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Carmel-by-the-Sea
EcoGuide
to California Central Coast
Carmel
Lodging
Hiking
Carmel
Carmel
Birding
The
Abalone Song
"Sauntering
by piney trails." Mary Austin
Carmel
was a dream
Carmel's
political history
Point
Lobos
Point
Lobos Lore
Creating
the Reserve
Interactive
Map
Pacific
Grove
Pebble
Beach
Carmel
Valley
Monterey
Monterey
Peninsula
Story
of Big Sur
Big
Sur EcoGuide
Big
Sur Camping
Big
Sur Lodging
Birding
Hiking
Old
Coast
Road
& Hwy One
People
& Places
Bixby
Bridge
Partington
Cove & Canyon
Julia
Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Nacimiento
Road
Ventana
Wilderness
Big
Sur Lodge
Santa
Lucia Reserve
Mission
San Antonio
Wildlife
in San Simeon
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Once
thought extinct, Elephant Seals have made a
resounding comeback. Go to the scene of some real
wildlife excitement. Hearst would have loved it,
right there in his front yard!
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Cambria
Cayucos
Harmony
Morro
Bay
Montaña
de Oro
Pinnacles
Monument
Salinan
Nation
Steinbeck
Center
Central
Coast Activities
Santa
Cruz
Natural
Bridges Butterfly Sanctuary
Castroville
Artichokes
Santa
Cruz Redwoods
Marine
Sanctuary
Moss
Landing
Voices
of the Wetlands
Elkhorn
Slough
Pelican
Protection Alliance
California
Back Country
San
Juan Bautista
PelicanNetwork
About
Pelican
Pelican
Membership
Member's
Comments
PelicanNetwork
Links
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Carmel-by-the-Sea
has legends of art colony Bohemian
exuberance. But, its real history is
about a heroic body politic that has
kept this idyllic coastal village a
special, small place.
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A
foggy night, chimney smoke,
lights blinking through pine
needles, a Bach sonata in the
air, Carmel feels like a
European village. Open air
markets with fresh flowers and
local grown artichokes,
Brussels sprouts, basil,
garlic in bins out on the
sidewalk further the notion.
Candlelit storefront cafes
with lingering couples, cozy
pubs for the
adventurers.
Like
background music, the sea
beats out a steady soothing
tune. A rumble, crack and roar
of the surf steadily rolls in
and whooshes back out. Every
sound, though expected, is a
surprise. Coming through the
forest, the music creates an
excitement.
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The
distinction of this rare setting begins
at the beach. The sands are like pure
white crystals. They became that way
through millions of years of
earthquakes and volcanoes forming
granite.
Rock promontories a mile apart
protect the beach from sediment runoff.
So, the sand rubbed from the granite by
the surf is not contaminated.
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Beyond
the beach, two other promontories, Point
Lobos to the south, and Point Pescadero to
the north, are among the world's most
talked about meetings of land and sea.
A picturesque river and lagoon form a
centerpiece for the Bay. This spot was
considered by Father Junipero Serra as the
best California had to offer, and he
stayed.
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The
Village was created by a
visionary with convictions
Carmel
became an artists' village not
by accident, but by the design
of a San Jose real estate
developer.
Frank
Devendorf's
Dream
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In
the 1770's Father Serra built
the Monterey Mission a safe
distance away from the
military, as he wanted his
neophytes' purity reserved for
the Church. It later became an
inspiration to the artists who
gravitated to Carmel.
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The
Abalone
Song
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Painters,
poets and writers came to Carmel to
live and work a bohemian artistic
experience in Nature.
They
created a theater in the woods,
built tree houses to write in, and
had rollicking beach parties that
are still talked about. Their names
were Mary Austin, Sinclair Lewis,
Xavier Martinez, David Starr Jordan,
Jack London, and they made a name
for the woodsy village on the
beach.
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What
if the people who made it charming couldn't live there
anymore?
Carmel
became such a magnet for wealthy people, that in
time, the artists who created the mystique of
the Bohemian village in the woods by the sea,
could not afford to live there. Ironies
painfully evolved in this idyllic repose.
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Once,
when Carmel had become such an artsy attraction for
the well-to-do, the town boosters began demolishing
the village's allure. Its finest, funkiest, most
authentic symbol of this allure, the woodland
playhouse, was proposed to be destroyed to make
room for the expensive condos.
Fortunately,
a sense of artistic heritage, and civic outrage
prevailed, and the theater was saved. But, another
Carmelesque twist resulted differently.
Going
to that theater, today, is one of Carmel's most
treasured family events.
The
first lot Devendorf sold was to a black woman. He
thought she represented a cultural diversification
that would be important in his envisioned
community. Now, however, it is hard to find any
black people in the village.
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Carmel
has a brave heritage. It has maintained and
nurtured a commitment to the arts in the face of
enormous pressure to cave in and be just a
well-to-do glitzy beach town. The world renowned
institutions, the Bach Festival, the Sunset Center
for the Arts, and the Forest Theater, have
persevered and flourished. That the very air of art
streams through the atmosphere is a tribute to a
fine dream and a people's devotion to create and
maintain a special place.
Political
battles spice up Carmel's history
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Main
shopping area is covered with trees, and has no
blazing neon signs
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Practical,
innovative conservation as
lifestyle
Poked
fun at for its environmental policies,
such as not spreading concrete all over so
rain water can't seep down to the
aquifers, and to preserve a forest canopy
it has a Department of Forestry. Carmel
has turned ridicule into praise. Nowadays
such policies have earned Carmel the
mantle of respect among urban planners.
Conservation measures that have long been
in practice here are now looked at by
other communities as necessities for a
livable future.
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The house
built by Frank Lloyd Wright on Abalone Point.
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There
are no street addresses in the
village
In
the beginning it was thought
numbers would demean the artistic
community feeling so arduously
achieved.
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40
years later the
California Legislature tried to
impose house numbers on them, and
there was a revolt.
"Individuality is the life-blood
of Carmel," a planning
commissioner said."We have
avoided numbering our houses
under penalty of having to fetch
and carry our own mail." Indeed,
all village residents get their
mail at the post office, and that
contributes to a sense of
community.
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State
funds would be withheld from
Carmel if it insisted on this
peculiarity. The Legislature
continued its campaign to force
Carmel to join the ranks of the
humdrum everybody else. But, it
refused, and threatened secession
from the State. There was a
donnybrook. The State's public
works sent an inspector, who
reported the village was a dismal
situation, what with no
sidewalks, and trees growing all
over the place.
In the end, that fervent,
artistic individuality
prevailed.
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Even
though threatened by
overdevelopment, Carmel accommodates many
visitors. There are nearly 2,000 hotel
rooms, and more than 30 Bed and Breakfast
Inns. Their trademark is an unspoken
elegance, and homeyness. It's a
comfortable, close-knit town with
everything in walking distance ... and
full of outstanding galleries and very
special restaurants.
Per
capita, Carmel likely has more great
places to eat than anywhere else in the
world. French cuisine with a fireplace,
courtyard fountains, and, well, the list
is practically endless and exquisite. And,
don't forget the pubs ... there are at
least half a dozen of them in Carmel. Have
you tried a lobster tamale?
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Carmel's
artist colony history is legion in the
annals of bohemia. Since World War II, the
atmosphere has become sedate in
comparison, and rarefied in tone. But the
tradition as a great place to create art
carries on. And, even though there are
mostly very commercial artists here now,
many enclaves of treasures can be
found.
A good starting place is the Carmel Art
Association on Dolores between 5th and
6th. Everything east and south of there
drips with art for several blocks.
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