Carmel, California -- aka Hobbiton USA

[kz1000ps]

I just had the good fortune to be able to stay five nights in beautiful Carmel, CA this past week, which by any and all accounts is a different planet from anywhere else on well... the planet. Or at he very least in the USA.

Not only did I get to enjoy the place, the home I stayed at is by far one of the most unique houses in the entire town. It's called the Stone Ship House and was built in the late thirties out of river stones and parts (such as the porthole windows) from shipwrecked boats by local artist Allen Knight as a museum on the area's maritime history. The walls are two feet thick and there's a 114-year-old ship wheel up in the lighthouse.

Without making this thread about it, go here to learn more on the place. It's definitely worth checking out. I also have a Flickr album's worth of shots of it here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/27672048@N00/albums/72157632505913539.

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And on to Day 1: Silver Skies, starting around the Stone Ship House

And on towards town

So many art galleries here

Day 2: Bright and Beautiful

(I like cars...especially interesting ones)

Quick trip back up into town for some coffee and candy

And back down to the beach

This guy knew I had food

And then back up the hill, headed for home

Day 3: Errands Day, Erratic Weather

Drive into Monterey

Back up to the Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo

Frank Lloyd Wright's Walker House

Day 4: Raw and Rainy, only one pic taken worth sharing

Day 5: Rise and Shine, time to drive all the way back east

Whaddya think? Pretty close to paradise on earth, no? Spending nights on the beach (no shots...my camera ain't great in low light) with the tide coming in and the stars slowly shifting overhead was just magical. Can't wait to go back.

 

[bolehboleh]

that's it - I'm moving

Edit: Just saw the price of real estate there. Looks like I'm not moving

 

[Shepard]

Fantastic pictures. Little accident that artists colonies end up developing vastly superior urbanism to profit-seeking development (e.g., closer to home, Provincetown vs the rest of the Cape)

As for me, I like sunshine and hot, hot, hot summers - not sure I could make it too long in the NoCal coastal microclimate.

 

[Lrfox]

Great photos! I love that whole region. I've said before that Monterrey was among my favorite places on earth (Carmel is prettier, but almost a little too cutesy for me). If you ever get back, drive the short distance down into Big Sur.

Did anyone give you a hard time about photography in Carmel? I was told twice to put my camera away in town. Never had anyone give me such a hard time anywhere else.

 

[FK4]

Awesome

 

[commuter guy]

I viewed these beautiful pictures while stuck on the Framingham Commuter Rail as it puttered inbound during the morning rush hour at very slow speed due to "track work." The severe delays were made significantly worse by the fact that I happened to pick the only open seat on the train with the guy directly behind me suffering from what sounded like a life threatening bout of bronchitis. To try to make it through the commute, I closed my eyes and pretended that I was playing in a band, staying in places like the Stone Ship House in Carmel and fighting off hot women groupies at all hours of the day and night. My commute still sucked, but it did make it somewhat better.....

 

[kz1000ps]

^ Glad I could brighten your day a bit

(Carmel is prettier, but almost a little too cutesy for me). If you ever get back, drive the short distance down into Big Sur.

Did anyone give you a hard time about photography in Carmel? I was told twice to put my camera away in town. Never had anyone give me such a hard time anywhere else.

On the first part, I agree that Carmel is perhaps too cutesy. It's one thing to have all that architecture and artsy history, but it's another when it gets gentrified into the stratosphere and downtown becomes nothing but uppity "shoppes" and art galleries. But hey, who can argue with a free place to stay right in the heart of it all?

And as far as I noticed, not a single person blinked an eye at my camera (some definitely blinked at *me* however, being a 30-something hipsterish dude in a sea of old white people and Chinese tourists). Clearly I took a number of shots in a number of well populated areas, but never did I sense that I might be pissing someone off. On the other hand, I can totally picture some crusty old rich person feeling invaded by something as sinister as a DSLR. It's definitely a monoculture out there.

 

[Lrfox]

^ Glad I could brighten your day a bit



On the first part, I agree that Carmel is perhaps too cutesy. It's one thing to have all that architecture and artsy history, but it's another when it gets gentrified into the stratosphere and downtown becomes nothing but uppity "shoppes" and art galleries. But hey, who can argue with a free place to stay right in the heart of it all?

And as far as I noticed, not a single person blinked an eye at my camera (some definitely blinked at *me* however, being a 30-something hipsterish dude in a sea of old white people and Chinese tourists). Clearly I took a number of shots in a number of well populated areas, but never did I sense that I might be pissing someone off. On the other hand, I can totally picture some crusty old rich person feeling invaded by something as sinister as a DSLR. It's definitely a monoculture out there.

I'd stay there in a heartbeat. Last time I stayed at the Marriott in Monterrey. Before that, it was a $30 motel in Monterrey. Neither of the places had anywhere close to as much character as your place.