Seconds With Steff

If you know me — or have read past blogs — you know I love Carmel-by-the-Sea. This adorable village feels like it magically stepped off the pages of a childhood storybook. It’s a delightful blend of easy-breezy West Coast vibes with a Hamptons-chic kicker… but in the best way. Welcoming to all visitors, I’ve been to this sleepy town twice before, so with the aquarium not opening until 10:00 a.m., I started the day by taking Hunter to a little restaurant I’ve always wanted to visit but never had time for.

I give you: The Tuck Box.

With the soft notes of “Blackbird,” “Say a Little Prayer,” and “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” playing in the background, Hunter ordered the waffle, and I went for the homemade scone service. Not quite a scone — more like a Johnnycake — it came with olallieberry jam, marmalade, and a generous portion of clotted cream. It was delicious… and oddly, completely reasonably priced at $10 with unlimited coffee.

Hunter indulged my need to explore and show him the rest of this fairytale town — but somehow, I don’t think it holds quite the same enchantment for him as it does for me.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is now officially my second favorite aquarium — and that’s saying something. Built on the footprint of an old sardine factory, the very one Cannery Row in Monterey is famous for thanks to John Steinbeck, every turn held a new surprise.

It’s staffed incredibly well, with passionate, knowledgeable employees who clearly love what they do. And the exhibits… they’re not your typical shark tank setups. If you ever go, get there for opening. Hunter and I practically had free range of the Open Sea exhibit, and I got some really lovely pictures of him. Not twenty minutes later, the floor was packed — cross-legged littles watching the water in front of them while their bigs stood behind, mesmerized. We never would’ve gotten up close like we did if we’d been even five minutes later.

Outside, on the bay side of the aquarium, binoculars were provided — and free monoculars too (because really, who has a quarter?). A kids’ scuba diving class was in full swing, and to top it off, there was an art exhibit made entirely from ocean trash… heartbreakingly beautiful.

Hunter, I stopped at a bunch of vista points along the way — including the obligatory stop at Bixby Bridge. While we were there, I bought a print from an artist who was painting right on site. It felt like capturing a piece of the moment to take home.

There’s a moment, as you drive south into Big Sur, when the bright and sunny gives way to shadow. Enormous trees loom overhead, and just south of Andrew Molera State Park, you feel the change. The ocean views vanish, and suddenly you slow down — not because of speed limits or hairpin turns, but because the air tells you to. There’s something completely transformative about Big Sur.

The first time I came through in 2019, I vividly remember a young man practically bouncing across the street, barefoot and clearly camping — rushing to the lodge store for something. He felt like the very personification of the area: campgrounds, trails, and breathing fresh air. And I am the last person in the world who wants to stay in a campground, walk a trail, or (dare I say) even breathe in fresh air… but this place makes me want to.

When I was planning my first California trip in 2019, several people told me to go to Nepenthe. My schedule had me passing through too early, so I ended up eating the best breakfast of my life at their Café Kevah. It was so good that in 2022, I drove straight from the San Francisco airport to get the famous Ambrosia Burger — and went back the next morning for the same breakfast. Nepenthe is a Big Sur icon, and the food never disappoints.

I finally stopped at the Henry James Library — a funky little bookstore meets art installation. It’s quirky, unexpected, and exactly the kind of place that makes you slow down and look twice.

I finally stopped at the Henry James Library — a funky little bookstore meets art installation. It’s quirky, unexpected, and exactly the kind of place that makes you slow down and look twice.

In January of 2022, a spot on PCH called Paul’s Slide washed out, and the road had been closed ever since. What did that mean for us? A year’s worth of checking California road conditions and planning a possible detour — one that could stretch anywhere from two to four hours.

At first, Paul’s Slide was supposed to reopen at the end of spring. Then, on the last day of May, CalTrans updated their timeline: mid-July. I crossed my fingers and hoped that gave them a month’s breathing room before I arrived. And it happened! On June 23rd, Paul’s Slide reopened, and I celebrated. So excited… until the following night, when I was trying to nail down timing and Google Maps still showed the area as impassable. I looked again. I had spent so much time focusing on Paul’s Slide, I was blissfully — and heartbreakingly — unaware that Regent’s Slide had fallen this past February. It was, and still is, closed. And just last week, CalTrans halted all work on it while they figure out what to do. So today’s portion of the trip went as far south as McWay Falls, then turned back north to Monterey, detoured onto the 101, and finally reconnected with Route 1 to head north to Ragged Point.

But before we jumped on the 101, we stopped at Lula’s Chocolates. I discovered these morsels back in 2019 at Nepenthe and bought myself three individual caramels. I wish I had bought more. I got another bag in 2022, and today? Two more bags. They’re just that good. The woman working there was absolutely lovely — warm, kind, and a much-needed moment of adult conversation. I didn’t get her name or a photo of the store, but I really hope she somehow reads this tonight, because she was just so, so, so nice. If you’ve never had Lula’s caramel — or even heard of it — click the hyperlink and order it. They ship nationwide, and you will not regret it.

Obviously, the trip down the 101 wasn’t what I had planned, but it was still beautiful — mountains on both sides, and we even passed Andy Boy and Foxy Farms.

In the homestretch of the day, we just needed to get to Ragged Point. When I was researching my first California trip in 2019, I found an art installation called The Portal to Big Sur, located at the Ragged Point Resort. I excitedly stopped, followed a pathway to what looked like a pagoda — assuming the installation would be housed there. But it wasn’t. Disappointed, I continued on. In 2022, I tried again. Same pathway, same pagoda, same result: no Portal. I convinced myself it was gone. That I’d missed it. That I’d never see it. Then, in preparation for this trip, I watched a ton more YouTube. One day, I stumbled upon a video of a woman at Ragged Point, meandering down the same path I’d twice walked. Her camera landed on the empty pagoda… but then she kept going. Twenty or so steps beyond the trees, she found it.

Yes — The Portal to Big Sur.

So even though we took a three-hour detour, we still went north past San Simeon to get to Ragged Point, so I could finally see — with my own two eyes — The Portal to Big Sur.

And now that I’ve finally seen it, I’m morbidly embarrassed by how close I was to the Portal to Big Sur both times I visited. I have no idea how I missed it — because right from the pagoda, there’s no tree line blocking the view. There was one tree. One!

No clue what was wrong with me. I must’ve been so caught up in the idea of where it should be that I missed where it actually was.

With my obsession fed, we headed back down to San Simeon and stopped at the Elephant Seals Vista Point for Hunter — with a few photo ops along the way, of course.

We checked into the hotel, which had a really nice room — spacious, with plenty of floor space to spread out and unwind. After settling in, we headed next door for a delicious dinner that hit the spot after a long, winding day.

Vertullo Summary – Aquarium, Big Sur, and Detour.