The recent renovation of Carmel Valley Ranch included the addition of a 10,500-square-foot spa, the restoration of hiking trails, the expansion of fitness and swimming facilities at the new River Ranch complex, and the creation of a fire pit where busy days wind down with s'mores under the stars. But even with all these whimsical, wonderful new activities, it's one of the … [Read more...] about Destinations
Travel
Destination:*
There is service, and then there is Peninsula service. Attentive, yet discreet, the first-class touches of the upscale worldwide hotel chain make everyone feel like a movie star. Especially, perhaps, at The Peninsula's Beverly Hills location, located near Rodeo Drive, where actual celebs often frequent the hotel. (But don't expect the staff to point them out to you. Paparazzi … [Read more...] about Destination:*
Monumental Images*
Every summer for the past 30 years or so, my wife and I have set aside time to hike or backpack in the high country of Yosemite National Park. We cannot let a season slip by without a visit to the mountains. We took our daughter to all the High Sierra Camps when she was about 10 years old and I still remember carrying her to the summit of Mt. Hoffman on my back. We have spent … [Read more...] about Monumental Images*
No Place Like Home
In “Cannery Row,” arguably the most lyrical creation by America’s finest writer, John Steinbeck reserves some of his most evocative prose for a description of the Great Tide Pool at Point Pinos—that window into a microcosmic universe at the northernmost tip of the Monterey Peninsula, where Doc Ricketts used to gather specimens for his laboratory. “It is a fabulous place:when … [Read more...] about No Place Like Home
A Sea of Contrasts
Gritty, stinky yet prosperous industrial district. Mythologized parable of post-World-War-II California life. Abandoned, rusty, dangerous no man’s land. World-famous tourist attraction with a curious mix of old and new, kitschy and classy, high tech and old school. That’s Cannery Row: a miasma of contrasts; a place with a dramatic past peopled with a cast of unique, … [Read more...] about A Sea of Contrasts