A few precious hours in the footsteps of John Steinbeck.

Loretta and I did one of our 24 hour whirlwindish jaunts overnight this past Sunday. We made the 140 mile trek to Monterey in the family truckster (actually a Grand Cherokee). It's a relatively pleasant drive through Pacheco Pass, San Juan Bautista, Highway 101, then Highway 1 along Monterey Bay to Seaside, then Monterey and Pacific Grove. It is so much more than I can describe in a few paragraphs, and suffice to say that a 24 hour turnaround does not do it justice. But, we got away from Modesto for a while and had a great time!

We spent the night in the modestly adequate Holiday Inn Express on Wave Street, conventiently located within a five minute walk to Cannery Row and a ten minute walk to Fisherman's Wharf (north and south respectively). We've done this scenario to Monterey on previous occasions with our friends Sue and Gene (as with this one). They are fun to be with and this time was no different. We eat, drink, shop, and relax without a major agenda. In fact, we bring our own portable pub and snacks to kick off the day immediately upon arrival and check in at the motel...Bloody Marys for Gene and I...the girls opted to wait for the $3.00 margaritas on the wharf later.



Loretta, Sue, Gene, and I set off for Fisherman’s Wharf...a little shopping (Sue was in search of some nautical things for a re-decorating project), a cocktail or two, and some lunch. The latter two were found at the same joint: Isabella’s Italian Seafood and Steaks. Now, since some of our culinary tastes lean toward the extremely conservative side (and we were all on a modest budget), this place lent itself well to our food agendas. Isabella’s has a nice, bar and grill type menu for lunch. I would have really preferred an all-out, grilled local seafood offering, but went with the flow and ordered the Fried Calamari appetizer with a garlic aioli. I also thought it very judicious of me to completely avoid the bread plate placed down in front of us upon being seated. Considering all the Bloody Marys and Margaritas I had (and was going to embibe), it wasn’t that much of a concession...I may as well have ‘gone for it’! Loretta was good and bad here...she ordered the Iceberg Wedge and bleu cheese dressing, only after whoofing down most of the bread plate slathered with some short of infused whipped butter. Gene got the Seafood Gumbo, which we had both sampled at the front door before entering the restaurant. Most of the establishments on the wharf have some sort of chowder/gumbo hawker planted at the front door extolling the virtues of their award-winning seafood soup and offering samples....kind of a Times Square-like peep show guy with food...and, of course, free samples. The samples, by the way, are served up in small, disposable plastic souffle cups sans any kind of spoon or other plastic untensil...one must actually try to turn the souffle cup up to one’s mouth at a 45 degree angle and kind of suck it out. Those of us with upper lip facial hair always go away smelling like, well...chowder for the remainder of the day (despite any attempts to wash it off at the nearby drinking fountain)! Needless to say, some of the chowders are very good and some of them are embarrassing...either left over from Friday (we were there on a Sunday), or just plain recipe-challenged. At that point, I was reminded of an old restaurant addage, “Never have seafood on a Sunday or Monday”. Truthfully, the Seafood Gumbo at Isabella’s appeared to be fresh, new, and was very flavorful...a nice tomato-based gumbo that didn’t taste like flour. Sue got the Cheesburger...nothing spectacular save for the homemade french fries doused in some sort of parmesan and parsley salt. Three of us washed down our lunches with the ever-present-Sunday-afternoon $3.00 margaritas offered at many of the wharf joints. Only this margarita was a real margarita...on the rocks, lime juice, a little triplesec, and a good amount of tequila, served in a ‘gentlemen’s’ highball glass. Nice! No shitty Sysco margarita mix here, not blended, and with a very upfront presence of that agave stuff...you could actually taste the tequila! All in all, Isabella’s is very nice place to dine on the wharf (full views upstairs of the harbor and Monterey Bay) with an attentive waitstaff and simple menu. We plan on going back sometime to have dinner at sunset...I’m sure it would be a great experience for anyone’s Monterey visit.



I hadn’t originally planned on this blog entry being a restaurant review, but thought it necessary since it was one of the highlights of our short stay.

We walked and shopped and chatted the next few hours, venturing back down to Cannery Row and making our dinner plans (details forcoming at a later date). Then, returning to the motel for a short nap and watch the start of the Oscars. After dinner, we ended up at the Monterey Plaza Hotel (the nice and more expensive place to stay) just a stone’s throw from the Holiday Inn Express. There, we had a cocktail, watched the end of the Oscars, and ran into a couple of friends of Sue and Gene.

After a restless night...none of us slept very well...we got up and headed to the All American Cafe for breakfast (another forthcoming blog review). Sue and Gene headed home, Loretta and I deleted our plans for the aquarium and drove up Seaside Avenue to take some photos in Pacific Grove. Just across from the Green Gables Inn and Seven Gables Inn, the bike/walk path continues along the edge of the ocean with spectacular views of crashing surf, seals, sea birds, Monterey pines, and...Monterey Bay. This is where one would pick up the world-famous “17 Mile Drive” through Carmel, indicated on a small sign with a small arrow: 'Scenic Drive'...another time for us.



It was supposed to be raining when we got there on Sunday...it only rained overnight. It was supposed to rain on Monday...but it was sunny and warm as we headed back to Modesto. The rain clouds blanketed the foothills along Highway One across the bay from Pacific Grove, providing some nice photo opps for yours truly.



We always ask each other, “How can we live so close to this place and not visit more than once a year?” Sure, you gotta pay for a motel (ours was $119, the off season rate). Sure, you gotta drive for two and a half hours. Sure...you just gotta go! What a super place to have in such nearby proximity? We’ll go again...much sooner between visits next time.



I can’t even begin to explain why we haven’t been to Yosemite in the 8 years we’ve lived here. Yosemite is only 75 miles in the other direction from Modesto.





Another time...another place.




I'm re-reading Cannery Row starting today.




Monterey is waiting further exploration and photos.