Monterey, California

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my advertiser disclosure for more details.  

---

After we checked out of our hotel in Carmel, we began our drive for the next destination on our trip, San Francisco. But first, we made a stop in Monterey for the afternoon.

We walked around Cannery Row, spent several hours at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and visited Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf. (Not to be confused with San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf).

Cannery Row

According to Cannery Row’s website, “John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row [novel] captured life on Cannery Row during its industrial heyday …” The area was used to can fish, as canning had become a popular preservation method in the early 20th century.

These days, Cannery row is home to posh restaurants and shops, all along the gorgeous Monterey Bay.

There was, as expected, a bust of John Steinbeck near the waterfront of the Cannery Row area.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

We spent hours at Monterey Bay Aquarium, walking until our feet hurt.

We’ve been to lots of aquariums. Atlanta, Baltimore, St. Maarten, Pittsburgh. But, by far, my favorite is the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It’s amazing how it integrates the “real” bay with the exhibits inside the aquarium. It’s stunning.

There was even a “miniature” beach exhibit, called the Sandy Shore & Aviary, with sand and a machine that made waves with a tiny bit of sea water. The birds were native creatures that acted just like they were on a real beach!

Another towering display at the Monterey Bay Aquarium is the “Kelp Forest”

You could even take an elevator and go to the top of the Kep Forest Aquarium, and see the wave machines that they use to keep the water as realistic as possible for the sea creatures.

And, of course, a staple of any aquarium: Penguins!

But, the real darling exhibit of the Monterey Bay Aquarium is the sea otter exhibit. The windows around this exhibit were packed all the time, and the area was especially crowded at feeding times for the otters (which was specified on the daily program and brochure).

And here are just a few other random photos from the Aquarium.

There was an outdoor viewing area from the aquarium, where you could take in amazing views of Monterey Bay.

And, there was this cool machine that created “waves” outside, and you could stand below a glass ceiling inside the aquarium to see what waves looked like from underneath.

And, back to the random assortment of Monterey Bay Aquarium photos:

Monterey Fisherman’s Wharf

After the aquarium, we grabbed some lunch and then took the local free trolley to Monterey Bay’s Fisherman’s Wharf area.

There were lots of shops and restaurant options around, but we had just eaten, so we just enjoyed the walk.

While waiting for the trolley to take us back to the Aquarium area where we had parked, we spotted these two seagulls fighting over what appears to be some sort of popcorn ball piece.

The one without the piece kept following the seagull around that had the piece in its mouth. He was like, “C’mon dude, let me have a piece!” Ken and I were quite entertained and narrated the whole thing for quite some time. We’re easily amused.

And, with that, we finished our time in Monterey and continued our drive to San Francisco!

---