In the tiny hamlet of Carmel, Erik Estrada finds solace in the dark, quiet moonlit nights here, a stark contrast to the bristling and bustling streets of Spanish Harlem where he grew up and the bright lights of Tinsel Town where he made his way to television stardom and continues to live and work today. Over the last 30 years, Carmel-by-the-Sea’s siren call has brought Estrada back time and time again and the town has become his home away from home.
Estrada is best known for his role as Frank Poncherello or “Ponch” on “CHiPs,” the NBC crime drama about two charismatic California Highway Patrol officers. The show ran in the U.S. from 1977 to 1983 and was heavily syndicated throughout the world and continues to be widely streamed to this day. As Ponch, Estrada made his way into homes across America and into the hearts of his viewers with his good looks and affable charm. The show was a favorite across age groups and was equally popular with kids and adults.
In “CHiPs” Estrada had his first major role as a good guy, giving him the opportunity to portray a Hispanic man in a positive light—and in a position of authority—something seldom seen on television at that time. And, other than Desi Arnaz as Ricky Ricardo on “I Love Lucy” (which debuted almost 30 years prior), Estrada was the first Hispanic actor to breakthrough in a leading role on a hit television series, breaking ground and making way for generations of actors to follow.
The beauty of his rise to fame in a role as a police officer was that, from the tender age of four, his career plan had been to be a New York City cop. “My dad was stuck on the needle when I was 4 years old,” says Estrada, “so she [his mother] fired him and started dating a cop, so my first hero was a police officer.” Upon his high school graduation, he planned to join the police academy, but his interest in a classmate introduced him to a whole new world and changed his life’s trajectory. It was “a pretty girl named Christine La-porte,” he shares, whom he tried to meet by waiting around after school. He waited for her day after day, but she never came out of the building. On the third day he followed her after their last period and found that she was going to drama club, so he went too, “So I thought, ‘I grew up in the streets of Harlem, I can act, so I’ll just audition, get in, and get the girl.’ But in less than a week I got bit by the acting bug.”
A decade after “CHiPs,” Estrada gained a new wave of fans when he was tapped to star in a show south of the border. He was catapulted to stardom in the Spanish-speaking world and beyond as a trucker named Johnny on one of the most popular telenovelas of all time, “Dos Mujeres, un Camino.” The highly acclaimed show aired in 47 countries and was so successful that Rupert Murdoch visited during production to research the process used by the studio, with Estrada acting as his host and guide. Since then, Estrada has continued to steadily work in film and television and in 2007, a TV series he was pitched presented an opportunity for him to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a cop. He signed on for the show, “Armed & Famous,” and traveled to Muncie, Indiana, to train with the Muncie Police Department. He graduated from the police academy and was sworn in as a police officer there in 2008. Estrada stayed with the department as a reserve officer for three years, patrolling three midnight shifts a week for three months of the year, but at the age of 62, he felt he was getting a little too old to be busting up bar fights and pulling over cars in the middle of the night. Not yet ready to leave law enforcement behind, he jumped at an opportunity brought to him by his friend, Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal put him in touch with the Sheriff of Bedford County, Virginia, where a bilingual project to teach internet safety to kids was in the works. Estrada signed on and ended up joining the sheriff’s department there as a full-time deputy, where he worked for eight years tracking down child predators through the department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Though now in his 70s, Estrada isn’t slowing down. He continues to work in television and to lend his time and energy to those causes close to his heart, including law enforcement, veterans charities, and children’s safety. But when he does take a break, his favorite place to get away is our quaint little village by the sea.
As one of the most recognizable TV stars of the 1970s and ’80s, Estrada’s visits to Carmel do not go unnoticed by locals and visitors. But during his time here he peacefully goes about his business, experiencing friendly looks of recognition from those he encounters and the occasional request for a selfie. According to Estrada, time spent in Carmel is his “saving grace” and he has been a frequent visitor to our charming town for nearly 30 years.
Estrada began coming to the Monterey Peninsula in the 1990s when his two sons were young children. The first year he visited, “We stayed at Spanish Bay, we’d get up, have breakfast in the suite, take 17-Mile Drive into the village, walking, looking, shopping, have a big late lunch, then heading back to Spanish Bay for dinner at Roy’s or Pèppoli.” The next year he decided to reverse the order, staying in Carmel and venturing into Pebble Beach for a meal or a cruise along 17-Mile Drive, which allowed the Estradas more time to wander and enjoy downtown Carmel—the itinerary he follows to this day. In those early days, he came across the Carmel Bay View Inn, which has become his home away from home. Estrada shares, “Joanna [Napoli] is our friend, she’s the manager there and we’ve known her forever. She always takes very good care of me and all the people I bring or send there.” From their suite, Estrada and his wife, Nanette, have a view of Carmel Bay. Their daughter, Francesca—along with the family’s Australian shepherd Luna and their recently rescued German shepherd Mia—stays on Ocean Avenue at the Lamplighter Inn, where pets are welcome. In addition to Luna and Mia, the Estradas have two pocket Chihuahuas (Bambi and Booboo) and a Pomeranian (Bongo).
While in Carmel, Estrada’s go-to restaurants include Vesuvio, “For the good chicken parmigiana!” and Jeju Kitchen on the lower level of the Carmel Plaza, where he, his wife and daughter enjoy “the wonderful dump-lings…and their short ribs are delicious.” But his favorite of all, and where you’ll find him nearly every morning he’s in town, is at From Scratch in the Barnyard, where owner “Steve and his daughter are like family…and the brisket chili is, whoo, it’s delicious! We always take a gallon of it home every time.”
The Estradas are also big fans of Mad Dogs and Englishmen and often rent electric bikes to ride along 17-Mile Drive from Carmel into Pacific Grove and beyond, taking the opportunity to explore all the peninsula has to offer.
Pebble Beach is always on the itinerary and Estrada has been a frequent visitor to the Concours d’Elegance over the years. A lover of Rolls-Royce, he shares, “I’ve had a few of ’em over the years.” Estrada finds enjoyment in the beauty of the automobiles on display and in the event’s festivities. He also relishes the challenge of a round of golf and has had the opportunity to play Pebble Beach a number of times. “It’s a fun place to be,” says Estrada, “because when you’re there, you are focused on the ball and the strokes and the scenery. There’s no thinking about tomorrow or yesterday, you just enjoy it. Golf puts you in the moment.”
Whether it be a challenging round of golf or a peaceful moonlit walk on Carmel Beach, Estrada takes the opportunity to focus on the “here and now” while on the Monterey Peninsula, finding a respite away from the hustle and bustle of LA. In December, when he enjoys seeing the town lit up for Christmas, or in the milder months of summer, relishing quiet foggy mornings and clear sunset evenings from his balcony, it’s here that he finds the time to relax, to connect with himself, his family and the many local friends he has made. A reminder to those of us lucky enough to call the peninsula our home, to stop and take in all the beauty that surrounds us in the here and now.