By Roy Morlidge / Beat Columnist

Monterey . . .

As much as I hate to admit it, I hadn’t been there since I was a little kid. In fact, my only real memory of the city was a day spent at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. But that was years ago and is not the point of my writing this.

The staff of the California Beat was feeling burned out so we decided to set out on a small vacation of sorts down to Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea. Overall, the drive down to Monterey was uneventful. The temperature outside in was scorching and as usual, it didn’t occur to me to turn on the air conditioner so that was one downside. However once we arrived on the coast of the Monterey Bay, the cool sea breeze picked up our spirits pretty quickly.One thing that struck me immediately about Monterey was the price of meter parking. I was just absolutely amazed that the rates were 15 minutes a quarter. While this may not be cheap to some, I can tell you that compared to San Francisco, it is a real bargain. Be mindful, though, that hour limits seem to vary almost block by block.

Since we had really only one day to spend in Monterey before heading on down the road, we had to limit ourselves down to several key locations. Unfortunately, one location we wanted to explore but didn’t have the chance was Cannery Row. I know that it is right across from the Aquarium but several factors forced us to postpone it. Not only was my time at the parking meter running out, but to be honest it was the same day as Sarah Palin’s speech at the Republican National Convention and I wanted to watch it. However not being able to go is not a bad thing. It only means that we have more to do the next time we visit.

For those wishing to stay over night, I would suggest instead of getting rooms in Monterey, head down to North Fremont Street where you will find many different motels to stay at. In addition you will also find many restaurants and fast food joints where you can get a meal while a Longs Drugs store provides a chance to get any needed supplies.

Something that I found really worth experiencing for yourself is a walk along Monterey State Beach at sunset. I personally wasn’t feeling so good after dinner but strolling along the beach in the dimming light was enough to make me forget my upset stomach. And we weren’t the only ones. Quite a few people were taking in the fresh air. Closer to the Fisherman’s Wharf side of the beach, a couple games of volleyball were attracting quite a sizable crowd of spectators while others sat with their loved ones just watching the waves roll up onto the beach.

All in all, we at the California Beat thoroughly enjoyed our day to the city next to California’s other famous bay. And considering that there is still much more to see and do, we will definitely be coming back again someday soon.

BTW, I still missed the start of Palin’s speech.