Hello everyone, happy Thursday once again! We all know why we’re here, so let’s dive right in:
Where we last left off, my parents and I had a semi-disastrous journey to Monterey, California, but made up for it by having a lovely first day. On our second day, we explored Monterey a bit more before heading out to San Francisco that evening. Between a boat ride in Monterey Bay, a delicious crab-filled lunch, and a visit to the Monterey Museum’s Salvador Dalí exhibit, we had quite a full and pleasant Day 2!
Sailing Tour
Our morning began with a quick breakfast before we left for the Wharf again, as we had a Monterey Bay Sailing tour at 12 that day. The weather was absolutely gorgeous: clear, sunny, and mild – perfect for being out on the water. I was especially excited for the boat ride, because I knew that we would get to drift by the rocks upon which a ton of sea lions and seals were lounging, crawling all over each other, and barking. My animal-loving self was ready to go!
Once aboard the boat, we realized that there were only 4 real seats on the “outside” – the remaining areas to sit were inside…and that’s not what I came for! My dad and I decided to venture to the front of the boat, where we could lay out and hold onto the railings when necessary. In the end, this was a great way to truly enjoy the ride.
The entire trip took about an hour to go out, sail in the bay, and then come back in (past the sea lions!). Once we were out on the water, I breathed in the salty air and felt instantly relaxed. No matter what, being near or out in the ocean has this magnificently calming effect on me. I loved it!
Lunch Time on the Wharf
After the boat ride, we had all worked up an appetite – and by that I mean, we were just enticed by all of the seafood options again and had to satisfy those cravings! So, we headed back to the pier in order to find lunch, preferably with crab options (so, anywhere). We decided on Scales Seafood & Steaks, where I enjoyed both a clam chowder featuring plenty of lump crab, and a delicious Crab Louie salad. I should mention that I split the clam chowder with my dad. There was no way that I could have finished all of that by myself!Following a hearty lunch, we decided to drive to a local beach in order to walk along the sand dunes. My mom and I also went down close to the water, thinking that the tide wouldn’t come up any higher than it already was. We were mistaken! We both started to make a run for it, and I grabbed my mom’s arm to try and help her get away more quickly…but apparently, I accidentally pulled her back a bit in order to “launch myself forward” (as they put it)! Definitely not my intention, but: I guess it’s a good thing that my fight or flight instincts are sharp. Right? Right, let’s go with that.
Dali Exhibit at the Monterey Museum
Our final activity of the day was a visit to the Monterey Museum, since they had an exhibit called Dali17 which reportedly houses the “first permanent Dali exhibition on the West Coast and largest private collection in the US”. My parents and I are big fans of Salvador Dalí’s work, so we were all excited to see what this collection had to offer!
It was pretty cool, but it did not have as much of the Surrealist-style artwork that Dalí is known for. It had a lot of his earlier work, influenced heavily by religion, as well as some miscellaneous themes, sketches, etc. One room in particular had artwork that was very…unique. The pieces themselves were trippy already, but every time one of us looked closer at the pieces we would notice something more inappropriate each time – and this “something” was usually phallic. We’re not sure if Dalí was mad at someone at the time of painting these particular pieces – based on the depictions – but we knew that we would not have wanted to be on his bad side!
Once we were finished with Dali17, it was time to head out of Monterey and make our way down to San Francisco. I drove for the first hour of the trip, and it was such a beautiful ride that I didn’t want to keep my eyes on the road (but I did!) for fear of missing all of the mountain views around me. Once the sun started setting, the mountains and desert landscape truly appeared golden…I could drive this type of route any time.
By the time we got to San Francisco, it was getting late and we were all pretty tired. So, not much happened that evening. We needed to conserve our energy for the next day…
And with that, I bring Part 2 to a close! Part 3 will cover all of our San Francisco fun, and it all began that first morning in the city.
I hope you enjoyed Part 2 of the San Francisco recap, and I’ll see you here next week for Part 3. Until then, have a wonderful weekend!