20240721_105718Old Fisherman’s Wharf (July 2024)

Following a long day spent in the neighboring towns of Pacific Grove and Carmel-by-the-Sea, I spent the next day with my partner and her mother exploring more of Monterey. Although we had seen a lot of the city during our first afternoon in, there were a few more stops we wanted to check out, and so we enjoyed the rest of our stay as much as we could.

We had a decent breakfast at another delicious pâtisserie (there are too many in town!), where I enjoyed a strawberry cream puff and a cardamom bun, paired with a sweet miso-caramel latte. The three of us had gone when it wasn’t too busy, but by the time we paid and sat down to eat, a long line was starting to form out the door. We certainly got lucky!

20240721_085618Cardamom bun and strawberry cream puff

Next was a stroll to the Old Fisherman’s Wharf, an iconic landmark of Monterey. Constructed in 1870, it was used for loading and unloading passengers and goods– it has seen a lot of change over the past century, and today is a touristy spot with souvenir shops and seafood restaurants that line its boardwalk. We took a look around some of the souvenir stores, as well as observed the sea lions frolicking in the distance on the water.

20240721_101910Views from Old Fisherman’s Wharf


20240721_113626Garden inside a historic adobe

It was a rather overcast and chilly day (even in July!), so we decided to visit the Monterey Museum of Art to get warm. We paid $15 USD/person to enter, and it was a small, but well-curated museum with works by local artists from the 19th century to present. From vivid, oceanic photography highlighting marine life to rustic sketches of the working class in the canning industry, the museum was very emblematic of Monterey’s geography and history, and I enjoyed the visit.

20240721_120328Inside the Monterey Museum of Art

My partner’s mother had some friends visiting from the Bay Area, so we met up with them once they got into Monterey, and we had lunch with them at another pâtisserie (my personal favorite). I opted for a summer pizza, which had plenty of squash sprinkled on top. It was simple, but tasted fresh and light, which I found lovely for a summer’s day.

20240721_131550Summer pizza

We hung out with her mother’s friends for the afternoon, before having a rest at the hotel and headed out back into town for dinner on Old Fisherman’s Wharf. Dinner was seafood-based, as we got some calamari and crab cakes to share and the famous clam chowder bread bowl. We sat outside and it was quite chilly, but the chowder warmed us up, and overall, it was a decent dinner to close out the night.

20240721_184535Clam chowder bread bowl

I was set to fly home at 14h00 the next day, but unfortunately, my flight got cancelled, and I had to scramble to book the next flight out (after all, I had to return to work the day after). I got the next flight out at 20h00, so I had almost an extra full day to see the last of Monterey. My partner’s mom left at midday with her friends to continue onto San Francisco, while my partner had classes in the morning, so I spent the first half relaxing along Cannery Row and buying some last-minute souvenirs for my family.

20240722_103945Sunnier day on Cannery Row

My partner finished up her classes by noon, and we got lunch at the pâtisserie we’d gone to during my first day in (with another delicious passionfruit cake). We hung out in the afternoon before having dinner at another adobe restaurant, where I ordered a halibut with pozole. It was decent, but not as good as the other adobe restaurant we’d gone to on our first night, but it was a solid meal to close out my time in Monterey.

20240722_175009Halibut with pozole

I took an Uber to the airport right after dinner to catch my flight back to Los Angeles: it was a full flight due to other passengers rebooking on the cancelled flight, but it went by uneventfully. We soon touched down into LA at 21h30 and I returned home just before 23h00, exhausted but happy. Overall, it was a short, but lovely weekend spent with my partner in Monterey, a part of California I hadn’t been to, but had a great time. All the better spent with her mother and friends, and it was a great getaway for the summer.

20240722_204335Sunset views from the flight home

Thanks for reading, and more travel posts to come soon! 🙂

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

51 thoughts on “Destination: Monterey, California (PART 2)”

  2. Monterey looks like a wonderful California getaway, Rebbecca, especially as it has stunning coastline and vibrant marine life. I’d love to take on the 17 Mile Drive to see some of the area’s most beautiful scenery, including Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, and The Lone Cypress Tree. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. Indeed! I didn’t do the 17-Mile Drive this time, but I did so during my first trip 15 years ago. Monterey is a lovely part of California, and it’s definitely worth a trip there! Thanks for reading, Aiva, and have a great day!

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  4. Everything you ate on this trip looks and sounds so yummy! I’d do well with that chowder right now, but I’m afraid it’s too hot for any kind of soup where I’m at. 😅 sorry to hear about the flight cancelations and having to cut it so close with returning to work! Happy things worked out in the end

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    1. Haha, same! Here in LA, it’s quite warm, but given that Monterey is in northern California, it never gets too hot, even in the summer! Clam chowder can be eaten just about any time of the year. I was fortunate to rebook the flight, as there was a massive blackout that impacted many airport servers throughout the country that weekend– thankfully, it worked out, and I hope not to experience it anytime soon!

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    1. Indeed! Monterey is a quaint part of California worth visiting. Fyi, it’s one “R” for Monterey in California, as there’s a Monterrey in Mexico. Thanks for reading, Tricia!

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  6. First of all, that sunset photo is gorgeous! It sounds like you really made the most of your time in Monterey, including the few extra hours you had at the end. Good food, friends, the ocean… what more could you want for a quick getaway?

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    1. Absolutely! Perhaps it was serendipitous that I had a later flight, to catch that sunset! Monterey was a fun time, and it made me appreciate quick getaways to want to do more 🙂

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  7. Hi Rebecca, it all looks pretty cool, love the pizza with zucchini flowers, such a French Riviera delicacy. Pastries look legit, and the weather is super nice, today’s heat makes me envy your clouds. Looking forward to seeing more

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    1. Indeed! The summer squash pizza was light and refreshing, perfect for the weather at hand! Monterey is quite cool in the summer; it never gets too hot, which makes for a great getaway! This is the last post in my Monterey series, but more adventures are coming soon 🙂

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    1. Thanks, Marion! The sea lions were numerous and adorable! Food was tasty in Monterey, from the early-morning pâtisseries to fancy adobe dinners. Appreciate your readership!

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  10. I’ve enjoyed seeing Monterey again through your eyes and after so many years. It seems more tourist-focused now but still looks much as I remember it. The food looks and sounds delicious 🙂 What is ‘pozole’ – I don’t recognise that word?

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    1. Pozole is a Mexican stew/soup made from hominy and meat. It was my first time having it, and it was tasty! Monterey is definitely a touristy town now; I can’t imagine it being less-touristy when you last visited!

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  16. This really sounds a weekend well spent, Rebecca. The dishes you tried look delicious, and honestly that pizza also looks yummy to me. I’ve seen the clam chowder bread bowl somewhere, but I’ve been curious as to whether people actually finish the bread bowl or not. Which one is more common based on your experience?

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    1. To be honest, I couldn’t finish the whole bread bowl! I think most people don’t eat it all, since it’s so big. But I suppose if you’re starving, it wouldn’t be too difficult! XD

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    1. Last summer, there was a big IT outage from a failed software update that caused not only flights in the US, but the entire world to be delayed or cancelled over that weekend! While inconvenient, I still managed to get home in time!

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      1. Oh, yes. I remember. I think that was when my physical therapist got trapped in Hawaii for an extra day or two, and then got split up from his family on different flights getting home. That you still got home on time is amazing.

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