Exploring Carmel, Monterey, and Capitola: A Northern California Coastal Getaway
When I think of Carmel-by-the-sea on California’s coast, I think of Clint Eastwood, Pebble Beach, and John Steinbeck. Okay, maybe not right away—but they’re oddly relevant to a recent trip my wife and I took.
If you grew up in Northern California, you’ve likely been to Monterey, Carmel, Santa Cruz, and Capitola several times in your life. For me, Santa Cruz was the closest beach for my High School friends and I to roadtrip to (it was about 1 1/2 hours from where I grew up). Carmel was the place my parents went for a weekend getaway without their kids. Monterey didn’t make our radar until the Monterey Bay Aquarium opened in the 80’s.
For our family, my wife’s grandparents used to own a condo in Aptos, a small beach town just south of Santa Cruz. Back then, we were lucky—having a beachside place meant built-in getaways when the girls were little, so when the family sold it years ago, we lost our go to vacation spot.
Rooftop bar at Vesuvio
The selection at Rise + Roam
When the opportunity came to have the week of the 4th of July off, we decided to stay a few days on the coast. We stayed a couple of days in Monterey and then finished with two days in Capitola. The girls were both working so it was just the Mrs. and myself.
We chose Monterey to start because we could just drive up the hill into Carmel and hit some of our favorite restaurants. On this trip, we decided to expand our repertoire and check out a couple of new places as well. For some happy hour cocktails and dinner, we hit the rooftop bar of Vesuvio. For breakfast the next morning, we tried Rise + Roam bakery and coffee shop. Holy shit, we have a new favorite morning spot.
Cozy interior of the Tuck Box tea house in Carmel
Le Bicyclette restaurant in Carmel
Since I haven’t uploaded anything to my YouTube channel in two years, I figured this would be a good time to test the waters again—minus the personal vlogging, but lots of exciting footage of me walking around taking pictures. So after breakfast, we headed to the town of Pacific Grove to walk along the coast and take some video.
I didn’t mention the video thing until springing it upon my wife when we parked. After the lengthy eye roll, I showed her how to operate the camera and use the ND filter to achieve proper exposure. She was a good sport and took some great shots!
Monterey coast near Lover’s Point
Further along the bay in Lover’s Point
As someone born and raised in the Bay Area, Fisherman’s Wharf is not somewhere I’d visit except when family is visiting. Monterey also has one but I’d never been, likely because of the natural aversion to the SF incarnation. But after watching a couple of travel vlogs on YouTube, we thought we’d give it a looksy.
What attracted me were the colorful buildings on the water. Unfortunately, it proved to be the tourist trap I had suspected and we only did a quick walkthrough before leaving and grabbing some lunch in Monterey.
Vendor outside the entrance to Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf
Touristy restaurant on the wharf
After two mellow days in Monterey, we headed to Capitola, however, we stopped and ate lunch in Aptos at a favorite Mexican restaurant that has the best salsa I’ve ever tasted. After checking into our small condo, we walked up the hill to Shadow Brook at the top of a hill. It’s a famous restaurant in the area that has a funicular down to the dining room and bar.
Manuel’s in Aptos. Best salsa in the world!
Our final day was the best yet. After a relatively chill day, we took an Uber to a tiki bar located at the end of the Santa Cruz pier. Other than the great drinks, what made it so unique was the rotating room. I timed it and it took about 30 minutes to complete a full revolution.
On the water in Capitola
Our waitress preparing our Scorpion Bowl as the room slowly rotates
Holiday traffic tried to reverse the relaxing vibes we had cultivated, but after four days of sun, surf, tiki drinks, and that Rise + Roam cinnamon bun., it didn’t make a dent.
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk at twilight
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