WHERE TO DINE IN CARMEL

AT&T MARSHAL'S UNIFORMS. WE PASSED INSPECTION. VAN GOGH'S TABLE FROM FRANCE THE MILAGRO ROOM We recently returned to Carmel, a place that has owned a corner of my soul since my first drive through on 17 Mile Drive in 1964, a place I have returned to so many times, never to be disappointed. We once more marshaled at the AT&T Pro-Am and were favored with magnificent weather. The tournament is in February, probably the worst weather month of the year. I don't know if I should push my luck for another AT&T. On our last night in Carmel (we stayed at the friendly, comfortable and affordable Carmel Crystal Bay Inn) we dined at Casanova's, which claims to be the most Romantic Restaurant in Carmel. I won't dispute that having wooed my future wife there fifteen years ago. Something was going on! This is my answer to a question I often receive from friends who plan on visiting Carmel. If you are in Carmel for dinner, and don't go to Casanova's a great opportunity has been lost. It has everything. Food to remember, location in the heart of one of America's great villages, atmosphere galore, a wine cellar to copy and take to heaven, but not to be too praiseworthy a little attention needs to given to the bar stock. I asked for a classic Manhattan made with American rye, and they had none. Oh well, there is always room for improvement. If you are four persons you can reserve Van Gogh's table that he used in France. We dined in the Milagro Room, quiet and more intimate, nice fire in the fireplace, rustic but well ordered. Nightly meals are three courses and I had the main course Osso Buco while Elysee snagged the last order of Cannelloni Romagnola. Wonderful. Don't miss this place. Make sure you reserve in advance. Bravo Cassanova.

PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS: CAR CRAZY WEEK PART-3

GRAND PRIZE WINNER, BEST OF THE SHOW 1937 DELAGE D-8-120S POURTOUT AERO COUPE PULLING AWAY ONE OF A KIND CONTINENTAL PARK WARD ROLLS ROYCE STREAMLINER SALON BEST OF CLASS PREWAR...A 1938 MERCEDES BENZ 540 K TOURENWAGEN BEST OF CLASS AMERICAN 1925-1941 A 1934 PACKARD 1108 DIETRICH COUPE CLASS A ANTIQUE THROUGH 1915 A 1904 POPE-TOLEDO TYPE IV, REAR ENTRANCE TONNEAU Today, being the third Sunday in August, is Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Sunday. In honor of that occasion I am posting some photographs I have taken at previous events.

PEBBLE BEACH COUNCOURS: CAR CRAZY WEEK-PART 2

PARK THAT ROLLS RIGHT HERE SIR! A STUNNING 1938 MERCEDES BENZ 540 SSK THE CHP ESCORTS THE TOUR INTO DOWNTOWN CARMEL Excerpted from my book :OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL- Amazon.com (This posting covers my visit to the PB Councours in 2005) Late Thursday morning found me walking up into Carmel’s central business district, or to be more precise, Ocean Avenue, the main thoroughfare. This avenue is about a five minute walk from where we rented our house for the summer. I was on my way to witness a stopover on the eighth annual Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance. This fifty-plus mile road rally brings Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance cars out of the “garage” and demonstrates that they are not just “hanger queens” only to be ogled at and photographed. They are also to be driven and enjoyed as they were a long time ago. In that sense, this touring event is what the Concours d’Elegance is all about, not only preserving great cars, but honoring them as well by driving them. This year the rally would take the cars through Carmel Valley, down magnificent Highway 1 roadway towards Big Sur, over the famous Bixby Bridge, and then turning back to stop for lunch in Carmel, before returning to Pebble Beach. It happened to be a beautiful day for the event with the perennial fog lifting, allowing the sunlight to glisten off the polished chrome and exquisite finish of these fine automobiles. Ocean Avenue, that was previously declared a no parking zone for this event, began to fill with the rally cars at about 11 am. The entrants were skillfully escorted by the California Highway Patrol. The cars were all parked facing the ocean on both sides of the divided avenue. Crowds began to gather, and soon swelled: they “oohed” and “aahed” with the arrival of each automobile, swarming around their favorites and snapping pictures. Meanwhile the owner/drivers, if even for only two hours, mingled with the general public, which is what this event is all about anyway. The owners even left their cars unattended while they ate lunch in Carmel’s welcoming restaurants

PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS: CAR CRAZY WEEK

Phil Hill's legendary 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SLR overlooking Carmel Bay from the 18th green at Pebble Beach Excerpted from my book: OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL Amazon.com (This narrative is about the 2005 Councours d'Elegance) On the third Sunday in August, the center of the automobile universe is a tiny piece of golf-sacred land, the finishing hole on the famous Pebble Beach Golf Course, alongside beautiful Carmel Bay, California. Isn’t the 18th at Pebble an unusual place for such a boastful automotive claim? Here’s the background. Since 1950, when the inaugural Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and Road Race was conducted, the now week-long, peninsula-wide festival has grown to achieve an unparalleled status as the premier international celebration of the automobile. It began simply enough with a road race inside gated and private Pebble Beach, which in that first year was won by legendary driver Phil Hill. The accompanying Concours of about 30 cars at the Beach and Tennis Club, was largely a chance to have a picnic, show off, and parade elegant and expensive automobiles, many of which were new models. In fact the best of show for the first five years was a new, or nearly new, car. It was not until 1955 that the same Phil Hill, who won the road race again that year (now removed from Pebble beach to the Del Monte track), also won the Concours Best of Show with a meticulously restored 1931 Pierce-Arrow. Since then, the Concours d’Elegance was forever changed to focus on the preservation of classic and historic automobiles. The most sought after and prestigious award in the motoring world is the simple ribbon given as a Best of Class award. For this 55th year of the Pebble Beach gathering, 227 cars will be judged by experts and divided among 24 classes, a select 9 or 10 cars per class. They are the finest representations of their class in the world. More on the Pebble Beach event, the centerpiece of the weeklong festival, later. The Concours d’Elegance, meaning a meeting of the finest and highest style, has grown over the years from a small group of friends an aficionados gathering for a one day drive-by and picnic to admire what were, at the beginning, essentially new cars, to today, where, for an entire week, the whole Monterey peninsula is given over to the automobile. This is really a BIG DEAL. You cannot get a room within fifty miles. Many attendees return every year and assure their accommodation by booking the next year before they leave. The Village is clogged with very expensive cars. Just the cars strewn about the 18th fairway (by the way closing the hole for play that day) of the Pebble Beach Golf Course on Sunday are estimated to have a value in excess of $300,000,000. Yes, $300 million or about $1.3 million each. Not your average parking lot on a Sunday afternoon.

CARMEL SUMMER RENTAL-OUR LOVE NEST. PART TWO

THE UPTOWN MARTINI TRAVELING BAR IS OPEN THE DAY OF ARRIVAL BONUS ROOM LOFT SUN SETTING IN THE OCEAN WITH A PEEK OF CARMEL BAY EXCERPTED FROM MY BOOK: OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL, AMAZON.COM Okay, here are the facts about our love nest. It consists of two bedrooms and two baths, a living room-dining room combination with a wood burning fireplace, which comes in handy even in August, a narrow railroad car style kitchen, fully equipped, serviceable but outdated, and a washer/dryer in a separate room outside the kitchen door. A large sliding door opens to a central courtyard, built around a live oak, where there is a small grill and where Tom was banished when he smoked an occasional cigar. Accessible by a sliding glass door from the guest bedroom is a large backyard, which was somewhat unusable since it was overgrown. A gardener, Dave, who fittingly originated from England, has been caring for the place for thirty-three years and comes every other week to tend to the plants, trim the bushes, and sweep up the pine needles. A bonus in this house that provides added value is the library loft. Perched atop the house, it is glass- enclosed on three sides, giving tree filtered views of the ocean and Pebble Beach. It became my quiet retreat to write and read. A neutral corner, a place detached, where one can be alone for a while, which is sometimes useful when spending so much time away from family and friends, with only each other. Parking is in the driveway (the owners keep the garage for themselves) and there is storage inside the front door for golf clubs and luggage. Local phone hookup, gas heat, and daily newspaper delivery were all arranged within a day or two of our arrival. I pay the electric bill. The rent averages about $85 a day and we took the place for 99 days. A modest one room B&B in Carmel will cost about $200 a night, provided there are no major events such as the Bach Festival or the Pebble Beach Concours d’elegance; it is usually double the rate at those times. Having a house to live in, we take most of our meals at home, allowing us to schedule and pick our dining out choices from a wide selection of very good restaurants. The day after we arrived, our cocktail bar was open for business. I had also purchased two cases of wine, which would last a month. In a matter of only a few days we were comfortably settled, maybe feeling even a little pampered. If we were cats, we would be purring with contentment.

