A Weekend Getaway in Monterey

The weekend after my birthday, Alex and I took a road trip to Monterey for a quick getaway. We started with a lunch stop in Moss Landing at Phil’s Fish Market & Eatery.

Next, a visit to Pacific Grove and heir Monarch butterfly sanctuary. We spotted a few up in the trees, but Monarch counts have been declining in California for years now.

Exploring tide pools at Asilomar Beach.

Little hermit crabs! And a collection of tiny treasures found on the beach.

A majestic egret.

Over at Lover’s Point: a seagull with polka dot tail feathers. And squirrels that are too used to being fed by humans.

Then it was time for my surprise birthday dinner over in Carmel! Aubergine, a one-star Michelin restaurant in the L’Auberge hotel.

I loved that many of the bites were inspired by the sea with locally foraged elements.

Dungeness crab! With caviar and little oyster leaves.

Crab beignets

They showed us the way they cooked the next dish with buddha’s hand fruit before then presenting the plated versions (the first small photo below).

So many delicious dishes! I was stuffed. And delighted.

Next morning, game day for the 49ers, the finals before the Superbowl. We had breakfast at Cafe Lumiere, which is attached to a cute movie theater.

A little outing to Garrapata State Park. Where the waves were crashing violently that day!

Love the California coast.

And finally, a little jaunt around downtown Carmel before settling in to niners game.

Such a wonderful weekend in Monterey! Thank you Alex!

Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco. She creates beautiful, soft, and timeless imagery while capturing the most fleeting of moments. View her work at annawu.com, follow her daily adventures on instagram, and contact her to book your own session today.