How to cover the waterfront
Sites rich with California history and establishments giving nods to heritage dot the Fisherman’s Wharf environs
Monterey enjoys a lot of California’s firsts: its first newspaper, its first government building, its first theater and its first public school. The town was also the first place the American flag was raised in California (though it was quickly taken down because the Mexican-American War hadn’t been announced). So there’s a lot to absorb, but fortunately much of the coolest time-piece destinations linger within walking distance of one another, with lots of character-rich venues (and their own tasty histories) to enjoy in between. — Mark C. Anderson
MORNING
Old Fisherman’s Wharf can now claim 103 years in existence, and there’s no shortage of sea lions to ogle, whales to watch and chowder samples to taste. The best place to start the morning, though, is its least time-honored spot, Water + Leaves. The futuristic (and stylish) tea-and-coffee shop enjoys a great harborside deck, state-of-the-art $50,000 Alpha Dominche steeping chambers for the tea and an Italian masterpiece of a $20,000 La Marzocco machine for the Monterey joe. A short walk down the Coastal Recreation Trail skirts the same side of the harbor Water +Leaves overlooks, and delivers visitors to the best-kept historical — and scenic — secret by the bay: 25.3-acre Lower Presidio Park, part of the Defense Language Institute and a superlative place for stunning views, wide lawns and a museum. The access is a bit awkward (you have to be driving or walking toward Monterey to make the required turn), but the rewards are rich. Walking tours with local history oracle/author Tim Thomas resume Saturday, May 20.
MIDDAY
Illuminating State Park-guided tours of Old Monterey’s most interesting old buildings happen summer Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 and 2 p.m., and can include a look at the last whalebone sidewalk west of Mississippi. The Pacific House is where the tours start, near the same spot Commodore John Drake Sloat raised the American flag in 1846 and the oldest government building in California, the Custom House, a.k.a. state historical landmark No. 1. The Pacific House and its adobe walls invite wanders through the memorable museum that occupies part of the upstairs and the entire downstairs — with a grizzly bear that roars, American Indian artifacts, hide-and-tallow education, and a short movie on early Monterey history centering on the California Constitution (signed up the street at Colton Hall). On the other side of Custom House Plaza sits Peter B’s, Monterey’s original craft beer joint — the beers are best enjoyed on the patio — and casual-clever food such as Danny Abbruzzese’s Bayou-spiced “Bamma” po’ boy. Next door there’s a must-see, borrowed-from-another-era Memory Garden (behind the Pacific House), designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., whose father was one of the designers of New York’s Central Park.
AFTERNOON
The former Osio Adobe now hosts the best indie film house in Monterey County, and its conjoined sister spot, snappy-fresh and progressive Cafe Lumiere, serves craft beer and coffee that can be toted in to movies. (Great daily specials too.) Next door at the Crown and Anchor Pub, the decor is vintage maritime and dripping with character via randy-seafaring-quote wallpaper in the bathrooms and polished brass and wood everywhere else. Another option brings on more history: Wharf Marketplace, a relatively new multipurpose hub, was a landmark train station back when Monterey was a getaway for San Franciscans to visit the Del Monte Hotel (now part of the Naval Postgraduate School). After much City Council discussion, the station has been reborn as a open-layout space featuring a fresh produce section with goods grown almost entirely by its owners (Tanimura and Antle farm), a cafe (with locally adored Acme coffee, pastries and panini such as the popular Cuban), fresh juices and a prolific stash of hyperlocal cheeses, beers and wines, plus a tasting bar and barbecues on the weekend.
EVENING
When the sun goes down and walking tours are less illuminating, it’s time to tap into the tavernesque spots that feel like they’ve been here forever. Melville Tavern is just 2 years old, but thanks to lots of brick, library-style books, old-world paintings and its never-met-a-stranger approach to service, it feels like the inside of an antique galleon. The green chile burger and $3 beer of the week remain great choices. Across the street sits legendary dive bar Alfredo’s Cantina, which in turn sits next to the rarely open Robert Louis Stevenson House. Alfredo’s drinks are affordable and stiff, with dice cups and a jukebox on the side. Alvarado Street Brewery now occupies one of the oldest buildings in downtown, a former movie theater and men’s lodge, transforming a rotting space into a gleaming shrine to Great American Beer Fest medal-winning craft creations. And Restaurant 1833 famously enjoys more history — and ghosts — than any nightlife option, in a sprawling and intoxicating converted home of the same year, with Josh Perry styling intuitive tonics in the apothecary-style bar over a glowing onyx surface.