P.G. Al Fresco
After shelter-in-place orders meant takeout was the only option, the first taste of freedom came in spring 2020 when outdoor dining was deemed safe enough to resume. Pacific Grove City Manager Ben Harvey used his emergency powers to shut down two blocks of Lighthouse Avenue in a 30-day experiment called P.G. Al Fresco, creating a delightful outdoor dining area with festive string lights, fire pits and cornhole games. It was an instant success, drawing people from all over the Monterey Bay region. One restaurant owner reported their sales increased by 200 percent the weekend Al Fresco opened. Despite becoming an instant hot spot, the town’s change-adverse residents and business owners pushed the Pacific Grove City Council to kill the experiment on June 17, 2020, just five days after it began. In the aftermath, the town’s restaurants were allowed to create parklets at their own (hefty) expense and downtown P.G. is arguably the best outdoor dining destination in the region. That being said, we miss the festive communal and car-less gathering spot that was Al Fresco.