Monterey Public Library
625 Pacific St., Monterey 646-3933, monterey.org/services/library
The Monterey Public Library feels seamlessly woven into the city’s civic fabric, and while you can hear a pin drop once inside, it’s nonetheless a hub of activity. On weekdays you’ll find scores of nearby Monterey High students studying after school, locals reading newspapers, magazines or using the internet, and upstairs, inside the California History Room, academics and writers engaging in various research projects. It’s a community gem, and a library that deserves all the love it gets.