Gypsy Atlas: Photo Tour of Historic Monterey

Memory Garden: This beautiful garden behind the Pacific House Museum features white archways

with red tile roofs, beautiful plants, and a fountain.

Photo by Madeline Horn

Monterey’s Spanish and Mexican past are palpable in its many Spanish and Mexican adobes. I think I saw the ghost of a Californio woman lingering in the garden of the Casa del Oro out of the corner of my eye. She wore a scarf over her head, pulled demurely across her face.

Photo by Madeline Horn

I spent a couple of days wandering the streets of Historic Monterey, using a map I picked up from Monterey State Historic Park and my cell phone for a free audio tour called “Explore Monterey.” Historic buildings are everywhere in downtown Monterey and many of them are still in use, by lawyers, shops, and restaurants.

Photo by Madeline Horn

Colorful gardens in bloom double the sensory pleasures of touring around old Monterey – with the smell of lavender and rosemary and the sight of bright dahlias, lilies, and hibiscus.

Whale vertebrae sidewalk
Photo by Madeline Horn

Old Whaling Station: Outside the whaling station sits a sidewalk made of whale vertebrae! Whale vertebrae are diamond shaped. They bones have held up amazingly well for being placed in the ground in the mid-1800s.

Photo by Madeline Horn

Golden State Theatre
Photo by Madeline Horn

Hibiscus at Cooper Molera Adobe
Photo by Madeline Horn

Cooper Molera Adobe: A volunteer manned an old timey general store that led to the historic compound, with a garden of vegetables and fruit as well as colorful flowers.

Wagon at Cooper Molera Adobe
Photo by Madeline Horn

Restaurant 1833, located in a historic 1833 adobe
Photo by Madeline Horn

1833 Restaurant: 1833 is a luxurious restaurant located in a historic adobe – the ideal way to wrap up a day in the adobes! If you can afford it that is… My mom and I opted for appetizers and cocktails at the bar, allowing us to try a few items and to chat up the bar tender, who gave us a sample of a lemon balm gin he’s been infusing behind the bar with fresh lemon balm from his friend's garden.