bother to verify; I’ve heard enough to keep my lease in San Diego. In the morning, my sneakers soften the blow of the run through the parking lot we endure to make our 9 a.m. Princess Monterey Whale Watching tour. Humpback whales breach beside us and sea lions emerge in groups, playing alongside them—only a bloody mary could make it more picturesque. After lunch, we pass by Rose Books & Obscurities , a bookstore owned by husband- and-wife team Ernest and Yasmine Rodriguez. “I always think the secret is to go where older people are, because those are chill, quiet places,” says Yasmine on where to find the hidden gems in the area. A shrewd piece of advice. Before dinner, we make our way through the renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium and get lost among fascinating sea animals and colorful plant life. It’s a strange feeling as we later sit down for dinner at Passionfish —a place known for its James Beard Award–winning seafood and visits from Big Little Lies cast members. Forgive us, fish. We pack our bags, and Sunday arrives to send us home. It’ll take seven hours, the crisp robot voice reports. Our one escape from the long drive south is the The Place —home to the East of Eden Fudge Factory and the gas station that, people say, was James Dean's last stop before his fatal crash. A dry heat smacks us as we walk outside and into the building, which includes a 1950s diner, a fudge shop, rows of wine, nuts of all types, postcards labeled Sassy Boots, and colonial-era mannequins. “Do you know where I am?” asks a customer. “Lost Hills,” says the cashier. Sounds right , I think, wondering whether he packed enough shoes.
FAR LEFT Thanks to the property’s sheer number of amenities, one could pass a lifetime at Carmel Valley Ranch. LEFT Passionfish’s menu features sustainably harvested fare from small farms, farmers markets, and local fisheries. BELOW A humpback whale breaches as it makes its way back from Central America to feed in the nutrient-rich waters of the bay.
RIGHT The Monterey Bay
gardens, vineyards, and programming like honey tastings and picnics with Pablo & Paco, the resort’s two Sicilian mini donkeys. We live here now, we decide. We’ll tell our friends and family later. I scan the dinner menu at Seventh & Dolores in Carmel-by-the-Sea, dressed in black ankle boots. Everything is labeled for dietary restrictions—a quick scan tells me what will play nice with my own. It’s satisfying to not have to think. We leave with a few pant buttons undone. “This is retirement environment,” our Lyft driver says as we head back. He laughs as we inquire about nightlife. The median home price, he claims, is around $2.5M. I don’t
Aquarium is home to
80,000 plants and animals, including Rosa, the world's oldest known sea otter.
57 SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE
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