Let me explain. When you come to Carmel-by-the-Sea to visit, or even when you live in and around town, you are not supposed to rush around, you come here for the beauty, the food and wine, the art, and to shop. And if you are lucky enough to live here, you still tend to do several of the activities below around town. I do.
Click here or on photo below to link to Carmel Shopping Website.
Here's a typical day of a visitor to Carmel-by-the-Sea:
6:00-7:00AM - there is nothing open, so you take a walk down the hill to Carmel Beach. Join all the locals and their dogs, it's easy to meet people.
7:00 - 8:00AM - A great time to stroll around town and do some window shopping. The coffee shops open at that time.
8:00AM - have some breakfast at your hotel, usually just a small Continental breakfast to tide you over to lunch.
10:00 - 11:00AM - the stores and galleries start to open up.
11AM & into the afternoon - Post Office visit. Ah, yes, there are no addresses here in Carmel-by-the-Sea so everyone goes to the post office to get their mail. Great time to meet people, stop and chat, etc. It does open earlier, but it takes awhile to sort.
12:00 NOON - find yourself a restaurant with outdoor seating weather permitting. It's fabulous to just sit and enjoy and watch the world walk by. And they do, people from all over the world come here.
2:00 - 4:00PM - this is the best shopping time. If the stores are going to open that day, they will be there then. Note: Many store and gallery owners open at 11:00AM, then close for lunch, then open again at 2PM! Except on weekends, then most are open pretty much continuously because the crowd warrants it.
4:00 - 6:00 - this is a good time to sample wines in the 17 tasting rooms that recently opened around town. Five more will open shortly. You can buy a ticket at the Chamber of Commerce on San Carlos between 5th & 6th, that allows you to get a special rate!!
Most galleries close at 6:00PM - Between a little sipping of wine at the tasting rooms, stop in and look at art!! Some galleries even have wine tasting in their gallery. Let the wide range of art wash over you, you might find some that would look good back home. And the galleries will be happy to ship it to you. If local, some galleries will bring art to your home to see how it works on your walls.
SUNSET: Definitely head to Carmel Beach!! Cannot be missed. Everyone congregates there to watch the sunset, which is more often than not absolutely awesome.
From 7:00PM to 10:00PM -This is the prime time to have dinner. Restaurants really don't stay open late except on weekends. It's probably a good idea to make a reservation at the more well known restaurants in town, otherwise you might end up standing in line. And if you see a line, that's the one that's most popular and probably worth the wait.
Late evening stroll around town - Shops and galleries keep their lights on well into the evening and it's fun to just stroll around and window shop. I do it all the time! An art gallery friend of mine says that she often gets calls from people who have seen a particular painting and want to come in to purchase it the next day.
TIPS:
1. Inns in Carmel-by-the-Sea: If you plan to stay in town, and I highly recommend it, keep your car parked at your hotel if they have off-street parking or park in an ALL DAY spot. Parking in town is only 2 hours and they give out tickets pretty fast here. See www.carmelshotels.com
2. If you plan to make a day trip down the Big Sur Coastline, leave early so you get to your destination for lunch. Take plenty of photos on the way south, because you can pull over easily at several scenic spots.
3. Carmel Valley Village - 13 miles up Carmel Valley Road is the village where you can also just park your car and start strolling. Over 20 wine tasting rooms have opened up there recently, and there are several fabulous restaurants. Art galleries, as well, have opened up and artisans show their works at several locations. See www.carmelvalleycalifornia.com
4. Art Galleries: Here is a website which lists most of the main art galleries in Carmel-by-the-Sea and Carmel Valley. This helps you to preview the type of art you are interested before actually coming here to the Monterey Peninsula. See www.carmelartgalleries.com
5. Shopping, maps, links to activities, etc. Here is a website that has lots of information about the area. See www.carmelshopping.com
6. Real Estate: My real estate brokerage is right in the heart of Carmel's charming business district on Dolores between 5th & 6th in the Su Vecino Courtyard at Jack London's. Give me a call and we can meet there or anywhere in our one-square-mile City. See www.93921.com
COME AND EXPERIENCE THIS BEAUTIFUL BEACH & FOREST CITY.
YOU MIGHT DECIDE TO STAY!
And if you do decide to purchase your full-time or second home here in Carmel-by-the-Sea or surrounding area, please give me a call. I know the area very well, as you can see by the websites, above, each maintained by me.
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