- First Name
- Paul
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2021
- Threads
- 7
- Messages
- 1,190
- Reaction score
- 3,544
- Location
- Carmel, CA
- Vehicle(s)
- F250 Powerstroke, Grand Cherokee
- Your Bronco Model
- Wildtrak
In Carmel, Mulligans and Brophyâs have pretty good pub food. La Bicyclette Is a good spot for lunch or dinner. Casa Nova is a little on the pricier side, and I think the food isnât quite as good as it used to be, but it is very popular. Clint Eastwoodâs restaurant, the Mission Ranch, isnât bad. Itâs not as touristy as you might think, and it can get pretty lively the later it gets. When John Denver was still alive, it wasnât uncommon to see his drunk ass in there banging on the piano keys. Sades if you want a (cash only) dive bar, and Katieâs place for breakfast.This is great, yours and the other recommendations will be helpful! No Bronco yet, build date 4/5, and we will be flying into LAX, renting a car, spending a day with our two Pepperdine kids in Malibu and then driving up to Pismo.
Our oldest loves to weekend in all the Big Sur towns and selfishly recommends we retire there, so we want to get a feel for the area. We spend a lot of time from San Diego to Santa Barbara, and Coronado Island is on the retirement place list, but the kids think they know best. My mother lived in Monterey while my father was in Vietnam, and has fantastic memories of Carmel and the rest.
A lot of what you mentioned has been recommended by my sonâŠ.wine tastings, the Bixby Bridge photo op, 17 Mile, Julia Pfeiffer Burns Park. It all sounds amazing. Terrible golfer with future aspirations. Might do some hiking, just did some in Zion, Bryce Canyon and Moab after last weekendâs Off-Roadeo. Mostly want to mix relaxing with getting out and getting a feel for the area. Not packing much for upscale dining on this trip, so mid-range restaurant recâs around Carmel and Pacific Grove would be helpful.
In Pacific Grove, The Beach house is nice for drinks, apps, and dinner. Itâs right on the water. Mezzaluna if you want pasta. I havenât been yet, but Poppy Hall is kind of new, and I have heard great things about it. First awakenings is a good breakfast spot kind of on the PG/new Monterey border a couple blocks up from the Aquarium.
For hiking, there are a ton of great trails, but if you're only gonna do one, Iâd go to Garrapata, and if you want something thatâs pretty flat, go to Point Lobos (or stay on the coast side of Garrapata). Both of those can get a little busy on the weekends though.
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