has a registration service whereby the management company will register a home for a nominal fee. Property owners who fail to register their rentals face significant financial penalties. An additional requirement for property owners who live more than 30 minutes from the property is to have a responsible party who can respond to complaints within 30 minutes. Monterey Bay Property Management will provide an “on-call” agent for any owner who is managing his or her own property, again for a very nominal fee.
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The Pacific Grove City Council voted unanimously this week to modify a 12-year old restriction on rentals for less than 30 days. The modification would permit rentals of residential property with registration, licenses, and payment of transient occupancy tax. This move will not only legitimize activity that has been going on in the City, but will bring in some much-needed cash flow to this great town.
The modification to the City’s rental ordinance could not have come at a better time, since approximately 45,000 people will descend on the Monterey Peninsula in June, 2010, for the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
Monterey Bay Property Management will be registering its entire portfolio of Pacific Grove properties in January, once the ordinance is adopted, in an effort to make PG properties available to its customers who desire to rent a home for less than 30 days.
This is also a great opportunity for private property owners who manage their own properties to come out of the closet and be up front and above board about their rental business and contribute to the welfare of the city we all love so much. For property owners who would like assistance with this process, Monterey Bay Property Management will offer a registration service, as well as a monthly “on-call” service for out-of-town owners who would like a 24/7 contact within arms’ reach of their properties.
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After twelve years of short-term rentals occurring throughout the city, despite an ordinance against such rentals, the City of Pacific Grove has decided to take a different approach. The City’s current ordinance, enacted by the City Council in 1997, disallows rentals of single-family residences for less than 30 days. The City has now taken the position that these rentals should be licensed, inspected and taxed. The City has missed out on over a million dollars in revenue that could have been generated since the original ordinance was passed. Licensed real estate agents complied with the ordinance passed in 1997, offering their vacation rental homes for 30-day stays. But owner-operators continued to offer their properties for rent by the night and by the week, aware that it would be difficult for the City to successfully prosecute them.
The City’s Planning Commission has reviewed a proposed ordinance that would require properties rented out for less than 30 days at a time to be licensed, registered and inspected by the city. The Commission is recommending that advertisements for short-term rentals, whether in the newspaper, on television or on the Internet, must display the license number of the rental that has been issued by the City. The City Manager will be in charge of enforcing the ordinance, and has indicated that the City will aggressively monitor advertisements to see if short-term rentals are being offered. Penalties for property owners or their agents who fail to register rentals or respond to complaints will be levied.
The advent of legalization of rentals less than 30 days is joyous news to visitors, property managers, owners of second homes in PG, and PG business persons, all of whom will benefit from having visitors to the area. If you are one who loves to visit Pacific Grove – stay tuned! You are about to have a lot more housing options!
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