Point Lobos State Park

Last weekend my boyfriend and I visited Carmel-by-the-Sea for a quick trip up the coast to celebrate our two-year anniversary.  While there's a few things I don't like about living in Santa Barbara, I do love its proximity to other beautiful beach towns on the Central Coast.  When my boyfriend suggested we go to Carmel, I initially wasn't interested (I lobbied hard for a return visit to the rugged intersection of forest, granite, and ocean in Big Sur).  Carmel's reputation of ritzy, quaint town south of Monterey seemed geared more towards the bourgey population of Silicon Valley and the Bay Area than two recent college grads who usually stay in hostels.  And while the town did retain that vibe (with plenty of Bentleys and a Louis Vuitton store), I loved its accessibility to the glory of Highway 1 (and accompanying beaches, state parks, etc.).  After a morning wandering around the storybook town, we headed straight over to Point Lobos State Park for some hiking and picnic-ing and photography.

My favorite in Point Lobos was China Cove (currently closed off, inhabited by a seal while we were there) and Gibson Beach.  The white sand (entirely exotic to this Southern California native) and turquoise water seem like they were transplanted from some island in the South Pacific and planted among the cold, tumultuous ocean and rocky outposts in Northern California.  Gibson Beach, the larger cove of the two, was empty minus Zack and me and a few seals swimming offshore, making for the perfect spot for a picnic.  I'm curious if (or how) crowded it gets in July... I will admit I'm willing to trade colder weather for a white sand beach for myself.

Final verdict on Carmel-by-the-Sea?  Despite my initial concern, the proximity to Point Lobos and 17 Mile Drive, Monterey, and its lack of the nausea-inducing drive to get there all make Carmel a new favorite weekend getaway for me (though Big Sur still holds the number 1 spot!).