Downtown Monterey

Monterey, California, USA

Description

Downtown Monterey has a hip feel to it. Alvarado Rd is the main strip and has some gorgeous historical buildings with 19th century details. Golden State Theater is a delightful honeycomb-colored historical building. There are restaurants and coffee shops: Starbucks has a great patio above the street, and Monterey Crepe Company has large windows looking out on the street. Two blocks east of Alvarado St is a delicious bakery called Paris Bakery Cafe- try their pain au chocolat! Parker-Lusseau Pastries is another good one (closed mid-Jan for two weeks). It has delicious chocolate croissants brought fresh in the morning, and you can sit outside on its cute patio in a historic building. For mediterranean food, check out Epsilon Cafe. At the northern end of Alvarado Rd you come to a pedestrian-only section with bountiful flower baskets and wispy trees. Here you can sit on a bench in the shade and enjoy a homemade crepe from Crepes of Brittany. Continue on and you come to Custom House Plaza, a large pedestrian-only area with a fountain in the middle. Here you are surrounded by gorgeous historical buildings, including the Museum of Monterey with the Dali17 collection. Because this area is lacking in shade, it's nicer in winter than in summer. Take a left and you will find a bunch of little courtyards hidden away (Olivier St is one of these). They are blessed with Spanish fountains, flowering vines, and historical buildings. One building even has old cobblestones in front of it made of whale bone. Walk toward the ocean and you will come to Fisherman's Wharf and a marvelous view of the myriad blue-green hues the ocean takes in Monterey. If it's too cold and you want to be indoors, take your kids to the children's museum called Monterey County Youth Museum, just two blocks east of Alvarado St. Walk to the east of the wharf and you come to lovely Del Monte Beach, a wide beach with the softest sand.

Photo Gallery

The amazing Golden State Theatre building.	The pedestrian-only section at the northern end of Alvarado St.	People hanging out at the pedestrian-only section of Alvarado St.
Lovely view from Rosine's Restaurant on Alvarado Street- delicious food too!	Cute little square near Custom House Plaza at the southern end of Olivier St.	Spanish fountain in front of The Pacific House on Olivier St.
View at the northern end of Olivier St, beside Fisherman's Wharf- wow!	The reward at the end of your Downtown Monterey stroll!	Soak up some morning sun at Paris Bakery Cafe.
Alvarado Street is a pretty street.	These row houses look like San Francisco!	A gorgeous building on Alvarado Street.

Directions

This is an interactive map, you can zoom and move it.

Downtown Monterey's main strip is on the northern end of Alvarado St. You can park along Alvarado St. Or you can park at Fisherman's Wharf and walk through Custom House Plaza to Alvarado St. In the map it appears as though Lighthouse Ave goes through this area, but it is an underground tunnel.
Crepes of Brittany, 211 Alvarado St, Monterey CA 93940, call (831) 649-1930.
Rosine's Restaurant, 434 Alvarado St.
Monterey Crepe Company, 321 Alvarado St.
Starbucks, 316 Alvarado St.
Paris Bakery Cafe, 271 Bonafacio Pl, Monterey CA 93940, call (831) 646-1620.
Epsilon Cafe, 422 Tyler St. Mondays they only have lunch and weekends they only have dinner.
Monterey County Youth Museum, 425 Washington St, Monterey CA 93940, call (831) 649-6444. Open Tues-Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5. Closed Monday. Admission is $8. Children under 2 years old enter for free.