🇺🇸 Carmel/Monterey Long Weekend Day Trip

Route: Bay Area → Lunch at Pacific’s Edge → Point Lobos → Carmel Beach → Monterey Bay Aquarium → Dinner at Sardine Factory → Back to Bay Area The Bay Area’s "backyard" was packed over the long weekend! I’ve been to Carmel a few times, so this time I focused more on exploring Monterey. 🍽️ Food: ▫️ Pacific’s Edge – The view was absolutely breathtaking 🌊🏞️ Although the restaurant wasn’t full at lunch, the service was slow. My Coke was mistakenly refilled with iced tea 😅 The cioppino was tasty, but the seafood wasn’t the freshest. Menu options were limited. ▫️ Sardine Factory – Pricier but excellent service 👏 The ambiance was romantic — perfect for a date! 💑 You can request to sit in the glass-enclosed garden room. Their "world-famous" abalone bisque 🥣 was reportedly served at a presidential inauguration. The oysters were super fresh 🦪, and the Chilean sea bass with a slightly sweet crust was a hit — my parents loved it! 🌊 Activities: ▫️ Carmel Beach – A familiar spot with fairly clean white sand 🏖️. Dog-friendly — had a blast playing in the water with my pup 🐕💦 ▫️ Point Lobos – No dogs allowed in the park to protect the ecology 🚫🐕. We went in the afternoon — the sea lions were lounging on distant rocks, so they were hard to see 🦭👀. Also visited China Cove — scenery was just okay for me. ▫️ Monterey Bay Aquarium – Has several beautiful photo spots 📸✨ Very relaxing and therapeutic. #WeekendGetaway #BayAreaWeekends