I love taking the 17-mile drive in Monterey, California…read more Unfortunately for us, the thick fog started rolling in just as we began our drive, so by the time we reached the Lone Cypress, it was hard to see. Despite the low visibility, many other drivers, including tour buses, stopped to snap pictures and record videos as best they could.

What an amazing sight. A cypress tree growing on a rock in an almost inhospitable environment…read more Can walk down stairs for great photos.

Nice little area to walk with loads of wildlife to watch. Starfish all over, seals, otters. If you…read morelike to fish, this is a spot for fishing. Nice spot to stretch your legs and take in the ocean air.

Great spot to watch sea lions sunbathe!…read more Parking: Paid via app We found this spot randomly while exploring Monterey. We came on a weekday and it was fairly empty. We saw several people fishing off the pier. We walked along the pier and saw one sea lion and got super excited until we walked further and saw a TON of sea lions napping on the rocks. They were so cute and it was very cool to see them up close. I would definitely bookmark the spot for future visits!

Carmel Mission Basilica (formal name 'San Carlos Borroméo de Carmelo') is one of six minor…read morebasilicas in the state of California (five being former Spanish missions). It is the oldest one, founded in 1770, and elevated to basilica status by Pope John XXIII in 1960. My wife, her mom, and I visited it during a late Sunday afternoon during our first day in Carmel, and found it to be a great, worthwhile experience, especially if one is Roman Catholic. The basilica is still a working parish, so parking during non-mass hours was easy to find. A ticket booth was set-up at the visitor entrance, with cost of $15 per adult ($13 for senior). There is an adjacent gift shop that doesn't require admission and sells all the various religious items that one would expect from a religious tourist attraction. We ended up spending about 90 minutes here (there is a lot of information here, along with a lot to see). -- Founding priest was Junipero Serra ("Apostle of California"). He was canonized by Pope Francis in 2015, and his shrine/remains are interned here. -- Only U.S. church visited by a pontiff during a papal visit: Pope John Paul II in 1987. He paid homage to Father Serra, and laid flowers at the tomb. This visit is clearly commemorated. -- the Munras Family Heritage Museum is worth going to, to see a short movie about the prominent Monterey family, along with early California artifacts from the family. -- the Nativity scene was one of the most intricate -- the large courtyard is a good place to stop and admire the architecture of a California Spanish mission, along with a thick trunk Cork Oak tree By the time we were leaving, the ticket office had closed (last call is at 16:30, to allow everyone to have enough time before official close at 18:00).

My friends took me to the Basilica and we enjoyed walking around the grounds and visiting the…read morevarious Chapels within the site. It is also the final resting spot of Saint Junipero Serra, the Founding Father of California. Pope John Paul II visited here in 1987 and is recognized in the Our Lady of Bethlehem Chapel, which is a beautiful, small chapel with a confessional from years ago. The Mission Cemetery is the final resting place for some members of this Parish. It also includes a symbolic cemetery representing the hundreds of indigenous people buried here and the surrounding area. These grave sites are adorned with abalone shells as an honorary recognition of their cultural presence to the area. There are several museums on site, beautiful artwork and religious artifacts as well as an extensive courtyard to wander around. Finally, there is a display of the final resting place for Saint Junipero as well as reproductions of other parts of the Basilica back in the day. The price of $15 for adults/$12 for seniors may be a little steep for families, but it is worthwhile to explore the history of the renowned Basilica.

If you are a school or group learning about California missions history and interested in a tour of…read morethis mission, I highly suggest skipping the mission tour, and instead go directly to San Juan Bautista State Park, which is right next door. The land is literally connected to the mission and they offer wonderful programs about mission life. Benito is in charge at the Mission, and he screamed and yelled at our school group. And from what I learned, we were not the first. He is arrogant, hostile, aggressive, and incapable of keeping accurate schedules he makes himself. Our group consisted of women and children, almost entirely non-white. I spoke to Benito TWICE in advance of the field trip and scheduled the date and time directly with him. When I went to check in and pay before the start of our field trip, the ladies at the front called Benito, because he was somewhere else on the mission grounds on lunch break. He literally SCREAMED into the phone so loud, I could clearly understand. They may not have realized based on my race that I understood their Spanish, but I did. He kept screaming they don't set field trips at 1, but he did. We spoke in detail, and he set the tour at 1, knowing we were at the State Park Mission Life Program in the morning. The ladies were clearly intimidated by him, and kept trying to tell him that he spoke with me directly to set this up. He was angry about coming back from lunch. When he finally came, he stalked up to our group--of all women and children, almost entirely non-white--and started screaming at us about how they don't do field trips at 1. I spoke clearly and calmly to remind him that we had spoken and set this date and time. He looked at me in disgust, completely ignored and blew past me, then started addressing the group as "boys and girls." He addressed them like kindergarteners in 1950 every other sentence. His behavior was a disgrace to actually kind people-of-faith, and I'm guessing this is not the kind of legacy the church wishes to continue--MEN IN POWER SCREAMING DOWN AT WOMEN AND CHILDREN OF COLOR. It did, however, make for a very negative and real connection to actual missions history--clearly not something we were expecting our children would be exposed to on a school tour.

In July 2018, my friend Jinsol and I went on a road trip around California. We had initially…read moreplanned on going east (departing from/returning to the Berkeley area), however due to wildfires we ended up going thru the Bakersfield area, Los Angeles, Malibu, Big Sur, and San Juan Bautista. On our drive we had been seeing a lot of signs denoting the highway we were driving on as a historic route. Since we were nearing our return, we decided to check out one of the next historic sites, enter Old Mission San Juan Bautista. The Old Mission was a very enjoyable walking adventure. The grounds and buildings were well kept/maintained and had information available about the site and its founding, the corresponding church, and some of the smaller items - such as describing different parts of wheeled vehicular transport or blacksmith tools. A main building was also available to explore and included information about what daily life was like/included for inhabitants of the mission in the past. Both of us thought it was a satisfying last stop for our road trip and helped ease us back into our graduate school information-frenzy culture.

