Carmel-by-the-Sea

Lots of folks outside California know little about Carmel-by-the-Sea, and no wonder. It’s not a big place to start with, with less than 4,000 residents. Even people who know the area are more familiar with neighboring Monterey and nearby Big Sur. But Carmel-by-the-Sea has a reputation in the world of arts and travel that’s way more influential than its size might indicate.

Although it’s officially not quite 100 years old Carmel (as it’s usually known) has drawn the glitterati of theatre, art, and literature since the beginning. Some of the notables who’ve called the city home include: Jean Arthur, Clint Eastwood, Sinclair Lewis, Upton Sinclair (am I the only one who still gets those two confused?), Robinson Jeffers, Beverly Cleary, Doris Day, James Ellroy, Joan Fontaine, Robert Heinlein, and Lincoln Steffens.

Visit Carmel now and you’ll see a quaint town which Travel & Leisure has named the #3 city for Romance in the World. And that Conde Nast Traveler called the #6 Travel Destination in the U.S. You’ll have the chance to experience a wine tasting, maybe attend the Art & Film Festival or the Bach Festival, and visit the historic Carmel Mission. Or you could just sit on a white sand beach and watch the sun set over the Pacific. Yeah, you could just do that. All the rest is…by the sea.