Charming Carmel-by-the-Sea

Carmel is one of my favorite small towns. It is a lovely place, although completely different from the small towns I so love, especially in Europe. History and old buildings are few and far between here. The clearly planned grid-like layout of its downtown is a world away from the disorder of a medieval town center. Ditto for the wide avenues and huge parking spots, even if the time restrictions in the latter are very much European in spirit.

To be completely honest, downtown Carmel is just one huge strip mall. Fortunately, that statement comes with several disclaimers and qualifications. Although it is shop after shop after shop, interspersed with lovely restaurants and inns, the place has none of the ingrain ugliness of regular strip malls that are so prevalent in California. Downtown Carmel is actually a beautiful place – buildings are low-rise, many different and individualistic styles are used, and many buildings have lovely courtyards. If neon advertising is not banned outright, it is at least not visible.

Part of the charm of Carmel is to simply wander the streets and peak into the little shops. There is a plethora of boutiques, antiques dealers, and art galleries. I have never actually bought anything here other than postcards and food – my wife, of course, has bought shoes more than once – but I thoroughly enjoy window-shopping here.

Carmel is surrounded by astoundingly beautiful nature. A true highlight of any visit to the Monterey Peninsula is driving along the scenic 17-Mile Drive between Carmel and Pacific Grove. Even more dramatic but less condensed is the drive along Highway 1 to Big Sur. Here the joy is in the journey – after every curve and turn, the scenery just seems more spectacular than before. This is nature at its best – enjoyable without having to leave the comfort of your air-conditioned car. Out of season, as we have always traveled here, the road is quie, and parking at the various viewing points is no problem.

Quick Tips:

Accommodation in Carmel tends to be expensive, with cozy, smaller inns the norm. There are a few cheaper chain hotels at the edges of town, but they seem a far cry from the lovely, pricey inns. Staying in Monterey or Pacific Grove are viable alternatives.

Carmel also has very good and pleasant restaurants, with the spectrum ranging from family-style to very classy establishments. One of the attractions of traveling to California is the food and we have never been disappointed by a meal in Carmel. Traveling out of season, we have never made reservations, but it is probably a good idea to reserve during busier periods.

Free maps of business locations in the downtown area are available from many shops. These maps are quite handy to again find that special-looking restaurant that you may have "marked" for a repast two hours and umpteen corners, arcades, and passageways earlier. For advance planning, the map is also available from www.carmelfun.com.

Best Way To Get Around:

Parking is at a premium in Carmel, making walking the only sane option in downtown. If staying in town, you'd best leave the car at the hotel or otherwise find unrestricted parking at the edge of the old town. Parking in Carmel is severely time-restricted – on every trip and on every single day that we have been here, I've seen the meter maid in action. She has a special little car that seems able to cover the entire town within the time enforced by the shortest restrictions. At the lower reaches of Ocean Avenue and the higher parts of Juniper Road are unrestricted areas that we usually use. It is only a few blocks' walk and eradicates the need to constantly check your watch – it is easy to forget time here.

A car is probably essential to enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings. Many parts can also be explored by bicycle, but lovely roads such as Highway 1 towards Big Sur are not the natural habitat of the casual bicycler. As all turnouts for ocean viewing are on the west, it is best to do the stopping while traveling from north to south.

Walking the streets of Carmel, we saw many lovely, inviting restaurants. Some we fondly recalled from previous visits, when my wife and I had based our selection on personal preference, the menu, and perceived ambience. This time round, with two small children in tow, we had to opt for somewhere without huge crystal glasses. Village Corner fit the bill perfectly.

The weather was sunny, so we were drawn to the outdoor patio, where several other strollers and small children indicated that the arrival of our troop would not be wholly unwelcome. We were fortunate to find a corner table where we could park the stroller out of the way and enjoy an unhindered view of the passersby. Gas heaters, as well as a central fireplace, were in operation – the sun was enough for us, but true Californians might have been shivering.

The Village Corner describes itself as a Mediterranean bistro, and the menu reflects this. Most main courses were around $10, with a selection of salads and appetizers also available. As this was going to be our last lunch for some time on American soil, we were more drawn to the ample choice of standard American fare. My wife ordered a cheeseburger, the toddler wanted a pasta, while I opted for a clubhouse sandwich. With the drive back to San Francisco International to follow directly after the lunch, we had to forsake sampling the local wine and remained dry with Diet Coke and a very refreshing and tasty local soda water. Although our drinks arrived promptly and in appropriately large American-size glasses with ice, it took some time for the main courses to appear. While waiting, we enjoyed some warm bread, which was good enough for us to request a second basket even though we had bread as major ingredient in our awaited main courses.

The portions were a reasonably large size without being obscenely so. I was pleasantly surprised by the large salad serving that accompanied my sandwich. It had a wide range of fresh ingredients and represented much of what we love of California and so sorely missed when an ocean or more away. We did not hesitate to ask for two cappuccinos to finish the meal. In Germany, I am often stuck with the question of whether to ask for two cappuccini and sound pretentious or ask for two cappuccinos and sound ignorant. This question is particularly relevant in Germany’s plethora of Italian restaurants, which are often staffed by Italian waiters. In the English-speaking world, "cappuccinos" was the way to go, and fortunately, the taste was strong and closer to Italian than the weak, watered-down coffee that had confronted me frequently during the previous two weeks.

