Visiting the little resort town of Carmel, and the Monterey Peninsula have been favorite places of mine since the late 60s.  Just a short drive from our (former) home in the SF Bay Area, it was a great overnight or weekend getaway.  By car, it is only about a 2 hour drive, south through Silicon Valley, and on down to the fabulous Monterey Peninsula.

Most parts of the area are dog friendly, rather pricey, but mostly picturesque, with postcard worthy scenery, great golf courses, and wonderful food.  I even had the opportunity to work at Pebble Beach in the 90s, staying in a company provided apartment, and eating free meals in the employee cafeteria at the Lodge at Pebble Beach.

We also made many friends there, John, Marci’a, Carol, and Nancy.  We learned some of the “secret” places where the locals hang out.  We got to partake of some free golf on world famous golf courses, like Pebble Beach, Spyglass, and Spanish Bay.  Many special memories were created here.

In recent years, we took our previous dog, Buddy, on our trips to Carmel.  He loved the white sandy beaches of Carmel Bay.  Now, we are giving our little Lexi her first taste of the Peninsula.  I can’t wait to take her down to the beach!

And don’t forget Seventeen Mile Drive, and the famous Lone Cypress.  We also enjoy the Lodge at Pebble Beach, The Taproom, Roy’s, and the famous bagpiper at dusk on the Links at Spanish Bay.  But there is nothing wrong with keeping it simple, and low cost.

Each of us have our reasons for declaring Carmel as our favorite spot.  We spent many days there for work, as well as some of our honeymoon.  It is certainly a romantic place.  But it is also great for outdoor activities, like golf, cycling, fishing, hiking, and wine tasting.  Is that a sport?

We also like to shop a little, both in Carmel, and the factory outlets in Gilroy.  We have a few friends left in the area as well.  We have stayed in some great places, like the Presidential Suite at Spanish Bay, as well as dog friendly roach motels.  At this point, it really does not matter.

A hint for some good, cheap, “on the go” eats:  head to the take out counter at Abalonetti’s on the Monterey Wharf.  The calamari and chips are just outstanding!!!

And a “secret” place to shop for inexpensive souvenirs and clothing?  Try the Pebble Beach outlet store on Cannery Row.  And if you are willing to drive out Carmel Valley, you will find the famous Robert Talbot’s factory store in a little village.  But who wears a tie anymore?

The best bakery in the area is Paris Bakery in downtown Monterey.  Not quite as good as the real Paris, but nevertheless, quite good, with a huge variety of pastries, bread, and deli items.

I can’t tell you any more secrets.  You will just have to discover your own!

So, we will spend a night here, before heading up to the Bay Area for a dinner party.  Many of you know that Sheri was part of a cooking show on a public access TV station in the east bay.  We will join the cast and crew for a evening of laughs, libations, and victuals.

We all travel for different reasons.  Some of us are attracted to famous places, and sights.  Others are attracted to food and culture.  And yet others want to get away from crowds, find quiet corners of the world, and just relax.  Turn off all of the electronics, veg out, so to speak, and just enjoy nature and solitude.

But those places are harder to find.  On my last trip to eastern Europe, we found both Poland (Warsaw) and Hungary (Budapest) to be relatively quiet, uncrowded, with lots of locals enjoying themselves, especially in the evenings.  Going further out, places like Botswana, Antelope Canyon (AZ), Nepal, southern Chile, Medellin (Columbia), and some of our National Parks, provide a break from people, noise, high rises, and commercialism.

I am decidedly in the middle, having seen and visited the extremes of travel.  I do not mind the boisterous Oktoberfest, but also enjoy the solitude of Bryce Canyon National Park in the winter.  I enjoy the revelry around Wimbledon, but also the quiet beaches on Kauai.

Digging deeper into this problem, one simple solution rings out to me.  It is to travel in the off and shoulder seasons whenever possible.  For example, I like to go to Europe in the mid to late fall, the same for SE Asia.  We went on safari to Africa during their winter.  I took the Trans Siberian Railway while the snow was melting, but still got caught in a huge snowstorm at Lake Baikal. But very few tourists!

Much of the right answer depends, of course, of your likes and dislikes.  When I travel with my buddy Mike, he loves to walk around the big cities, like Hong Kong, Budapest, Prague, Warsaw, Bangkok, and Hanoi.  I prefer a little more open space, perhaps a bicycle ride out in the countryside.  Or once in a while, a foodie or historical tour.  The tour of Berlin was an example of seeing a place before and AFTER the Wall.  And we enjoyed a real farm to table dinner out in Prosser, WA, about 2 hours east of Seattle.  And my foodie tour of Mexico City was a great intro to a place I have never visited.

Sometimes, you play it by ear, and hope to get lucky.  Such was the case in Medellin, Columbia.  The young lady at the front desk suggested we go to dinner and after dinner entertainment in a place called Parque Llerus.  I had read a little, and I mean, very little about it online and in a tour book.  Little did we know this was the local hotspot for food and drink!!!  Other times, a simple walk around the city reveals a great little bar or cafe, perhaps even some decent music.

Rowdy bars are not my thing, but finding a crazy group of Irish pfootballers in Vilamoura, Portugal can, at the least, point me in the direction of a great neighborhood, and some local watering holes.  And seeing revelers spill out onto the street at happy hour is another sign of good times to come.  Always, and I mean always, check out the longest line in every town or city!!!

I have enjoyed the big spectator sports, like the Kentucky Derby, Indy 500, and Wimbledon.  But I also enjoy the quiet of a long bicycle ride in the country, here or on the road in Hoi An, Vietnam.  I can handle a train full of rowdy Russians across Siberia, or sit alone in my roomette on the train, reading or listening to music.  There is a time and place, as my Mom once said.

Though I am not the type to sit on the beach for hours, I do enjoy the quiet life near the beach, and the beautiful views.  On the other hand, being stuck in a resort on Inle Lake, Myanmar afforded little opportunity to mingle with locals or to walk into town.  We were surrounded by water!

Staying connected to the internet is also important for me.  I need it to communicate to home, and to people like you.  And I want to know what is going on in the world, since BBC and CNN do not provide much in the way of American news.  For instance, last fall in Eastern Europe, we received NO coverage of the terrible fires in Napa and Sonoma!!!

So, bottom line, choose your place, based on your own interests, and mood.  Yes, it can change from day to day, or even hour to hour.  Maybe some of both each day?