Around Town delivering information to the masses has evolved greatly since the days of The Pony Express and the telegraph. Today we send our daily blog digitally on invisible waves so that Monterey County residents and visitors are informed (although you can still pick up a print copy of the Monterey County Weekly every Thursday). You get Monterey County news from us when you want it: Now. BEST CLERGY Fr. Peter Crevello St. Angela Merici Catholic Church, 146 8th St., Pacific Grove (831) 655-4160, stangelamericipacificgrove.org America’s Last Hometown may sound like a desolate place on the western frontier, the sort of outpost where you might find Tuco from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly asking, “Why, if you work for a living, do you kill yourself working?” But Pacific Grove, the town boasting this hometown motto, aims for something more quaint and welcoming than its spaghetti Westernlike moniker. In fact, “welcoming” is the word used over and over to describe St. Angela’s parish in P.G.— and Father Peter Crevello. When you’re looking for a place to rest your steed and answer life’s big questions, consider this year’s Best Clergy. BEST BUSINESS SIGN Other Brother Beer Co. 877 Broadway Ave., Seaside (831) 747-1106, otherbrotherbeer.com Other Brother’s sign isn’t something fabricated in a shop, nor is it stuck on the facade or attached to a pole. It’s as bare bones as it gets—just the brewery’s name painted in white at the top of the building’s gray exterior, each letter accompanied by a small shadow of black paint around its edges. It’s like a step back in time, when a woodframe shop would pronounce “Dry Goods” or “Saloon” on the facade. Today we call that “simple elegance,” an artistic expression of Seaside’s vibe, where there are scores of nearby car dealerships and auto mechanic shops. BEST NEON SIGN Old Fisherman’s Grotto 39 Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey (831) 375-4604, oldfishermansgrotto.com By the time the Palace Hotel in Eureka Springs advertised steam heat and one of those newfangled electric light bulbs in every room, the frontier of legend had come to its close. So why bring up an Arkansas bordello built in 1901? Well, in the 1940s, the first neon light west of the Mississippi was installed there. But it was nothing compared to the bright, promising colors of the sign at Old Fisherman’s Grotto. The sign beckons to you. And inside awaits some of the finest seafood on the Peninsula. BEST HOTEL Bernardus Lodge & Spa 415 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley (831) 298-5389, bernarduslodge.com Why were young men going west so eager to get the hell out of Dodge? It’s because the stagecoach dumped them off at some rickety hotel where the best they could hope for was a lumpfree mattress. But if Dodge City had a luxurious retreat like Bernardus Lodge & Spa back then, no one would have left. Suites and private villas, soaking tubs, heated floors, vineyards and gardens, croquet (Billy the Kid was a fan of the game), one of the finest restaurants and bars—there’s no real reason to leave, until you run out of vacation days. BEST EVENT OR FESTIVAL Monterey Jazz Festival One weekend in September at Monterey County Fair and Event Center, Monterey (831) 373-3366, montereyjazzfestival.org Just like Gunsmoke’s 20-year run from 1955-1975 made it television’s longest-running Western, ever since jazz impresario and DJ Jimmy Lyons planted the seed for this gig in 1955— when he booked piano legend Erroll Garner into his Jazz at Sunset series in Carmel—this festival has become the granddaddy of all jazz fests, running continuously since 1958 until now. It’s multiple stages are full of celebrated old-timers and emerging genre-benders. No wonder our readers find it the best. BEST PLACE TO DRINK NEXT TO A CELEBRITY Mission Ranch 26270 Dolores St., Carmel (831) 624-6436, missionranchcarmel.com It doesn’t hurt that one of the biggest stars of Westerns, Clint Eastwood, 18 BEST OF MONTEREY COUNTY® 2024 montereycountynow.com/bestof The SPCA Benefit Shop helps animals rescued by your local, independent SPCA Monterey County. ’24 Thank You For Voting the SPCA BENEFIT SHOP BEST ECO FRIENDLY BUSINESS SPCA Benefit Shop 26364 Carmel Rancho Lane, Carmel (near the Barnyard Shopping Village) Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun Noon-4pm (831) 624.4211 Donate and shop at the SPCA Benefit shop and help the pets and wildlife who depend on your love. Everything we do is only made possible by you! Thanks forvoTing farm bureau besT ag business associaTion keeping farmers growing since 1917 San Carlos at Ninth Avenue Sunset Center, Carmel-by-the-Sea 831-625-5181 | www.photography.org Wednesday - Sunday 12-4pm Stop by and enjoy a variety of exhibitions throughout the year. Visit our website to learn about CPA’s many online offerings.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==