Monterey 2000

While at a conference in Monterey, I took a few occasional breaks from the lectures and exhibits to do some transit riding.

Monterey-Salinas Transit is a well used bus system, although it is expensive. The base fare is $1.50, which must be paid again for each zone entered. For example Salinas and the North County are in different zones. (On this trip, I only rode in the Monterey zone). Fortunately, a $3.00 day pass ($6 for one covering all of the zones) takes some of the sting out of the high fares.

20 Salinas-Monterey

I boarded the #20 at Monterey Plaza, around 11:45 a.m. We left about 1/3 full (including one person who was trying to catch the Amtrak Coast Starlight in Salinas), but picked up more passengers along Del Monte Ave.

The first major stop was at the "Edgewater Transit Exchange", a small transit center adjacent to a big-box shopping center. Then came a quick trip on a freeway (CA-1) to our next major stop, Marina Transit Center (really, just some street stops, on both sides of a narrow street). I got off here, while the bus continued on to Salinas.

Nothing much here but a couple of strip malls. I had lunch in a Mexican restaurant in one of them, then took the #20 back to Monterey.

4 (or 5) to Carmel

Later that day, I took either #4 or #5 from Monterey to Carmel. There was a standing load all the way to the Del Monte Shopping Center just south of Downtown, then the load was probably about 1/2 full.

Carmel is one of those expensive little towns that thinks quite highly of itself. Even the bus stop signs are these fancy wooden jobs...I walked around there for an hour or so, then took the bus back to Monterey.

Asilomar (#1) and Pacific Grove (#2)

I took an early morning ride on the #1, which passes by the Aquarium on its way to Pacific Grove. Since I was riding in the direction opposing traffic, the bus was lightly loaded.

This particular bus run looped around near the Pt Pinos Lighthouse and Lovers Point. I got off at Fountain/Lighthouse, in downtown Pacific Grove, and waited for the #2

There weren't too many other passengers on the #2 until we ran along David and Pine, when we started to pick up a large number of high school students. This route also passes by the Presidio and the Defense Language Institute, before heading into Downtown Monterey.


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