Monterey With Kids
I lived in Monterey until I was 8 years old. Even after we moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, we made an annual pilgrimage to Monterey to revisit our old haunts. I still have some very specific memories of my preschool days, and my elementary school. With my own children now in preschool, I have been yearning to revisit the area with them. Even if they don't care about playing on mommy's old playground, the excellent Monterey Bay Aquarium should be a slam dunk.
No road trip is complete without road trip food, and that's no less true with kids along. We were just beginning to get hungry as we passed through Castroville on our way to Monterey. I can remember stopping here with my mom to get big flats full of tender artichokes when they were in season. Today things are quiet, it's not high season, and we can see signs for the Giant Artichoke Restaurant from the highway. I've never eaten here, it isn't one of my memories, but it seems like the perfect place to stop.
Clearly, even from the outside, this isn't a glamorous gourmet restaurant. It's a bit run down, it has seen better days. But you know what, the steamed artichokes were among the best I've ever eaten. It was fun to try the huge artichoke platter, loaded with a steamed artichoke, artichoke bread, and (my favorite) deep fried artichoke hearts. The artichoke soup was delicious and fresh tasting. When I was done with all that, the standards (hamburgers, grilled cheese, buttered noodles, etc) were all great too. Perhaps this is a new family road trip tradition?
When we finally arrived in Pacific Grove, we wanted to move a bit and explore a bit. We ended up in the funky Rocky Coast Ice Cream Company.
The walls here are covered in memorabilia, ranging from Beatles bobble head dolls to comic books and children's books. Have you ever seen so many plastic sleeves? This reminds me of the ex-hippie-run sort of place you used to find in San Francisco. The owner doesn't serve "dangerous" tap water, and instead distills and sells his own (it's delicious, actually).
With our sweet-tooth filled, we explored a bit, stopped in a local bookstore to cuddle up for a story, and then enjoyed a light dinner - tomorrow we'll rediscover Monterey!
Related LinksCity Guide: Monterey, Carmel, and Pebble Beach with Kids
2 comments |
Posted on March 8, 2010 |
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Zina on August 24, 2010 at 4:12 p.m.
hi, thank you for creating this blog. it has been so helpful and such an encouragement for me to travel with my toddler. i was wondering if you have any suggestions on where to stay in monterey?
Debbie on August 24, 2010 at 9:02 p.m.
I'm not able to recommend the hotel we stayed at when we were in Monterey. If I had it to do again, I'd probably try the Intercontinental.
Good luck!