I'm California Dreaming

[squibber]

California is in my bucket list and I would like to go there in a couple of years. Some of you live there(Sem) and some of you I'm sure vacationed there.

My first choice was San Diego but then I read depending on the currents, raw sewage from Tijuana can float across the SD shoreline. Even though we may not go in the ocean, the thought of that is a turn off.

My interest is now Carmel by the Sea and Monterey which is 20 minutes away. Carmel by the Sea has a nice beach, tons of restaurants and a beautiful old European style city center. Monterey has Cannery Row which was converted into shops and restaurants, an aquarium, a Fisherman's Wharf with restaurants and wildlife. There is also the famous 17 mile drive on the peninsula where you pay $10.50 per car but the rocky shoreline is breathtaking.

Any opinions or suggestions are welcome.

[Ed Vette]

Try reaching out to GordonG. He lives in San Diego.

[gregf]

Hi Squib.  I live 2.5 hours north of Monterey.  I would not put much stock on the raw sewage story in San Diego
    Here's my list:
Drive hwy 1.  At least a couple hours. Extremely windy, beaches are cold, but stunning views. The redwoods are magnificent. Big Sur, John Muir park ( very crowded, get reservations), up hwy 101 towards eureka or near Santa Cruz   
  Yosemite valley, its magica. Carmel / Monterey area is nice.  Limit time in San Fran to major tourist spots like Golden Gate Bridge, fisherman's wharf, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Park.  Beyond that, the homeless is depressing. Lake Tahoe's is a nice mountain gem
    Hearst castle south of Big Sur is pretty neat
     In summary, there's some cool sights in the 2 hour radius from Monterey.  You can PM me as well
    Greg

[weeze]

I lived in Monterey for 14 years. there are no, xero, nada housed in all of Monterey for less then a million dollars. carmel is even worse price wise.
very expennsive place to live and no where to work except the tourist industry.

[Sem]

Squibber, my understanding is you're asking for information on California for vacation purposes, not to relocate here, but correct if I'm mistaken. I would echo Greg's recommendations re: Carmel, Monterey, and Big Sur area. And like Greg, I'm also 2.5 hours from Monterey, but to the south instead.

Monterey - My wife and I enjoy spending time in Monterey. Nice restaurants, Wine bars (for my wife), two great brewery tasting rooms (for me), of course the aquarium, the wharf, the harbor. Very picturesque, a great way to spend a day or two. My wife and I actually spent a few days bopping around between Monterey, Pacific Grove, Santa Cruz, Capitola and surrounding areas back in August.

Carmel - An afternoon strolling through Carmel-By-The-Sea can be relaxing and enjoyable. It's an expensive, artsy town with lots of shops, art galleries, cafes and restaurants. Of course it's the town that Clint Eastwood was once mayor of, and he even owned a restaurant/pub there called The Hog's Breath. I've eaten there, it's a touristy place, and I was a tourist so it was on my list. It's still there but he no longer owns it as far as I know. Here's a pro tip - if you do the 17-mile drive be sure to stop in at Pebble Beach golf course for all its beauty, and for lunch. Show the waitress your receipt from the 17 mile drive and they'll deduct the now $11.25 drive fee from your lunch bill.

Big Sur - Assuming you drive the PCH south out of Carmel (and you should!!), here's a couple recommendations for the Big Sur area. Stop in at Nepenthe even if it's just for an ice tea, and take in the view of the ocean while you relax on the deck high above it. Very scenic. Very chill.
Even cooler if you can spend a night in Big Sur highly, highly recommend staying at Treebones where you stay in a yurt. It's so eerily quiet at night there you occasionally hear whales singing out on the water. An on-site cook with fix you a fabulous breakfast before you hit one of the hiking trails. On the way down the coast stop at San Simeon to see hundreds of elephant seals sleeping (and mating) all over the beach. Google it to see what I mean. And at that point you're really close to Hearst Castle. Funny, we've been out here full time since 2013 but have yet to go there. I hear it's great though.

Yosemite NP is awe inspiring, same with Sequoia NP, they're both on the eastern side of the state. Tahoe area is pretty cool to check out, but you'll probably enjoy it even more if you ski (I don't). We go to the Tahoe area quite often, but mainly because we have friends that live near the lake.

We spent a week down in San Diego back in April with our daughter and her family, and our son and his two boys who flew in from Minnesota. Had a great time and didn't notice any sewage issues. Lots to do there!!

