A Weekend in Carmel-by-the-Sea 🏡

Carmel is a charming area on California’s Monterey Peninsula. The part most visitors love is known as Carmel-by-the-Sea 🎨🌿. Driving from the South Bay on weekends often means some traffic on Highway 17 or Highway 1 🚗💨. By the time you arrive around noon, it’s time for lunch! I highly recommend Flaherty's Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar 🦞🍽️. The place has a cool vintage vibe with reasonable prices—around $50 per person. The hostess’s t-shirt caught my eye: “Live longer, love longer, last longer” 😄❤️. We ordered: Seafood Paella: Soft and tender (not Valencia-style, but perfect for Asian taste buds!) Grilled Oysters: Large and topped with spinach and garlic—so flavorful 🧄🔥 Cod Omelette: Delicate and moist inside 🍳🐟 All three dishes were generous in portion and delicious! 📍 Address: Corner of Dolores & 6th Avenue, Carmel-by-the-Sea Fun fact: None of the houses here have numbered addresses! The artists who founded the town decided against it 🎨🤷‍♂️. Flaherty’s opens at 11:30 AM and stays busy past noon. If you want to avoid waiting, come early or after 1 PM ⏳. Also found a cute shop with Jellycat toys—finally got to touch a chameleon plush! 🦎🌼 (Look for the big sunflower in the window!) This weekend, there was a sports car show in Monterey & Pebble Beach 🏎️💨. Even the streets of Carmel were lined with Ferraris and Lamborghinis… But honestly? Now that I’m in my 40s, I’d rather get a pickup truck 🛻, tow a small RV, go fishing by a lake, run with my dog, and live a quiet life 🎣🐕🌲. #Carmel #CarmelByTheSea #WeekendInBayArea #Monterey #TravelDiary #FoodieFind #SeafoodLover #CaliforniaLife