The best hikes from bus stations in Fort Ord Dunes State Park

A lovely wharf you should see

Nice flat run on footpath to aquarium.

Fishwife, adjacent to the Beachcomber Motel, is steps away from Asilomar Beach. The restaurant serves fresh seafood with a Caribbean twist in a relaxed, beachside setting. It is a great place to stop for lunch, and while you're here, don't miss a chance to try a slice of their legendary homemade key lime pie!

Fort Ord Dunes State Park, opened to the public in 2009, reveals itself as a haven across nearly 1,000 acres of public land. Discover 4 miles of coastal beauty with awe-inspiring views along the ocean beach, showcasing the splendor of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This sanctuary for endangered species urges responsible exploration, staying on designated trails, and following CA State Park rules to preserve these delicate habitats.

Kalisa Moore, known as the “Queen of Cannery Row,” was born in Latvia and came to America after World War II. She bridged the eras, opening her fine dining restaurant when most canneries had already closed. Over the years, “Kalisa’s” evolved into a bohemian coffeehouse where artists, writers and poets “hung out.” Her weekend cabaret was filled with musicians, dancers and the occasional celebrity from the Monterey Jazz Festival. As time went on and Cannery Row was reborn, Kalisa became a major factor in preserving memories of Steinbeck’s era and promoted tourism and commerce as president of the Cannery Row Foundation. For fifty years, she was a friend to the famous and a mother to the needy with a local following that knew and loved her. Kalisa's La Ida Cafe was a very special time and place, and Kalisa will always be remembered as the "Queen of Cannery Row."

Cannery Row, the waterfront district that boomed in the 1850s - For thousands of years it was home to the Ohlone, Esselen and Salinas tribes, and in the 19th century immigrants from Europe and Asia settled here to fish the waters, especially for sardines. Thanks to the canneries that resulted, Monterey became known as the "Sardine Capital of the World." John Steinbeck, born and raised in nearby Salinas, immortalized this era in his 1945 novel Cannery Row, and the name stuck.

Bruce Ariss Way is a narrow alley, the pedestrian-only continuation of Irving Avenue between Wave Street and Cannery Row. What was once an unofficial walkway between the residential area of the row, across the railroad tracks, and the waterfront canneries has been converted into a small park. In the early 1990s, the City of Monterey relocated three worker's shacks from 866 Wave Street to this site and opened them to the public. They are interpreted as being occupied by a Japanese, a Filipino, and a Spanish family, respectively, alluding to the cultural mix that characterized cosmopolitan Cannery Row and representing the living conditions of workers between the 1920s and 1950s. There were many shacks like this in the neighborhood in the early 20th century, but these are the only remaining remnants of this housing type on Cannery Row.

Nice, small (and free!) museum just before Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey. Nice exhibition.