Monterey CA California
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Monterey Bay is a national marine sanctuary and ships stay at anchor. Tenders bring passengers right into the centre, to Fisherman's Wharf or the municipal wharf next door.
Yes, and that is a luxury. Tenders land downtown, Cannery Row is a little over a kilometre away along a waterfront trail, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium about a kilometre and a half. In summer a free trolley links downtown, the wharves and the aquarium.
Walk the shoreline trail to Cannery Row, about fifteen minutes, then give the Monterey Bay Aquarium at least two hours. With time left, add the historic district and its adobe buildings from the Mexican era.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium, housed in a former sardine cannery at the end of Cannery Row. Its living kelp forest as tall as a building, its jellyfish and its resident sea otters make it one of the most respected marine institutions in the world.
Yes, very often. Sea otters, harbour seals and sea lions are visible straight from the wharves. Whale-watching boats leave from the same docks: grey whales during their winter migration, humpbacks in the warmer months, dolphins year-round.
The US dollar, and credit cards are taken everywhere, including the aquarium and along Cannery Row. A little cash remains handy for tips and the small counters on the wharves.
English. Spanish is also widely spoken in California, and the place names recall the era when the city was the capital of Mexican Alta California.
Late summer and autumn bring the clearest skies. Early summer often means stubborn morning fog over the bay, and the water stays cold all year. Pack a windbreaker in any season: the bay is cool even when inland areas are hot.
Very much so. The aquarium is designed for children as much as adults — allow more than two hours with them — and watching seals and otters from the wharves costs nothing and works at any age.
It is the old sardine cannery street that supplied much of America in the 1930s. John Steinbeck made it famous in his 1945 novel. The canneries closed long ago, but the timber and metal buildings remain, now shops and restaurants, with plaques recalling the writer and his biologist friend Ed Ricketts.
