Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
San Juan Bautista is on Hwy 156, a few miles east of Hwy 101, about a 20-minute drive
south of Gilroy. Further south, Hwy 101 enters the sun-dappled eucalyptus grove that
James Stewart and Kim Novak drove through in
Vertigo
.
Salinas
Best known as the birthplace of John Steinbeck and nicknamed the 'Salad Bowl of the
World,' Salinas is a working-class agricultural center with down-and-out streets. It makes
a thought-provoking contrast with the affluence of the Monterey Peninsula, a fact of life
that helped shape Steinbeck's novel
East of Eden
. Historic downtown stretches along Main
St, with the National Steinbeck Center capping off its northern end.
Sights
National Steinbeck Center
MUSEUM
( 831-775-4721;
www.steinbeck.org
; 1 Main St; adult/child 6-12yr/youth 13-17yr $15/6/8;
10am-5pm; )
This museum will interest almost anyone, even if you don't know a lick about Salinas'
Nobel Prize-winning native son, John Steinbeck (1902-68), a Stanford University dro-
pout. Tough, funny and brash, he portrayed the troubled spirit of rural, working-class
Americans in novels such as
The Grapes of Wrath
. Interactive, kid-accessible exhibits and
short video clips chronicle the writer's life and works in an engaging way. Gems include
Rocinante, the camper in which Steinbeck traveled around the USA while researching
Travels with Charley
.
Take a moment and listen to Steinbeck's Nobel acceptance speech - it's grace and
power combined. Temporary exhibitions cover anything from agricultural history and
political activism to California landscape photography.
Steinbeck House
HISTORIC BUILDING
(
831-424-2735;
www.steinbeckhouse.com
;
132 Central Ave; tour $10;
restaurant 11:30am-2pm
Tue-Sat, gift shop 11am-3pm Tue-Sat)
