Steinbeck's California. . . Sort Of

Monterey, California

I am a master of excuses to travel.  Whether I am traveling for work, traveling because I found a great deal, or traveling to visit family or friends, my favorite reason to travel remains the same: Birthdays.  I love traveling for birthdays.  Traveling for a birthday provides me a way to anchor the the trip in my mind to a specific point in time.  Not to mention, as long a souvenir shopping is avoided it prevents my condo from becoming a cluttered mess of presents.  Last week was by boyfriend's birthday, and to celebrate we spent a few days in Monterey, California to celebrate.

Cannery Row of Monterey was once the location of several sardine canning companies.  Now it is filled with gift shops, candy stores, and wine tasting rooms.

John Steinbeck, author of The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and East of Eden, based many of his novels in the Salinas Valley just east of Monterey and within Monterey itself.  Although Steinbeck's depictions of the area were often dreary in his novels, the adjective that pops into my mind when thinking of Monterey is chipper.  Locals and visitors alike seemed to bounce down the street enjoying the sunshine, when the sun came out that is.  

This part of the central California coast is subject to June Gloom, a rather foggy time of year when seeing the sun can be a once a week occurrence.  We had two sun filled days in Monterey, with the fog kept at bay by a slight breeze and persistent sun.

Enjoying the free trolley in Monterey, on our way to the aquarium.

Our entire trip to Monterey was inspired by our desire to visit the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium.  First thing in the morning, I bought two tickets to the aquarium from the front desk of our hotel.  Many hotels in the area offer special deals on tickets to the aquarium.  We were able to purchase two day tickets for the price of a single day ticket.  From the hotel we sauntered to the free trolley stop a few blocks away, and enjoyed the narrated ride to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The entrance of the Monterey Bay Aquarium at the end of cannery row.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is unlike many other aquariums I have visited.  The largest mammals at the aquarium are otters (no shamu or flipper here).  The scientific focus of the aquarium is on the marine California ecosystem as a whole, including an oft neglected part of the ocean, the open ocean.  The Monterey Bay Aquarium however created an entire exhibit dedicated to the open ocean, the largest portion of the sea.  The aquarium showcases feedings of the different exhibits almost hourly, with most exhibits having twice daily feedings.  The open ocean feeding only occurs once daily, and we were sure to make the 11 AM show.

The open ocean feeding occurs in the three story plus open ocean tank housing sardines, and larger fish like rays, tuna, and mahi mahi (dolphin fish).  As one employee narrates, another rains krill onto the water surface of the tank in a broadcast feeding.  Sardines typically hang out in the lowest area of the tank, enjoying the safety of the bottom.  Once the sardines realize food is drifting down through the water column, they swarm to the surface in a constantly-evolving school.  Sardines continually change their position in the school, making it more difficult for the predators (mahi mahi and other large fish) of the tank to hone in on a single fish to snatch.  As soon as the mahi mahi realized the sardines had ventured from their refuge at the bottom of the tank, they became excited, changing the colors of their fins to bright yellow and blue.  Then the mahi mahis made their moves, darting in and out of the sardines trying to pull a straggler from the outskirts of the school.  A couple of sardines served as a meal during the feeding we watched.  

An exhibit in the Monterey Bay Aquarium dedicated to the history of Cannery Row.  The architecture of the aquarium is reminiscent of the canning factories that once dominated this area.

Sardines are efficient eaters and the whole show only lasted about ten minutes before the sardines shrunk back to their refuge at the tank bottom.  We leisurely made the rounds of the rest of the exhibits, lingering a bit longer in the kelp forest exhibit than the others.  A tide machine ensures the kelp, and the fish clinging to the stalks constantly move.  It created a very relaxing scene I could zone out watching for long period of time.  The kelp forest feeding was also of note, as all the fish of the exhibit came out for a snack, including the elusive eels.  

We ended our first day in Monterey with wine tasting a block away from the aquarium, where three tasting rooms lie adjacent to the Canner Row monument.  We had thought Monterey and the aquarium rather busy during our stay, but our server at the Carmel Winery tasting room informed us the weekends saw much more foot traffic.  The mostly empty tasting room we sat in would be filled to the brim come Saturday.

The ever moving kelp of the kelp forest exhibit.

We started our second day in Monterey with a short revisit to the aquarium, where we were able to revisit exhibits that were less crowded on the second day.  Then we rode the free trolley to the Monterey Warf, were free clam chowder samples were handed out every twenty feet.  I am sure those with a small appetite could easily fill up on free samples.

The ever threatening fog in the hills surrounding Monterey kept at bay by a breeze.

I am not a seafood lover.  So we opted for more land-based curries and falafel wraps during our time in Monterey.  We were able to enjoy local eateries while avoiding the chipoltle on every corner.  I am a happy enjoyer of chipoltle in airports and at home, but when on a trip I try to venture beyond the know.  Monterey has an abundance of Asian and Middel-Eastern restaurants, a real treat for a person like me who will eat falafel four days in a row without blinking an eye.  

The Monterey Warf with its abundance of clam chowder.

Monterey is no longer the harsh environment described by Steinbeck.  It's now a friendly little town with other similar towns to the south (Carmel) and north (Santa Cruz), which visitors looking for a mellow weekend will love.