Monterey Peninsula Sunshine

Welcome to Monterey Peninsula Sunshine, a blog devoted to shining a light on everyday life on the Monterey Peninsula. Here you'll learn all the perks and practicalities of living in each of the Peninsula's communities. Carmel Carmel Valley Monterey Pacific Grove Pebble Beach Big Sur Seaside, Sand City and Marina For new citizens and visitors to each of these areas, this blog is a guide to help you feel truly at home.

The heart of Jewish life on the Monterey Peninsula, at least of the non-Orthodox variety, is this warm, intimate Reform synagogue at the bottom of a hill in the Carmel Valley

Looking for a classic open-air mall? In Monterey, you have just one choice: Del Monte Shopping Center, the largest shopping center on the whole Monterey Peninsula, established in 1967. Here shoppers can find chain stores to meet their every need or want: Macy's, The Gap, H&M, Banana Republic, Victoria's Secret, William-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Foot Locker, LensCrafters, See's Candy, Bath and Body Works, Sleep Number, and more. For your technological needs, there's the Apple Store, as well as AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile. For kids, there's Thinker Toys, and for beauty, there's the Magic Nails salon. For more practical needs still, you'll find the Bank of the West, the UPS Store, Rite Aid, Petco, and the Peninsula's only Whole Foods Market. Neither does this shopping center have any shortage of places to eat. These range from standard mall fare and coffee (Pretzelmaker, Starbucks, Subway, Chipotle, Pizza My Heart), to equally quick but m

Few small towns are more beautiful than Carmel-by-the-Sea, and this spot of green at the corner of Ocean and Junipero Avenues its one of it most beautiful features.

At the exact geographical center of Carmel-By-The-Sea stands this picturesque United Methodist Church, more than a hundred years old yet still thriving.

Walk or drive straight down Ocean Avenue, from the Cabrillo Highway to Scenic Road, and you'll find yourself at the glorious Carmel Beach. Stretching from Carmel Point and Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic Walker House on the northern end, to the Pebble Beach Golf Links on the southern end, this mile-long stretch of sand and surf is the chief reason why Carmel has been labeled "One of America's Top Beach Towns." Its size is comparable to big commercial beaches like those of Santa Cruz or Santa Monica, but its atmosphere, with its rocks, driftwood and lush surrounding greenery, is more akin to the countless small rustic beaches that dot the California coast. Both for people who prefer the natural beauty of those rustic beaches and for those who prefer the width, breadth and sheer fun of the big ones, Carmel Beach truly provides the best of both worlds. Picnic, surfing, swimming, volleyball, sandcastle-building, relaxing on towels... anything you can imagi