One area in CA I haven't been to yet is northern CA redwoods. I've been up to Napa and Sonoma, but no further north. One of these days my wife and I plan to drive up through the northern CA coastline all the way to Oregon. I hear so many great things about that area.

Squibber, if you need any specific info about any of these areas I'll help any way I can. Feel free to PM me to discuss in more detail.

And by the way, it's not too shabby here on the central coast, (we live on a golf course 3 miles from the Pacific). About an hour north of Santa Barbara. Close to beaches, the mountains, the late Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch, and some really good tri tip. Funny, there's even a bumper sticker I keep seeing on a lot of local vehicles, "We Live Where You Vacation!!"

[squibber]

Sem and Greg, Thanks for the info and offer to PM you guys for more info. We are likely to vacation there in two years. Our son is getting married next year and it will cost us a pretty penny.

The YouTube videos on Carmel By the Sea and Monterey really cought my interest.

[gregf]

Squibber, my understanding is you're asking for information on California for vacation purposes, not to relocate here, but correct if I'm mistaken. I would echo Greg's recommendations re: Carmel, Monterey, and Big Sur area. And like Greg, I'm also 2.5 hours from Monterey, but to the south instead.

Monterey - My wife and I enjoy spending time in Monterey. Nice restaurants, Wine bars (for my wife), two great brewery tasting rooms (for me), of course the aquarium, the wharf, the harbor. Very picturesque, a great way to spend a day or two. My wife and I actually spent a few days bopping around between Monterey, Pacific Grove, Santa Cruz, Capitola and surrounding areas back in August.

Carmel - An afternoon strolling through Carmel-By-The-Sea can be relaxing and enjoyable. It's an expensive, artsy town with lots of shops, art galleries, cafes and restaurants. Of course it's the town that Clint Eastwood was once mayor of, and he even owned a restaurant/pub there called The Hog's Breath. I've eaten there, it's a touristy place, and I was a tourist so it was on my list. It's still there but he no longer owns it as far as I know. Here's a pro tip - if you do the 17-mile drive be sure to stop in at Pebble Beach golf course for all its beauty, and for lunch. Show the waitress your receipt from the 17 mile drive and they'll deduct the now $11.25 drive fee from your lunch bill.

Big Sur - Assuming you drive the PCH south out of Carmel (and you should!!), here's a couple recommendations for the Big Sur area. Stop in at Nepenthe even if it's just for an ice tea, and take in the view of the ocean while you relax on the deck high above it. Very scenic. Very chill.
Even cooler if you can spend a night in Big Sur highly, highly recommend staying at Treebones where you stay in a yurt. It's so eerily quiet at night there you occasionally hear whales singing out on the water. An on-site cook with fix you a fabulous breakfast before you hit one of the hiking trails. On the way down the coast stop at San Simeon to see hundreds of elephant seals sleeping (and mating) all over the beach. Google it to see what I mean. And at that point you're really close to Hearst Castle. Funny, we've been out here full time since 2013 but have yet to go there. I hear it's great though.

Yosemite NP is awe inspiring, same with Sequoia NP, they're both on the eastern side of the state. Tahoe area is pretty cool to check out, but you'll probably enjoy it even more if you ski (I don't). We go to the Tahoe area quite often, but mainly because we have friends that live near the lake.

We spent a week down in San Diego back in April with our daughter and her family, and our son and his two boys who flew in from Minnesota. Had a great time and didn't notice any sewage issues. Lots to do there!!

One area in CA I haven't been to yet is northern CA redwoods. I've been up to Napa and Sonoma, but no further north. One of these days my wife and I plan to drive up through the northern CA coastline all the way to Oregon. I hear so many great things about that area.

Squibber, if you need any specific info about any of these areas I'll help any way I can. Feel free to PM me to discuss in more detail.

And by the way, it's not too shabby here on the central coast, (we live on a golf course 3 miles from the Pacific). About an hour north of Santa Barbara. Close to beaches, the mountains, the late Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch, and some really good tri tip. Funny, there's even a bumper sticker I keep seeing on a lot of local vehicles, "We Live Where You Vacation!!"

Nice write up Sem!   Are you by  Paso Robles or San Luis Obispo?  I spent a summer there for work walking Pismo beach after every day shift. 

[Sem]

Yep. South SLO county, about 10 to 15 minutes below Pismo Beach.