CARMEL SUMMER RENTAL-OUR LOVE NEST

OUR OVER BURDENED SUV IN FRONT OF OUR SUMMER HOME. THE BONUS ROOM LOFT ON TOP SERVED AS MY OFFICE FROM WHICH I HAD A PEEK OF THE OCEAN AND PEBBLE BEACH. LIVING ROOM LOOKING OUT ON INTERIOR SUN-FILLED PATIO WHERE I WAS ALLOWED TO SMOKE AN AFTER DINNER CIGAR. OUR LIVING ROOM WHERE ELYSEE HAS SET FLOWERS ABOUT AND IN THE CORNER I HAVE ORGANIZED OUR COCKTAIL BAR. EXTRACTED FROM MY BOOK: OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL, AMAZON.COM There is a lot of information in the next two posts for those who might want to consider adopting our "No Second Home" wanderlust lifestyle. OUR CARMEL LOVE NEST Since beginning our annual escapades away from Florida’s abysmal summer climate, Elysee and I have had several cozy “Love Nests.” A town house in Kinsale, Ireland, a beach cottage on the Pacific Ocean south of Ensenada, Mexico, a first floor in a two-story villa overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Coogee Beach, Australia, and an apartment in view of the Karavanke Alps in Bled, Slovenia, and last summer a town house in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. We move furnishings about our temporary home to suit ourselves, and within a few days our several months-long rental becomes our home. Carmel was no different. Our SUV, aided by a large car top carrier, jammed full of clothes and belongings including golf clubs and pull carts, was unpacked by the afternoon we arrived, our “stuff ” put in its proper place. The kitchen was decoded, appliances checked, and, by the next day, our cupboards were stocked. A corner in the living area was set aside to mix our evening cocktails. Fresh flowers were placed about the house. Nothing like fresh flowers to say, “We are here for awhile” this is not just a weekend diversion. People do not buy fresh flowers for a weekender. A workspace was designated for each of us. For Elysee, a place to attend to her voluminous correspondence, and for me, a place to write. We also carry framed photographs of our family and place them about the place, storing away any similar owner items. Should you have visited a week after our arrival the impression we hoped you would get was the two of us comfortably at home, as though we had been living there a long while. I began planning for our Carmel summer eight months ahead of time, and even then, because Carmel is so popular, I had some difficulty finding a suitable place. Despite the late start I found a place, in a good location, that was the right size, and priced at what I was willing to pay. We always rent two bedroom-two bath homes. This not only assures our guests are comfortably accommodated, but when it is only the two of us we can spread out more, each of us with our own bath and dressing area. The second bedroom can also function as an office and/or golf club and baggage storage. More reasonably though, I have found that limiting the search to at least two bedrooms screens out the marginal one-bedroom offerings, such as Mother-in-Law suites, rooms over the garage, or junior’s basement hideaway. Our Carmel Love Nest, although functional, need some redecoration. Elysee observed that the cocktail hour snacks kept getting lost in the 1960s style shag carpet. In the kitchen, the Formica counter tops were “quaint” and the cookware was left over from Wagon Train. Compensating for the furnishings being out of style, the location was ideal. We could walk to the village shops, post office, library, restaurants, and theaters. Being two blocks from the beach provided the steady, gentle sound of the usually placid surf in Carmel Bay, and I could look out to see the ocean from the library loft. The Carmel gate into Pebble Beach was only a few minutes walk. A little further on down the path the Pebble Beach Lodge awaits with a fine meal or an evening cocktail. Walking there gives us the promise of an even more pleasant return walk to our Carmel home, especially on moonlit nights, the golf course slumbering, and the gentle, silent swell of Carmel Bay beyond. (More in part wto.)

