Part 5: Monterey

 This is part 5 of my Road Trip Across America.

 

My next stop was Monterey. I made a point to stop here because John Steinbeck (the author of The Grapes of Wrath) wrote about Monterey in his book “Cannery Row.” The book is a fictional take on Monterey during the Great Depression. The city’s economy was driven off of fishing and canning at the time. The book is more of a vignette than it is a story. There are many distinct characters throughout the book.

 

            In Monterey, there is a strip called Cannery Row, dedicated to the book, right on the coast. There are lots of restaurants, souvenir shops, and bars. There are also at least two sculptures honoring John Steinbeck. One is a bust and the other has depictions of the “Cannery Row” characters with John Steinbeck sitting on top.

 

            I always felt some awe to Steinbeck when looking at the statues and seeing the historic sites. If you don’t have some affinity for him, what is wrong with you? And more importantly, if you are an American and have no affinity for John Steinbeck, WHAT THE HELL is wrong with you? He is excellent at bringing to life the experiences of what many Americans have experienced through the times. In my opinion, he is the greatest American author of all time (eat it, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, and Stephen King). Yeah, I said it!

 

            Enough about that. I fell in love with Monterey as a city. It’s hard for me to rank cities exactly, but it definitely ranks in my top 5. I didn’t initially plan to stay in Monterey. I got there around 3PM. I walked around a bit and then found a bar to get some food around 5PM. The bar wasn’t very busy at the time, but I talked to the bartender for a good bit of time. Eventually a woman came in and we three were talking. Her name was Menfis. She lives in Monterey now but is originally from the Dominican Republic. 

 

            Throughout traveling, or just life in general, you meet people who are just really fantastic human beings. Menfis was just such one of these. We hit it off as if we were long time friends. She and I both shared our love for traveling and the experiences we’ve had doing so. She moved to the US a few years ago and loves it. She’s lived in Miami, Brooklyn, and now Monterey. She fell in love with Monterey, and I can understand why. I think we talked for about two hours. The bar had live music that was starting a little bit later, so I decided to grab a hotel for the night. We agreed to meet back for that.

 

            I checked into my hotel and got my bags and things situated then walked back to the bar. Menfis showed up maybe 30 minutes later. There was live music going on, but I don’t remember any of the songs that they played. I think we stayed out until 12AM, and we each had a little too much to drink. She had to leave because she had work tomorrow. I was doing the stumbly walk home. Should I have said that? I guess my Mississippi cousins wouldn’t care.

 

            The next day I walked down to the beach. Again, California beaches are more cove like. This beach had some harbor seals sunning on the rocks. I sat down to read for a bit. After that I walked around. Menfis mentioned being able to rent kayaks on the beach, so I found a place and asked about it so I could plan what I wanted to do. I bought some postcards the day prior, so I walked to the Post Office. Monterey is just amazing to walk through. It is very scenic and has neat houses and neighborhoods. I saw another place to rent kayaks along the way. I found this cool little coffee shop that had a bookstore in the back. I got a muffin and some books.

 

            I walked back to the kayaking place and set off. The water is a pretty blue. The kayaking guide told me I could go anywhere but that I wasn’t supposed to disturb the animals. He meant the seals and otters. In the ocean there are many kelp fields. The otters like to lounge around in them. I got close enough to see and hear the otters, but not close enough to disturb them. Two were squeaking and jumping around playing with each other. I also saw some whale spouts in the distance.

 

            I got back to shore and sat on the beach for a bit before walking back. The scenery is just amazing to look at. And, well, you should understand why I love Monterey.

 

Next stop: Sequoia National Park.

A cove in Monterey

A cove in Monterey

John Steinbeck and his characters from "Cannery Row"

Kayaking on the Pacific Ocean