Coastal Traveler - Fall 2007 - (Page 43)

Big Sur By Jacoba Charles Big Sur is a series of galleries, restaurants, and hotels strung along Highway One like beads on a flower child’s necklace. Campgrounds are tucked away in redwood canyons, luxurious restaurants adorn the hilltops, and locals are plagued by bashful tourists asking, “Um, where’s Big Sur?” The answer: “You’re in it. You’ve been in it for twenty miles.” For the most part, the 90-mile stretch of coast south of Carmel is empty of development. Big Sur is a geographical region, a community, maybe even a mindset – but it isn’t, in any conventional sense, a town. The main drag is Highway One, and no more than three businesses cluster together in any single spot. Most are separated by several miles of dense forest and hairpin turns that plunge to a rocky seashore. Seductive glimpses of the ocean appear and disappear, swaths of blue far below precipitous cliffs. It is a rugged, beautiful landscape that has captured the hearts and imaginations of artists, intellectuals, locals, and visitors. The name Big Sur is rumored to have come from the time when the area was an unexplored wilderness known as El Sur Grande (the big south). It remained uninhabited until the late 1800’s, and the population reached its peak at the turn of the century when loggers came to harvest redwoods. Writers and artists such as Henry Miller, Richard Brautigan, and Jack Kerouac rediscovered the area, giving the place a reputation as a bastion of creativity. If the artists passing through are of the starving variety, they may find difficulty making ends meet. Cheap food and lodging are essentially nonexistent, the nearest grocery store is in Carmel, and locals are finding affordable housing in increasingly short supply. But for those who have the cash, or who want to spoil themselves for a weekend, this is one of the best places to go. Rent a room in the television-free Deetjens Inn, a landmark that is rustic and charming. Or, for those with a more modern design sensibility, try the hilltop Post Ranch Inn. Both offer top notch, in-house dining, as does the Ventana. Be sure not to miss the food and atmosphere at the Big Sur Bakery, which serves savory dinners as well as freshly baked pastries and breads. Carmel-by-the-Sea Where to Stay Post Ranch Inn 831.667.2200 • www.postranchinn.com Deetjens Inn 831.667.2200 or 831.667.2377 Ventana Inn and Spa 831.667.2331 • www.ventanainn.com Where to Eat The Big Sur Bakery 831.667.0520 • www.bigsurbakery.com Fernwood 831.667.2129 • www.fernwoodbigsur.com Nepenthe 831.667.2345 • www.nepenthebigsur.com fall coastaltraveler 43 http://www.postranchinn.com http://www.ventanainn.com http://www.bigsurbakery.com http://www.fernwoodbigsur.com http://www.nepenthebigsur.com

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Coastal Traveler - Fall 2007 Coastal Contents Coastal Connoisseur Coastal Picks Coastal Hotel Coastal Reader Coastal Rider Coastal Spa Santa Barbara Pismo & Avila San Luis Obispo Big Sur Carmel Monterey Santa Cruz San Francisco Sausalito Mill Valley Stinson Beach Bolinas Olema Point Reyes Station San Geronimo Fairfax Inverness Marshall, Tomales Sebastopol Petuluma Sonoma Coast Redwood Coast Napa Map

Coastal Traveler - Fall 2007

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