PEBBLE BEACH AT and T

SUNDAY #4 AT PEBBLE NEAR THE BOAT CLUB LOOKING TOWARDS FAMED #7 AT PEBBLE ON SUNDAY FRIDAY #7 MPCC...ELYSEE SMOOZING THE CROWD BETWEEN FOURSOMES ELYSEE GIVING BALL DIRECTIONS AFTER PRO DRIVES FROM #7 ARE WE HAVING A GREAT TIME. WX COULD NOT HAVE BEEN BETTER. We enjoyed ourselves being Marshals at the AT&T. Weather was great, especially for that time of the year. Long days with an early start and you're on the course all day. Final match at Pebble we were stationed on #4. That meant that after the last foursome we were released and we say the last three groups at 18. Carmel and the crowd at Pebble treated us very well, and of course we enjoy Carmel a great deal. Ate at three of my favorite restaurants. Want to know what they are? Email me!

THE AT&T PEBBLE BEACH

ELYSEE IS HAUNTING #18 AT PEBBLE BEACH ( You have to read the book.) 4th of JULY AT BLACKHORSE, FT.ORD. NOTE FLAG IN TOM'S HAT ELYSEE TAKING A LESSON FROM BEN ALEXANDER PRO AT POPPY HILLS LONE CYPRESS PEBBLE BEACH Elysee and I leave tomorrow for Carmel where we are staying during the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach. We are Marshals at the tournament, yes I know, Marshall Marshals, or is it Marshal Marshalls. Anyway, I thought it fitting before we left to post some golf photos taken for my book about Carmel Our Summer in Carmel, Amazon.com We have stayed three summers in Carmel and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, but never playing Pebble Beach. Number one it is too expensive for my humble game and secondly, Pebble is very difficult to get on. You don't just call up a few days before and ask for a tee time. They are booked a year ahead, mostly for business events. We have played many area courses though, getting special break at Ft. Ord's two very difficult tracks, a BIG break at the Navy course, Monterey Pines, as well as Pacific Grove, Carmel Valley Ranch, Rancho Canada and others. We won't know our assignments until reporting in, but I;ll pass them on in case you want to see us shivering and wet on TV. Here are a few pictures from the book.

