Pacific Grove Trip

After our somewhat discombobulating trip to Albuquerque that included a hospital stay for Frank (post for 3/19/2025) Frank and I wanted to take a short jaunt to check out our travel-ability. There was a quilt show in Pacific Grove so we drove the two hours down Friday morning May 2nd, stayed overnight in a strikingly pretty Victorian, and drove back on Saturday late afternoon. We had a bonus going to Pacific Grove on the weekend we did. May 3-4, 2025 was the community’s Good Old Days celebration with a parade and street vendors.

On our drive down we passed a billboard advertising Carl Jr.’s restaurant in Monterey. I remarked to Frank, “Oh, look. Carls Jr.’s! We have not eaten there in years. They have baked potatoes. Let’s go there for lunch. We have to pass through Monterey on our way to Pacific Grove, anyway.” Well 15 minutes or so later we did drive by and this is what we saw. 

We later learned that there had been a very recent huge fire April 3rd that collapsed the walls and pancaked the roof down on the crumbling remnants of the restaurant. We tentatively wondered if this was an omen of sorts for our trip.

But we forged ahead. Here we are cruising down Lighthouse Avenue at a speed the local wildlife would allow, trailing after a mother doe and her fawn. We were to later learn from a booth at the street fair that this is a typical sight at certain times of the year.

Once we'd parked, we enjoyed a pleasant lunch at Aliotti’s Victorian Corner in Pacific Grove on the corner of Lighthouse Avenue and Fountain Avenue.

Our check-in time to our lodging at the Pacific Grove Inn was not until 4:00 pm, so after lunch we strolled over to wander through Quilts by the Bay. The quilt show was held in an historic building called Chautauqua Hall which was a short walk from the restaurant, down Lighthouse Ave to 16th Street. We browsed the show for a couple of hours. The show displayed over 200 quilts. I captured images of, and commented on, about 10% of them in my DianeLoves2Quilt blog post published 5/6/2025.

After the show we walked back and picked up the car parked near the restaurant and drove over to check in at the Pacific Grove Inn. We inwardly groaned when we realized our chosen room was on the third floor and there was no elevator. We also learned that we were the very first customers to occupy the newly renovated suite. One of the designers greeted us at our car and she generously offered to help us carry up our bags. For once we had packed light, knowing we planned to be gone for just one night. The young woman cheerfully whipped Frank's suitcase off the back seat and then our jaws dropped when we saw it had not been zipped back closed. Everything got dumped unceremoniously in the street at the curb. After we all scurried to pile it back in, we transported our stuff up the stairs into the newly appointed rooms.

We had half of the third floor. In the turret at the left was a twin bed, in the double window mid-section was a couch and sitting area. In the far right corner with the triple window and side small double window was the main bedroom with a queen size bed. Behind four small doors were hidden respectively a toilet, a bathtub, another toilet, and a closet. Lots of doors! The master main bedroom and the couch sitting area each held a fireplace.

The preceding photo collage shows the suite layout from the inn's website but not the actual decor. The place had been newly renovated and the website of photos had not yet been updated. Frank and I were the very first people to stay in that room post new design. It had a fresh, brighter look. We settled in briefly and then walked a few blocks over to dinner, 0.2 miles away at La Mia Cuchina for a great Italian dinner.

The next morning check out was at 10:00 am. We packed up and as we were loading the car at 9:58 we heard distant music. It was the Good Old Days parade and the route ran along Pine Street, right past the front of the Pacific Grove Inn. We pulled up a seat at the curb and enjoyed the nostalgic display of small town showmanship. The parade was a decent size and took about 30 minutes to file by. I took photos of many of the entries. Leading off at 10:05 was the representation from all the branches of military in the area, especially the Presidio and Navel Post Graduate School in neighboring Monterey.

10:08 Next came the first and very oldest fire engine in Pacific Grove followed by the newest fire engine in Pacific Grove.

10:13 This book mobile was just too colorful and happy to go unnoticed. According to the Pacific Grove Public Library site, the book mobile was making its debut at the Good Old Days celebration.

This project is supported by donations to the PGPL Friends and Foundation & by funding provided in part by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.

10:15 I chuckled when I saw these guys from Everyone's Harvest dressed up in green outfits as peas in a pod, an avocado, an ear of corn, and a pickle. Monday is Pacific Grove's day to have a certified farmers' market.  Volunteers from the group walked the sidelines of the parade handing out free clementines, and man... were they tasty! Per the non-profit organization website:

The mission is to provide access to healthy, affordable fruits and vegetables through certified farmers’ markets and community food programs. The vision is for every community to have a fair and sustainable food system.