My review is not for the active San Carlos Cathedral church services. Instead it's for the Royal…read morePresidio Chapel historic federal landmark. They are both the same building. Currently the San Carlos Cathedral Catholic Church uses the Presidio Chapel. When services are not occurring, visitors can explore the interior and outside facade. There is no charge to walk about, it's free. The present sandstone chapel construction was completed in 1795. The native Americans labors built the chapel. The Monterey Presidio was founded in 1770 as the second of four Spanish Presidios. At that time, the presidio's chapel served for the Spanish soldiers and dignitaries. It's the oldest stone building in California. When walking about the exterior of the chapel take note of the marked lines to the right of the building. Those lines indicate chapel construction (where, what, and when). The current building is shaped as a cross. Directly in the back there is a plaque memorializing where the Oak tree stood in 1770 where Father Junipero Serra broke ground for the chapel construction. The tree was removed in 1905 when it was damaged. But the tree holds important place in Monterey history. In 1602, it is said that Spanish explorer Vizcaíno followed the creek from the Bay and noticed this majestic oak tree. Under that tree he and with the friars, traveling in his expedition, held Mass under the tree and claimed the area for Spain. Father Serra followed Vizcaino's directions to the site in 1770 to establish a mission and presidio. But a year or two later he decided to build the mission in Carmel instead. But the presidio continued with building the chapel. Pieces of the grand tree have been preserved and are located in various local museums. Now let's talk about out the interior. The church doors are left open during the day welcoming all inside. Inside there are paintings and statues including are originals such as the Stations of the Cross, St John, Sorrowful Mother, and Spanish Madonna. As you enter the church, look up and the exterior and take notice of the Our Lady of Guadalupe statue; it's still the original making it the oldest non-indigenous statue in California. Also throwing it out there that there are cameras all over and everything is monitored. So don't be a doofus. Just enjoy and soak in the history.

The homilies are introspectively conducted. It is a beautiful Cathedral in a beautiful, small town.read more

I have been involved with Mo Ammar for over 20 years in the PG chamber…read more My businesses number many and I always rely on Mr. Ammar to promote not only Certified-Environmental but all the member in PG.

I wish I knew why the City of Pacific Grove Tourism Department/chamber of Congress keeps making the…read moresame mistake. They printed this in their Tourist Guide booklet for 2 years in a row and I would appreciate it if they correct their error. I'm not a thrift store, nor am I a resale store! I have been at this location for 6 years and I'm well known retail establishment. I sell only new merchandise and select vintage antiques. I repeat I am not a thrift store, nor am I a resale store. Also due to this erroneous listing customers frequently come in expecting a thrift store and then disappointed and complain to me. I hope the chamber of commerce updates this description of my store soon. Thank you, Letta Sughair VARIETY HOME GARDEN AND GIFT 608 Lighthouse Avenue Pacific Grove, CA

I wrote several emails to this Chamber letting them know about the dishonest business practices of…read morea business in their community offering services not offered on their website. I told them that they need to revoke the business license of Signature Day Spa because I was charged close to $700 and never got deep tissue massages nor the services I made my reservations for. I was told to contact Monterey County DA's Office and nothing was done to protect consumers who have complained about this woman. I will post my email to them so others are warned.

Carmel's Visitor Center - Chamber of Commerce staff couldn't have been more gracious and helpful in…read moregiving us the information we need to make our Easter vacation in this lovely little town much more pleasant and budget friendly. They have detailed maps of downtown and an assortment of brochures and literatures which will give you a good idea of places to hit and see. I personally asked for the "Wine-Walk" map which showcases the many emerging wineries of the area. The Chamber also have the Wine-walk vouchers which allows you to hit all the participating wineries at a very reasonable cost (9 vouchers for $65.00) You could also use these vouchers to waive the corkage fee in participating restaurants in the area. We had a great experience and a big help from the Chamber of Commerce - Visitor center staff. I highly suggest paying them a visit prior to exploring this picturesque little town. Enjoy!

Argentine Tango, anyone?…read more You'll rarely see me on a ballroom dance floor. But, for the Argentine Tango - well, that's different. It's cheek to cheek, chest to chest, pelvis to pelvis, toe to toe...a deep embrace, abrazo, around the dance floor. It works better if you're dancing with the one you love. For the Argentine Tango is a dance of love. If you can walk, you can do the Argentine Tango. For women, unfortunately, you have to walk backwards, which is more difficult. (Sorry, Ladies, the dance was created by Argentinean men). Every Tuesday, at 7:00 PM, there is an Argentine Tango class offered at the House of Four Winds in downtown Monterey. Learn the dance of love. Lots come, all ages, to dance abrazo, cheek to cheek, heart to heart... He's a football player Kicks a ball, everyday he kicks a ball One day He kicked love up high in the sky And it stayed there Because it didn't come down People thought it must be the sun The moon or a new star Inside me A ball that never comes down Hangs suspended in the sky You can see it become flames Become love Becoming a star... Kazuko Shiraishi

Tango Monterey Bay is a fabulous group of dancers who meet at the House of Four Winds. Argentine…read moreTango is a means of social, creative and physical expression. The music and connection touches the soul somewhere deep inside. The instruction at this venue is very high quality, with rotating visiting teachers coming from the San Francisco area. The people who dance here are open and friendly, and could become some of your best friends. I highly recommend learning to dance tango with TMB at the House of Four Winds. Judy