Monterey County's New Map Sets the Stage for Adventure

Grounds for Literary Giants: From Henry Miller's Big Sur to Steinbeck's "Long Valley"

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. October 14, 2008

MONTEREY COUNTY, CA, January 11, 2007. From the seductive shores of Big Sur to the seamless sea of row crops stitching the Salinas Valley, Monterey County is rich in rewards for the cultured traveler, offering a wealth of sites that have inspired award-winning literature and film. The region's world-class beauty - captured by Ansel Adams, romanticized by Robinson Jeffers and chronicled by John Steinbeck - sets the stage for an unparalleled adventure for travelers interested in setting their own scene, be it via pen or palette. The free new SCENES FOR YOUR SENSES Literary & Film Map, produced by Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau, combines the region's 50+ points of inspiration with a riveting list of "Hot Stops" for recharging, calendar of film/literary events and variety of insider jaunts to stretch one's legs and mind. The free four-color map and guide is available via www.montereyinfo.org or by calling 888.221.1010.

GROUNDS OF LITERARY GIANTS

From East of Eden to Treasure Island, tracing the stomping grounds of literary giants is an enriching experience, especially given the diversity of landscapes involved. Power walk up Point Sur (Women at Point Sur, 1927, Robinson Jeffers), relish Old California with a leisurely drive through the verdant Laureles Grade enroute to Carmel Valley (Pastures of Heaven, 1932, John Steinbeck) or pack a picnic and hike Cypress Grove Trail at Point Lobos Sate Reserve (Treasure Island, 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson). The magnificent walk delivers a brush with the wild, wind-gnarled trees native only to the Monterey coast.

For the leisure set, SCENES FOR YOUR SENSES chronicles more civilized pursuits including a visit to the historic Pine Inn in Carmel-by-the-Sea where author Upton Sinclair stopped for his daily juice fix, Ed "Doc" Ricketts' lab at #800 Cannery Row or Big Sur's famed Bixby Bridge and its environs - an architectural feat built in 1937 - where Jack Kerouac stayed in Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti's cabin while writing Big Sur (1961). A full day can be enjoyed in Oldtown Salinas on a Steinbeck stint, from Banker's Corner (East of Eden, 1952) to the National Steinbeck Center, the Steinbeck House - the author's birthplace and boyhood home - and Garden of Memories Cemetery, where the authors' ashes are interred.

A day of tracking America's literary greats is an exploration worth writing home about. Monterey County lays claim to the homes of many famous authors; a visit delivers both insight into the writers' lifestyle and a lifeline to the local culture today. Top picks include The Stevenson House in Monterey, Robinson Jeffers' Tor House and Hawk Tower, a hand-built English manor crafted by the poet overlooking Carmel Beach, and the Lara Soto Adobe in Monterey (Steinbeck's digs in 1944). The Henry Miller Memorial Library - near the author's Partington Ridge home during his tenure in Big Sur - is also a favorite local haunt.

SET THE SCENE

Clint Eastwood, Sharon Stone, Elizabeth Taylor... stars of unparalleled magnitude have trod Monterey's beaches and streets leaving a legacy of film sites ideal for exploration. Since 1897, filmmakers from Cecil B. DeMille to Alfred Hitchcock have found this region's backdrops irresistible. Today, nearly 200 films carry Monterey County credits from the scenic 17-Mile Drive to the lunar-scaped dunes of Marina and pristine Point Lobos, which has been featured in 40 films to date.

Titles like Vertigo, The Candidate, Play Misty for Me, National Velvet, Junior and Bandits run credits on this county. Versatile Monterey has doubled for Marin County (Basic Instinct), Sausalito (Star Trek IV), Maine (A Summer Place), Russia (Anna Karenina), a Norwegian fishing village (Edge of Darkness) and England: Sussex (National Velvet), Sherwood Forest (The Adventures of Robin Hood), and the coast of Cornwall (Rebecca). Whether searching for scenes from Hayley Mills' The Parent Trap at Pebble Beach Golf Links or Clint Eastwood's Play Misty for Me on Cannery Row, scouting classic film sets is a fun way to delve into a destination.

HOT STOPS

From wine tasting to musing missions, SCENES FOR YOUR SENSES features a sidebar on "Hot Stops" for recharging mind and body. Key picks include the Henry Miller Hike via Big Sur Hiking Guides, an insider's trek traversing the region's rugged wilderness, outback streams and canopy of California redwoods. Another refreshing break - where Jack London set the abalone picnic of Valley of the Moon (1913) - is Carmel River State Beach, just a stone's throw from town where picnics are plentiful. Nepenthe in Big Sur is the ultimate stop for local pinot noir punctuated with prime Pacific views or visit Monterey's famed Sardine Factory for a nosh of local Monterey Bay sardines, the region's signature dish during the Cannery Row era, now marking a comeback.

EYE TO EVENTS

Tie a visit to a film, literature or arts event...

• Countywide "Big Read" of The Grapes of Wrath. Late February through March; www.steinbeck.org.

• Steinbeck's Birthday Celebration. February 24-25; www.steinbeck.org.

• Oscar Night Gala. February 25; www.filmmonterey.org.

• Annual Tor House/Hawk Tower Garden Party. May; www.torhouse.org.

• Big Sur Short Film Screening Series. June; www.henrymiller.org.

• West Coast Regional Poetry Slam. Summer; www.henrymiller.org.

• Annual Steinbeck Festival. August; www.steinbeck.org.

• Monterey Shootout Film Festival. August; www.theshootout.org/monterey.

• Films in the Forest. May - August; www.foresttheaterguild.org.

• Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival. December; www.montereycowboy.com.

...or one of more than 300 events held throughout the year in Monterey County...

• AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. February 5-11; www.attpbgolf.com.

• A Day of Romance in Old Monterey. February 10; www.parks.ca.gov.

• Wine Passport Weekend. February 16-18; www.montereywines.org.

• AMGEN Tour of California. February 18-25; www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.

• 21st Annual Masters of Food and Wine. February 22-25; www.mfandw.com.

• Big Sur Chanterelle Cook-Off. February 23-25; www.pelicannetwork.net/chanterelle.

• Dixieland Monterey. March 2-4; www.dixieland-monterey.com.

• National Marine Sanctuary Annual Symposium. March 3; www.montereybay.noaa.gov.

• Colton Hall 157th Birthday. March 8; www.monterey.org.

• Next Generation Jazz Festival. March 23-25; www.montereyjazzfestival.org.

• Wild About Otters. March 31-May 26; www.montereybayaquarium.org.

• Historic Garden Tours. April-September; www.parks.ca.gov.

• Sea Otter Classic Cycling Festival. April 12-15; www.seaotterclassic.com.

• Birdathon Countdown and Dinner. April 28-30; www.ventanaws.org/bat.htm.

• Big Sur International Marathon. April 29; www.bsim.org.

VISITOR INFO

Monterey County is located 120 miles/192 km south of San Francisco and 345 miles/552 km north of Los Angeles along the classic California corridor. The region boasts 99 miles of prime Pacific Coastline, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, three historic missions, 45,000 acres of premium vineyards, 25 golf courses and 250+ accommodations. Monterey County includes the Monterey Peninsula, Big Sur, North County and the Salinas Valley. The Monterey Peninsula Airport, just three miles from historic downtown Monterey and minutes from the area's major attractions, is served by non-stop flights to and from Denver, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco. www.montereyinfo.org.