10:16 VFW post 6849 (aka named in honor of  local hero Lt. Billy Paulsen Jr. Post 6849) from Spreckles CA, about 20 miles away, sent a bright yellow corvette.  I had to take this picture for my son Dan who dreams of owning a Corvette of his own someday. 10:18 Following was a rolling ad for an upcoming car show of - I am guessing - similar specialty cars

10:20 The nearby town of Watsonville sent a band, and the 10:21 nearby military installation sent an array of vehicles. The vehicles were later parked in the side streets of the downtown Pacific Grove area for people to climb on and explore during the street fair. Let's hope the emergency brake set was set on each one!

10:25 A cluster of classic cars streamed by. 10:26 Trailing and therefore not a pace setter for the parade was a mini-herd of about six sheep that zig-zigged their way down Pine Street, directed by a sheep dog, very serious about his job.

10:28 Shortly following after the ovine display and demo, was a  Pacific Grove police cruiser to signify the end of the parade.  The address of the Pacific Grove Police Station was 580 Pine Ave; Pacific Grove Inn was across the street at 581 Pine Ave.

We did plan our trip well. All the places we wanted to visit were all within a less-than-1-mile walk. On the following map, the inn was at the lowest point and the parade route down Pine passed right in front. The quilt show we'd seen on Friday afternoon at Chautauqua Hall and the restaurant La Mia Cucina where we ate Friday evening were in the upper left corner of the map. On our way to the Good Old Days street fair on Lighthouse Avenue, we stopped at Back Porch Fabrics on Grand just a block in from Lighthouse Avenue, which runs diagonally.  My Diane Loves2Quilt post for 5/7/25 describes our stop at the fabric store on our way to the street fair.

We strolled down Lighthouse Avenue, browsing the occasional shops on the sides and peeking in on the lightly-crowded vendor tables interspersed in the middle of the street. This particular store Tessuti Zoo had strong bright colors and unique intriguing pieces of art to ogle. The store's Facebook page is so true when it states:

For the wild and whimsical in gifts, clothing, jewelry, art quilts, furniture, dolls, toys, books, home decor and so much more, visit Tessuti Zoo in Pacific Grove.

At the corner of Lighthouse Avenue and 16th Street, just a block away from where we'd toured the quilt show the day before, we had lunch at Winston's. I wished I'd known when we were there that it was situated in the historic Winston Hotel of Pacific Grove. I'd have paid more attention to the architecture. This article on the development of Pacific Grove includes a section on the expansion of the business district citing the Winston Building as significant. 

... opened for business on May 28, 1904. It included a bakery and ice cream room in its basement, while the first floor included a “women’s exchange” with a dining room on the kitchen. The second floor featured sixteen bedrooms and apartments, as well as a social hall. A large sitting room with balcony was located on the 3rd floor.

After lunch we walked a few blocks up 16th Street and one block over on Pine to reach our car parked in the lot at the Pacific Grove Inn. With the street fair and parade activities going on, parking was a scarce commodity. We were fortunate to have booked our lodging where we did. Not only did we have a place to sleep, but we also had the convenience of a parking spot. We knew that the house was an old Victorian but we learned just how old from the inn's website:

The Pacific Grove Inn is a Historic Boutique Inn that provides attractive accommodations. Our Sea Captain Frank Laverne Buck and Apothecary Joseph Tuttle establishments were built in 1904 and 1908, respectively. They were remarkably sophisticated for their time and place in Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Each of our guest rooms and suites offers modern amenities, including a flat-screen TV, and free WiFi. Pacific Grove Inn blends old-world charm with modern-day luxury, including private porches, balconies, and an entrance with views of the Monterey Bay.

I took a final photos of the inn and of our feet at the concrete engraving in front of the inn to prove we'd "been there, done that".

F.L.BUCK stands for Frank LaVerne Buck. The Pacific Grove Inn is the former Frank LaVerne Buck House built in 1904. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986:

It was the home of city civic leader Frank LaVerne Buck (1849-1931), a native Midwesterner who was involved in the dairy and egg businesses. The home is historically important as the only known surviving example of the work of local architect Robert C. Gass, and is one of only a few well-preserved Victorian houses in Pacific Grove. The front staircase and other woodwork in the house was completed by carpenter C.E. Hovey, who is known for craftsmanship in the area. Among its prominent exterior components is the fenestration, which features leaded glass and Palladian windows.

Frank and I realized that yes, we could travel again, but that planning made things go more smoothly.  "Plans are worthless, but planning is everything" is most famously attributed to Dwight D. Eisenhower. Our planning for everything to be in close proximity worked out great; yet we had not set up a timed plan. We felt free to wander and enjoy ourselves without a strict schedule or predetermined itinerary. This small overnight trip to Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula was a successful test case. We have renewed faith in indulging in the occasional getaway. Small additional detail ... we also had a highly enjoyable time!