Village Corner is a very pleasant, casual restaurant where almost anyone will feel welcome. It has the same great taste as many other Carmel restaurants but without the pretense or high prices. Service is very pleasant, too, without being pushy or irritating.

California’s Highway 1, which for long stretches literally hugs the Pacific Ocean, must be one of the world’s most scenic free drives. We are only familiar with the road south of San Francisco to Big Sur and a short section from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, but we are always happy to find ourselves on these stretches of roads again.

The best part of the road for us is the 25 miles from Carmel to Big Sur. Here the road is free from major through traffic, and no one seems in a hurry. For long stretches, the road was very quiet, and many of the plentiful marked viewing points were devoid of other cars and travelers. We could pull of the road at will and enjoy the vistas of the Pacific Ocean and the surrounding mountains. In contrast to previous visits, this time we could stare to the horizon without simultaneously thinking of the ten-hour flight across the date line that we would have to take a few days later to get back home in Tokyo.

We drove south without a specific destination or timeframe in mind. It is generally not a good idea to head towards Big Sur as such. It actually is a place and not just a generally reference to the region, but it is a small place. The first time through, it is not odd to think that it is too small to really be Big Sur and just to realize a few miles later that that must have been it. Passing through it on the way back without being sure whether the few odd buildings are Big Sur or not is not difficult either.

Several state parks along the road offer excellent hiking opportunities. Traveling with a baby and a toddler, we decided to pass them and do the enjoy-the-view-from-inside-the-car thing. Access to a number of beaches is also well-marked. Most of the beaches are in private hands, and landowners apparently do not take kindly to trespassers. (It is a real pity that Mexico lost control of California in the mid-nineteenth century. In Mexico, all beaches are national property. A hotel may pretend to own a part of the beach but must always allow free access to all beachgoers. If no walkway is provided for such purpose at the edge of the property, any visitor may pass through the hotel itself to get to the beach.)

Fortunately, we had picnic food with us, as eateries along the road are few and far between, and many looked slightly less than inviting, too. We briefly stopped at Pfeifer-Big Sur State Park, where we could access the beach after navigating a rather tricky, narrow road. Although the beach was pleasant and quiet, the wind picked up, and we soon beat a retreat to the car and back to Carmel. A few years ago, we pressed on a few miles further south to Julia Pfeifer Burns State Park. Here a waterfall drops onto the beach, and the view is altogether more spectacular and easier to enjoy.

I must confess – I love the German Autobahnen, where some sections are still without speed limits. In addition, I have acquired with indecent haste the German custom of habitually exceeding speed limits by 19kmph when safe to do so. At first, speed restrictions on American roads seemed a bit excessive to me, but after ten days on Californian roads, it seemed increasingly reasonable here. Apart from the occasional poor condition of the roads, the marshmallowy handling of many American cars probably makes it safer to go slow. However, I never got the impression of being pushed by faster cars approaching from behind, as is often the case in Germany, where you do not need a Ferrari or Corvette to act aggressive on country roads. Admittedly, we were far away from LA, but in the country that gave the world the term "road rage," I saw less aggressive on-road behavior than in Germany, where showing a fellow driver the finger can result in a hefty fine.

I generally enjoy listening to the radio while driving, and having found a great station while in San Francisco that plays lots of music and very few advertisements or talking in between, I never got around to actually utilizing the CD player in the car. The few CDs we picked up at the Virgin record store a few days earlier remained unopened in our suitcase in the hotel. BIG mistake when traveling Big Sur. Long sections of the road felt even loooonger because the only channels I could pick up were two religious evangelical senders. Both featured incredibly angry male preachers – like the cathedral paintings of the Italian Renaissance, describing the damnations of hell clearly is more pleasurable than preaching forgiveness or love. Then, suddenly and most mercifully, I had the BBC World’s Africa Service! I had not heard this sender since the early 1990s, so it brought back good memories. Although I am sure the journalists must have changed or moved on, most sounded exactly like the ones I listened to around two decades ago. (Some African leaders seemed to have hung on too!) Unfortunately, it was a rather short pleasure. As soon as we turned back north the BBC disappeared and the screaming preachers resumed – no way to enjoy the peace normally offered by two small children sleeping in the back seat.

A problem with Highway 1 south of Carmel is that there is no alternative return other than making a U-turn. It is necessary to go around 130 miles south before there is a connection with Interstate 101, on which it is possible to return faster to the Monterey Peninsula via the inland route. We have not been able to do so yet, but probably the best way to enjoy Highway 1 is to drive it all the way north to south and then fly back.

Carmel is a lovely small town on the southern part of the Monterey Peninsula. In California, it is known for its up-market shops, restaurants, and hotels (most seems to prefer to work "inn" somewhere into the name). Internationally, it is probably best known as the town where Clint Eastwood once served as mayor. (I doubt many realize just how small this town actually is.)