HISTORY OF CARMEL'S DEVELOPMENT-PART THREE

GRETEL 1925 HANSEL 1924 Two adorable Hugh Comstock fairy tale cottages epitomize Carmel's development. Excerpted from my book: OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL-AMAZON.COM Over the years, builders such as Hugh Comstock in the 1920s, constructed quaint cottages that came to symbolize Carmel’s special character; and special it really is! Paving the streets was a hotly debated development issue opposed by many as an act of “boosterism” that catered to commercial interests. Neon signs were banned, and even today, Carmel’s bars are not allowed to have live entertainment because they would attract the “wrong crowd.” But changes in lifestyle, over time, can erode even the strongest will to resist altering what was once accepted and honored. Holding on to the past while resisting the power of money and change is impossible. The Carmel artistic colony today strives hard to retain its former charm. The city clings to its unique traditions such as no mail delivery and no stop lights, and promotes the arts to an extraordinary level considering its small size. But one also gets the sense that paying homage to quaint traditions also has something to do with presenting an attractive image; an image that caters to what visitors have come to expect. Keeping Carmel somewhat like “earlier Carmel,” is what the visitor is mostly looking for; but not necessarily what residents today want for themselves. Tourism has won the battle that was fought between earlier Carmelites, some of whom sought to preserve the idea of an artistic enclave, and others who wanted to modernize and develop. The city planning document of 1929 had an extraordinary mission statement, especially considering the rampant commercialism of the time: "The city of Carmel-by-the-Sea is hereby determined to be primarily, essentially and predominantly a residential city wherein business and commerce have in the past, are now, and are proposed to be in the future, subordinated to its residential character." Today, property interests, meaning the all-encompassing real estate sector, dominate Carmel-by-the-Sea’s commerce. Housing is so expensive only the elite can afford to own a home. The days of the underpaid artist, poet, or writer starting out in life with little but their inspiration, seeking the solitude of Carmel to nurture their talent among kindred souls, has long ago left the scene. Carmel is delightful and entertaining. The inhabitants are successful, culturally sensitive, and intelligent. Their lifestyle is like few places in the world. But Carmel-by-the-Sea is no longer a small town village or a unique place of artistic inspiration.

THE STORY OF CARMEL'S DEVELOPMENT - PART TWO

FOREST THEATER WHICH WILL CELEBRATE ITS 100 ANNIVERSARY IN 2010 MARY AUSTIN, JACK LONDON, GEORGE STERLING, JIMMIE HOOPER ON CARMEL BEACH DURING THE EARLY BOHEMIAN PERIOD. Excerpt from my book OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL: AMAZON.COM It was during the time at the beginning of the century that San Francisco became a lure for playwrights, poets, authors, actors and actresses, which altogether comprised a bohemian society. Frank Powers, who was Devendorf's partner in the Carmel Development Company, and who was well-known to that bohemian circle, and espousing the virtues of his newly founded “Walden,” certainly attracted artists to experience the tranquil, forested, raw-natured seaside of, Carmel. Avant-garde artists about that time were seeking a refuge where they could indulge in the current idea that artists should lead simple lives thereby sharpening their artistic sensitivities. In Carmel they could farm and graze what food they needed, harvest the abundant abalone, take fish from the rivers, and hunt in the woods. Frequent abalone feasts on the beach became the norm and spontaneous outpourings of poetic verse were common. Leading this artistic movement to Carmel was the poet, George Sterling. He came to Carmel to be with “just one woman,” his wife, and to leave the drinking and the womanizing life of San Francisco behind. He was thirty-six in 1905. His “following” followed him. Jack London and Mary Austin; later Upton Sinclair and a young Sinclair Lewis. Painters followed, awed by Carmel’s natural but wild seacoast, exquisite light, ocean and surf, mountains and sea. It was a special time for all of them. They lived like children in a rarified warp of time. They had picnics on the beach at sundown, toiled during the day to eke out a living on the land, and at night gathered together for wine and talk, all the while encouraging each other’s talent and creativity. Bohemian enclaves are heady wine for the young, the naïve, and the self-sufficient. They do not outlast life’s reality. Jack London died of kidney disease in 1916. Sterling’s wife did not find matrimonial solace in escaping to the woods of Carmel and the promise of “just one woman.” She took her life by cyanide a few years after London’s passing. A decade later Sterling killed himself by the same means. This episode in Carmel’s history is covered in excellent detail by Franklin Walker in The Seacoast of Bohemia. Many of the early bohemians drifted away. Yet, a core few remained, becoming the seed of Carmel’s cultural future. The word was out. Carmel held a special promise for those seeking solitude, those who wanted to create, those who dared to think and act differently. It was out of those early years from which today’s Forest Theater sprung, as well as the Golden Bough Theater, the many renowned art and music festivals, and the profusion of artists, actors, playwrights and others with a creative aptitude who continue to live here today and, although in a very different commercial climate make Carmel today a special place.