As a young boy, growing up in Pacific Grove was a wonderful experience. Dubbed by many as, "America's Last Hometown", Pacific Grove is a beautiful, quaint community nestled on the Pacific Ocean on the Monterey Peninsula. Pacific Grove sits between Monterey and Pebble Beach; Carmel by the Sea is just over the hill or a fairly straight shot through Pebble Beach. This map will give you a great visual: Pacific Grove, CA.
I was raised by my grandparents and for many years we lived right on the corner of Grove Acre and Sinex. One of the best parts about it was that the bus stopped right outside my house literally on the corner of Grove Acre and Sinex, so getting to and from school was never more difficult than walking about 30 steps across the front lawn to the corner. This is the same corner I would try out my entrepreneurial skills each weekend, setting up a stand of good ol' fresh squeezed, powdered lemonade! I believe it might have even been Kool-Aid, but back then I don't think I really knew the difference and fresh squeezed sounded much better!
I didn't get in trouble much as a kid because it's pretty hard to be up to much around here. I had many friends, from "the neighborhood" to the schoolyard. Often times you would find us playing basketball down at Caledonia Park, to riding our bikes through downtown for a pit stop at the ice-cream shop or hanging out at night, just because it felt like the cool thing to do! We were really anything but. J The main thing is that there was never a time when we didn't feel safe throughout any neighborhood in PG. We just never had to think about it. In many ways, Pacific Grove felt like a giant playground, because wherever you were, there was always something to do. The recreation department is a great way for kids to get involved in something they enjoy. Whether it's Cub Scouts or sports, you'll find something you like all year round. Visit the Pacific Grove Recreation Department for more info.
The hottest months of the year aren't what you would expect. Even though there are plenty of beautiful days from May through August, you'll find our best weather in September, October and parts of November, which we refer to as our Indian summer. Those are the months when you'll see tons of locals down at Asilomar and Lover's Point beaches, taking in the sun, playing volleyball and cruising along the recreation trail, which begins in Pacific Grove and runs out way past Marina, a city about 15 miles north of PG on highway 1. Our water is cold here, so swimming without a wetsuit is not something you'll see too many locals doing. Tourists though...well usually they're just happy to see the ocean you never know what to expect watching them. One word of caution about the ocean is that you really need to watch out for the high surf when climbing on the rocks. It's life-threatening at times and you absolutely need to pay attention and not get close to the edge. Better advice is to simply not climb on them during high tide.
For parents; even though I am not one yet (hopefully soon), Pacific Grove is a fantastic place to raise a family. I feel very fortunate that I was able to move back here after college and work in an industry that I thoroughly enjoy. I met my wife, Julia, while we were both working for First American Title. She was a Business Development Rep. out of Santa Cruz and I was the same, based out of our Monterey office. We were married on May 1, 2004 and were fortunate enough to have purchased our own home here in Pacific Grove, where we are looking forward to raising our own children.
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