Cannery Row

We decided to walk a mile west of here into Pacific Grove to buy a few things in that town that originally began as a Methodist retreat center.

We returned to Monterey by way of Cannery Row, a slum area made famous by the American novelist John Steinbeck. The sardine canning industry came to Monterey early in the 20th century when Japanese fish canners moved their operations from Point Lobos to the rocky coast of Monterey and Pacific Grove. Shortly after that many Portuguese fisherman who had been involved in the sardine canning industry in their homeland found jobs here as well. In Steinbeck’s time, even though Cannery Row was busy making money, it was rough. For many of the workers, the fish canneries were their only option for employment.

When we were here in the early 1970s, Cannery Row was no longer busy. Only one cannery, the Hovden Cannery, was still operating. Giant, empty hulks of fish processing factories still lined the mile-long coastal expanse connecting Monterey and Pacific Grove.

Since then, however, these factories have become shabbily-chic. Their reincarnations hold upscale restaurants and boutiques. New hotels gleam on the sunny beaches, and a new aquarium, in cooperation with the Scripps Oceanographic Institute, not only invites tourists to come and observe sea life, but also to learn about the crucial role the oceans play in regulating the weather of our planet.

It didn’t take long for our walk to take us onto Old Fishermans Wharf in Monterey. First, we located the boat taking us whale watching tomorrow. Then we shared a lunch of fish and chips. While we ate our meal, we looked out into Monterey Bay and saw porpoises, seals, sea lions, and a few Risso dolphins enjoying their seafood as much as we were enjoying ours.

As we walked along the Coast Guard pier, we recalled the happy days when this pier provided much of our weekend entertainment. Most Saturday and Sunday afternoons we would simply come down to the wharf, watch the antics of the seals and sea otters, and gaze admiringly at sailboats as they returned on Saturday evenings from their day in Monterey Bay.

It was a good time in our lives, and it is good to remember. Even so, back then we never imagined the course our lives together would follow for the next fifty-four years. What a trip it has been! We wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.Read more