Best Reason for a Side Trip to Chualar
Tacos Al Pastor at Taqueria Hidalgo
23477 Grant St., Chualar
(831) 679-2384
You might not be hungry. It doesn’t matter. You might think two tacos are enough. They’re not. A bite of succulent, marinated pork topped with a spare treatment of creamy salsa verde and your appetite will awaken, your taste buds will grow greedy, and for those few, blissful minutes, the rest of the world disappears, and you find yourself scanning a Spanish-language real estate guide, checking out the prices in Chualar.
Best Natural Feature to Get Lost In
Elkhorn Slough’s Tidal Creeks
1700 Elkhorn Road, Watsonville
(831) 728-2822, www.elkhornslough.org
On high tide, paddling the tidal creeks of Elkhorn Slough on a stand-up paddleboard or a kayak is like navigating a maze. Turn one way and you might find a waterway deeper than it is wide while paddling past elegant great blue herons that stand guard over the marshland and harbor seals that periscope their heads in and out of the water. Or turn the other way and the fork quickly changes from wide as a small river to so narrow that you need to portage your vessel through thick-as-fudge mud.
Best Peaceful Agitation
Peace Resource Center
1364 Fremont Blvd., Seaside
(831) 899-7322, www.peacemonterey.com
If one were to walk by the PRC on any given day and look into its stickered windows, one might think they were passing a storefront church or a PTA meeting. If said passerby were to walk in, though, they might have been treated to a screening of Bling’d: Blood, Diamonds and Hip-Hop, about rich rappers like Paul Wall and Raekwon from Wu-Tang Clan investigating diamonds that fuel wars in Africa. Or a performance of funny and political songs like “I Want a Marriage Like They Had In the Bible” by Roy Zimmerman. Or a poster show about the nuclear bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Or gathering for a rally in Seaside called “Justice for Trayvon.” Or a discussion about voting, spying, war, worker rights, land use, pesticides, fundamentalism, sustainability, racism, corporations. Because the PRC is home of one of the loudest and most sustained local voices for peace in the broader sense—peace meaning well-being.
Best Place to Imagine How Bad It Once Smelled
Pacific Biological Laboratories
800 Cannery Row, Monterey
(831) 659-2112, www.canneryrow.org
Among the canneries where crews packed sardines for decades, there was another kind of haul happening. Ed Ricketts brought in just about every species from Monterey Bay to his Pacific Biological Laboratories, where he’d prep the creatures for scientific study. The lab still stands, an unassuming structure next to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Cannery Row old-timers lead occasional weekend tours for a $15 donation. For Steinbeck readers, it might be tempting to close your eyes and imagine Ricketts—immortalized as the fictionalized character Doc in Cannery Row—running across the street to buy beer at Lee Chong’s, but sometimes reality is better, as told by people who knew the real Ricketts.
Best USE OF BOOZE TO SCHMOOZE
Assemblyman Luis Alejo’s Capitol Office
10th and L Street, Sacramento; District office at 100 W. Alisal St., Salinas
(831) 759-8676, www.asmdc.org/members/a30
One way to make friends in Sacramento: Do what the lobbyists ask you to do. You’ll need another strategy, especially if you take the route of Democratic Assemblyman Luis Alejo, who often takes the unpopular position of defending the populist, labor-friendly perspective. (This year’s minimum wage increase didn’t earn him too many political allies, for example.) One of Alejo’s best strategies is serving up cocktails. Under portraits of JFK and MLK behind his desk, Alejo keeps a stash of booze, including Santa Lucia Highlands Pinots and Clase Azul tequila for what he calls the Watsonville Berry Margarita. “Some of those legislators say it’s the best margarita they’ve ever had,” Alejo says.
Best Children’s Book Author Disguised as a Local Librarian
Carol Diggory Shields
Monterey County Free Libraries, Seaside Branch
550 Harcourt Ave., Seaside
(831) 899-2055
She looks up information in the computer like any other librarian. She accompanies patrons through the bookshelves like any other librarian. She checks out books like any other librarian. But Carol Diggory Shields harbors another life that runs parallel to her work as a children’s librarian. She’s a children’s book author. The books sport colorful, dynamic illustrations and catchy titles like Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp, The Bugliest Bug, I Wish My Brother Was a Dog, BrainJuice: Science, Fresh Squeezed, I Am Really a Princess and Baby’s Got the Blues. There are more than 20 of them. She also reads books to kids for story time.
Best SPOT to Want Beef
The Orient
1760 Fremont Blvd. #C2, Seaside
(831) 394-2223, www.seasideorient.com
Good sign number one: More than half of the diners are enjoying a huge hot steaming bowl of pho rice noodles even though there is an eclectic menu full of Chinese eats. Number two: Most of the customers are of Asian descent. Number three: The broth is on the lighter side with minute hints of spices and sweet notes from the yellow onions, best in the Pho Tai with the most tender rare beef in town.
Best Pastry Bigger Than Your Head
Pavel’s Backerei
219 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove
(831) 643-2636, www.facebook.com/PavelsBackerei
The place is tiny, the pastries are huge. Pavel’s does croissants that look like they’d be perfect for sharing, until you taste the flaky, buttery, airy half-moons and eat the whole thing yourself. This is a place for extreme self-indulgence, but also serves as a classic neighborhood bakery. They make essentials like baguettes, and also doughy and excellent breads—the sourdough rye is densely packed with caraway seeds, and great for sandwiches or just by itself—and simple salami or cheese sandwiches. The cash-only spot stays open until they run out, so show up early, and prepared to carbo-load.
Best Way to Get Lost in a Bowl in Front of You
Soup at La Tortuga Torteria
1257 Fremont Blvd., Seaside
(831) 899-8429
A bowl of soup doesn’t do the steaming cauldrons of broth and seafood that La Tortuga serves up justice. Like everything here, from tacos and burritos to tortas, the soup is hearty, aromatic, and just plain big. This unassuming taco spot can feel like a home kitchen with unrivaled service—they’ll refill your water glass a dozen times during a short lunch—and bottomless chips and salsa. The giant soups ($7.95/posole, $13.49/seafood soup, which is abundantly packed with a variety of shellfish) are intimidating at first, but good enough to finish.
Best Vegetarian Food in the Boondocks
Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
39171 Tassajara Road, Carmel Valley
(831) 659-2229, www.sfzc.org
Want to zen out over a healthy meatless meal? Look to Tassajara, which offers more than an opportunity to practice Buddhism, meditation and hot spring soaking. They also offer memorable cuisine: homemade bread, fresh salads (don’t forget to sprinkle some gomashio on it for extra texture and flavor), succulent soups and decadent dessert all made with max love and no meat. If you can’t make the epic trek, order one of the several cookbooks available and make a few delicacies at home sans monks.