Path of History Walk, downtown Monterey

The Custom House is where traders brought exotic goods (check out some of these goods inside the museum) to Alta California (California during Mexican rule before 1846) to trade for California cowhides. In 1822 when Mexico ended the Spanish trade monopoly, traders could unload their goods here and pay duty. It was also here that the American flag was raised over the Custom House in 1846 annexing California to America. Check out the Custom House Gift Shop at 1 Custom House Plaza.
Monterey History & Art at Stanton Center, at 5 Custom House Plaza, has works laid out in a very busy, crowded way.
From Custom House Plaza, walk to Casa Soberanes, at 336 Pacific Street. Check out the abalone shells, bottle glass, and whale bones in the walkway, and also explore the rear garden where you can sit on benches and enjoy the rose arbor. This is possible even if the house itself is closed.
Walk to 464 Calle Principal and check out Larkin House. It was built in 1835. You can see both Mexican and New England elements in its design. A second-floor veranda encircles the entire building. Walk past pretty House of the Four Winds, named after its weatherpane, at 540 Calle Principal.
Next walk to the 500 block of Pacific St where you will see the impressive stone building, Colton Hall, with its lush grounds. Go inside and see it as it was furnished in 1849 when California's first constitution was drafted here. Kids enjoy climbing on the California bear statue outside Colton Hall. Also fun for kids to see is the Moon Tree, which traveled to the moon on Apollo 14 when it was a seed and was planted outside Colton Hall in 1976. Old Monterey Jail, which was featured in Steinbeck's "Tortilla Flat," is here too.
Check out the wonderful art at the Monterey Art Museum, at 559 Pacific St. There are some great works by photographers Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, as well as some colorful folk art from around the world. The gift shop has some nice items.
From here, go to 525 Polk St, the Cooper-Molera Adobe. It was built in 1827 by Cooper, a prosperous New England sea captain (Monterey was a major international port after Mexico took control in 1821). His family lived in Victorian-era luxury here. There's a large garden on the 2-acre property.
Head to 530 Houston St, where you can see French Hotel, where Robert Louis Stevenson stayed in 1879 while courting his future wife. Here he is said to have written Treasure Island, while still penniless and undiscovered. Check out all the Stevenson memorabilia, plus the children's nursery filled with Victorian toys and games.
At 500 Church St, you'll find the lovely Royal Presidio Chapel (shown above- photo courtesy of William Crowe). It was built in 1794 (this is like ancient history in California!) as part of the mission that was later moved to Carmel. It is now called San Carlos Cathedral, just to confuse you all! Walk around to see the many sculptures, including a delightful grotto with Mary. Inside, the church is pristine.
After your walk, have a cup of coffee at Parker-Lusseau Bakery, at 539 Hartnell Street. It is in the adobe of an American explorer and politician, John C. Fremont, who lived there in 1847. It's wonderful to admire the building and sit out on the patio eating a delicious chocolate croissant, freshly delivered from their ovens. There is no seating inside, so make sure it's warm enough to sit outside.
The bakery is located inside Fremont Adobe, where explorer John C. Fremont, who came to be known as Pathfinder of the Rocky Mountains, and his wife, author Jessie Benton Fremont, lived in 1847. John C. Fremont's mother, Anne, was married off when she was 17 to a man in his 60s. He hired for her a young male tutor. Guess who Fremont's father was? After their affair was discovered, the two fled, but could never marry since a divorce was not granted. Fremont was therefore an illegitimate child with low social standing. After teaching math on a Navy ship, he became an explorer and surveyor for the US Topographical Corps. Senator Benton, an explorer himself, impressed with Fremont's work, invited him to dinner, where he met Benton's 16 year old daughter. She had been raised differently to most women at the time, because Senator Benton had wanted a son and named her Jesse. Benton took her with him everywhere he could, speaking with her to prominent politicians, and showing her maps and books from his explorations. Her father was furious when she eloped, since Fremont was not a man of upper society, but he soon accepted their marriage and provided financial support for Fremont's explorations. Jessie wrote articles and books, records of her husband's Western scouting trips, with human interest additions to please the public. Both were anti-slavery advocates. Her husband later ran for presidency, and she campaigned for him, with slogan, "Fremont and Jessie too."
A nice place to stay if you are getting in the spirit of all this history is Old Monterey Inn, built in 1929 by Carmel Martin Sr., first mayor of the city of Monterey, who fought to preserve many of the historic sites in Monterey. He saw Monterey as "the one place [in California] where people can live without being disturbed by manufacturing and big factories." At Old Monterey Inn, the peaceful gardens surrounded by tall Monterey pines, oaks, and redwoods, and the manor with hand-plastered Gothic archways and bull nose corners are a delight. The afternoon cookies (like none you've tasted!) and the breakfast in bed (aaah, fruit salad in a goblet with a sprig of mint) are also memorable...

Path of History Walk, downtown Monterey

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