Monterey LGBT Tourist Information
Caveats for Hotel Guests
When making reservations
for a room that's on the ocean, be sure to ask the clerk
if a) the calamari fishing boats will be active during your
stay (they shine their green floodlights straight onto Cannery
Row and the hill above all night), and b) whether the sea
lions have left the area (they sound
like a kennel when they're around, and bark all night long).
If you're staying in Pacific Grove during
the summer, ask whether it will sunny or foggy. Pacific
Grove (or PG as the locals call it) can be socked in
for weeks. The fog line is at David Ave. which separates
New Monterey from Pacific Grove.
Winter Notes for Tourists
UPDATED DECEMBER, 2008
Tourists
are fewer, the locals are more relaxed, and the days
range from cool and sunny to overcast and stormy.
Don't
forget to check the traffic
conditions if you plan on driving. Hwy 1 has
on occasion flooded, as have the connecting highways
from Hwy 101.
What
to Do
Not much. Walk the shoreline. Bring a book. Here's
an events
calendar if you still feel like a festival.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Visit the Monterey
Bay Aquarium. It's pricey at $24 per adult (discounts
for seniors/students/youngsters) and can be crowded
especially on weekends, but it offers a view of the
bay few non-divers ever see.
They've wisely moved
the ticket line indoors, so the days of drenched,
freezing queues are gone. I went for a visit Dec
28, 2008 at around 2 p.m., and it the crowd was manageable,
except for the special shows (feedings mostly) which
were packed. If you go earlier in the day, you also
avoid the problem of the fauna (river otters,
penguins, etc.) falling asleep or vanishing.
Otters
To get within a foot of a sea otter (albeit in captivity),
the Monterey Bay Aquarium is the place to go. There's
a two-story tank, so you can see above and below the
waterline.
For wild otters, go notth to Moss Landing
and take the Jetty Road off of Highway 1. The road
circles the slough, and there are usually large groups
of otters swimming around. In the Moss Landing marina,
you can also spot 1-2 otters for a closer look. If
you don't feel like driving, there are usually otters
along the bikepath between Montery and Pacific Grove,
which is a nice walk regardless.
Whale Watching
You
can chance a whale watching trip for gray, humpback
and, blue whales and dolphins (the latter can be
better seen playing the surf of Seaside Beach). If
you do, bring a windbreaker and warm sweaters; the
wind gets extremely cold once you're out of the harbor.
It can also get rough, and it's the norm to see at
least a few people puking their guts out (on one
trip, my boyfriend and I were the only ones unaffected.
Not pretty).
Go
to the pier downtown and do some comparison shopping.
All of the whale tour operators are reputable, so
your decision is probably going to be based on the
size of the boat. The glass bottom boat tour (I'm
not sure if it's still running) is pretty lame given
the turgidity of the water.
What
to Wear
As always, bring sweaters and shirts
to layer. For December, bring a light raincoat.
Bring quarters for the parking meters if you're
a diver and plan on trying the area around Cannery
Row (the area immediately after passing through
the tunnel).
Specials
The
Inn at Spanish Bay and the Big Sur resorts (Ventana,
River Inn, etc.) usually offer locals discounts on
accommodations during the off-peak months. If you
know someone who lives locally, it's a nice time
to plan a weekend getaway.
Summer Notes For Tourists
Monterey is especially nice during the late spring, with mini-festivals almost
every weekend. Here's an events
calendar if you still feel like a festival.
Some events, such as the Concours d'Elegance
car show are by nature traffic-causing. Allow plenty
of time, and don't shy away from exploring the small
towns along Hwy 1.
Weather
If you're planning a trip to Monterey during the
spring or the early fall, you are in for a treat.
If you come during the summer months, expect
morning fog until around 11 a.m., and all day in Pacific Grove (I'm not kidding).
Traffic Jams on Hwy 1
This can be a NIGHTMARE if you decide to come on an
event weekend. Hwy 1 is a two lane highway for the
stretch between Castrovilleand Watsonville
and it can sometimes take 2-3 hours to go 12 miles.
Try to get to Watsonville by early morning or late
afternoon. If you do get stuck, pull off and have some
chow at Central Texas BBQ in Castroville (the artichoke
capital and home to Franco's Norma Jean gay bar).
Traffic on Hwy 101
Better than on Hwy 1, but sometimes not by much, especially
on two-lane Hwy 156 that connects Hwy 101 to Hwy 1.
Gay Pride
The date of Monterey's
gay pride festival changes.
It's now held in mid-July.
Summer
Checklist
1. A warm sweater or pullover
2. $4 in quarters for the parking meters (15 mins /
quarter)
3. If you want to get into the Monterey Bay Aquarium
and you hate long lines, buy
a membership before you come. You can waltz
right through the members entrance, which is to the right
about 100' from the main entrance. |
