Cannery Row

Cannery Row is a fictional street lined with sardine fisheries in Monterey in John Steinbeck's novel, Cannery Row. This historic waterfront Cannery Row was named after John Steinbeck's novel Cannery Row in honor of him and his novel in 1958.

Once where the canneries stood and filled the air with fish smell has become a famous vacation spot with hotels, restaurants, shops and world famous Aquarium.

  

              

The Spindrift Inn along McAbee Beach.

McAbee Beach was once the site of Monterey's bustling Chinatown where the canning and fishing industries reigned. Restaurateur, Maen Chang Wu, later built a three story hotel along McAbee Beach. This Ocean View Hotel was reopened in 1985 as the Spindrift Inn.

John Steinbeck Plaza

After the fall of canning industry, the town was abandoned until Steinbeck's novel, Cannery Row, spurred increase interest of restoring this historical area.

You can rent a bicycle.

Some old sardine boats are being restored.

The World famous Monterey Bay Aquarium

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El Estero Park

This wonderful little park that envelopes the lake El Estero is less than 2 miles from my house.

It's right on Del Monte Ave across from Monterey State Beach, and about 0.3 miles from Old Fisherman's Wharf. We cannot go to most of places without driving by this park.

The other day temperature soared to 83 degrees, unusually hot and sunny day for this area.

A day like this, this very quite park becomes crowded with people boating and bustling about. 

 Dennis the Menace Park that is in the middle of the lake was full of kids.

I also made my first intentional visit to the park to look at it up-close., and of course to take pictures.

It's always fun to watch family and friends having a good time together.

A happiness in doing small things together.

Right across from the lake, we can see Dennis the Menace Playground.

They say this park was originally established with the help of Mr. Hank Ketcham, creator of the Dennis the Menace comic strip.

You can also do fishing at this lake. Not these guys.

Lake El Estero is loaded with rainbow trout, Sacramento perch, Sacramento blackfish, Sacramento hitch, carp, tule perch and yellow bulletheads. The fishing pier on Pearl Street.

The park has an outdoor exercise course which is 1.2 miles 'parcourse' which is scientifically designed around the lake. It has 6 clusters of exercise stations.

Or you can just sit at one of the benches on the park.

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Monterey Plaza Hotel

I love Saturday morning's short outing without any agenda.

We are still at a stage of exploring the area. So for a while we may be behaving like the tourists.

Perhaps, we should call ourselves the resident tourists.

It was a relatively bright Saturday morning when we went out for a stroll.

It was a great day for picture taking.

 Monterey Plaza Hotel &Spa on Cannery Row is right on the Monterey Bay.

 Hotel is getting ready for some kind of reception.

 Looking down from the upper deck to the lower deck. I didn't look close enough if it was a wedding reception or what. Whatever the occasion may be, I was hoping the weather would hold.

The kayakers are out there as well.

More people enjoying kayaks.

 John who loves kayaking couldn't take his eyes off  these people.

Unfortunately soon after we came home around lunch time, it began to rain.

But....I'm sure the guests and the kayakers didn't mind getting wet.
Monterey is that kind of place.

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