We loved Carmel from the first time we visited it years ago. Back then, sans children, we could enjoy all its pleasures at the fullest. We could wander into all the lovely, small shops without having to confirm the coverage of the all-events insurance. We had several memorable dinners in those smart restaurants where the average wine glass seems able to hold the full bottle, should you slip up and try to fill it to the brim.

Downtown Carmel is full of narrow alleys and courtyards to explore. A lot of greenery is ever-present, with many flower pots to complement the abundance of trees. This time round, with a toddler and a stroller, it was physically difficult to go into many courtyards and smaller shops, never mind mentally insane to try to do so in the first place. However, just walking the streets and doing window shopping are pleasures here.

Truth be told, downtown Carmel is basically a strip mall, but at the same time it's a poster child for showing how beautifully it can be done, even in America, if a little bit of planning and strict regulations are applied. Although it is shop after shop after shop, the whole area is beautifully done. You never get the impression that a whole block was built at the same time or specifically designed to look differently. Styles vary widely from the modern to Victorian and non-descript. Presently living in a country where half-timbered buildings often still serves as family houses, the mock-Tudor efforts left me rather cold.

The shops are the natural trappings of the rich, I assume. Most are art galleries, antiques shops, or small boutiques. We never bought much here, save for a few postcards and books, but we loved looking around here. (For no-holds-barred shopping, we preferred outlets such as those found in Gilroy.)

I enjoyed driving and walking along the back roads of Carmel – I guess it would have been suburbs if the town were bigger. Although these must be some of the most expensive and sought-after properties in the world, the area still offers a healthy mixture of small and large houses, older and newer abodes in different states of repair. Although we saw many fine cars – American, Japanese, and German – many houses also have older cars that would have been regulated off European roads years ago. I was not left with the impression that these served as transportation to the staff, either.

Years ago, I picked up a free brochure with maps of Monterey and Carmel that indicated scenic drives and walks in the area. Fortunately, I brought it with me on this trip, as I could not find anything similar this time, despite looking specifically for it at various hotels and tourist offices. Included was a drive along the Carmel oceanfront – a system of one-way streets and cul-de-sacs makes the best route less than obvious on most maps, or indeed once on the road. It is like a mini 17 Mile Drive - just gratis, and with fewer people. It is a lovely road and even better done on foot. We always visited in winter, and although it has never been cold, we have not exactly made it out of the car and onto the beach yet.

The Carmel Mission from Mexican times is interesting to visit and to the south of the downtown area. It only takes a few minutes to see but does offer a bit of history to balance out the commercial aspects of downtown and the natural beauty of the whole region.

Much of the beauty of Highway 1 can be condensed into the beautiful road along the Pacific Coast at Pebble Beach. Here, the true beauty of the Monterey Peninsula can be enjoyed at its best – apparently, it was this part of California that inspired Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. The interaction between ocean and land at several alcoves and rocky outposts, as well as an abundance of seashore wildlife, certainly are inspiring.

A popular and well-signposted road is the 17-Mile Drive. As this area is privately owned, several names and designs are registered trademarks, while admission of $8.25 per vehicle is charged for access to the road. Bikes and hikers may enter for free but are not allowed onto the most famous stretch of the road. Admission is through any of five gates, with convenient ones close to Pacific Grove and Carmel. A map with condensed information on 21 points of interest is available for free – the "conditions of entry" are more comprehensive. According to this brochure, "Lexus is the preferred vehicle of Pebble Beach Resorts" – well, Chevrolet is not my preferred choice either, but what can you do if your car rental company has gotten a good deal from GM?

Entering from Pacific Grove/Monterey, the road is at first along rather barren flats, allowing you to concentrate on the beautiful coastline. Several stops with ample parking are available to enjoy views of the surf, as well as observe birds, seals, and sea lions. Picnic and toilet facilities are available at several stops, while expensive restaurants and several famous golf courses are available for the well-heeled.

My favorite part of the 17-Mile Drive is from Fanshell Overlook to Pebble Beach Golf Course – the section of the road closed to cyclists. Stop 14 – Cypress Point Lookout – has a large parking lot and is often confused with stop 16 – The Lone Cypress. On all three our visits, I saw people at stop 14 trying in vain to find the lone cypress tree here. The Lone Cypress tree "is revered as the eternal symbol of the Pebble Beach Company". Be that as it may, this around 250-year-old cypress tree, perched on its own on a rock, with the Pacific Ocean as backdrop, is an inspiring sight and the true highlight of the drive. It is followed by some ghost-like cypresses – trees with trunks bleached white from sea spray.

On this occasion, we found the parking lot at Pebble Beach golf course rather full and passed up on the opportunity to stop and shop here. Having done the inland drive through the forest back to the Pacific Grove gate on previous occasions, we rather exited through the Carmel gate for lunch. The cost, $8.25 for 17 miles, is a bit steep, but given the views, it's well worth the asking price.