While I realize the intent of this travel review, I ask that the Times reconsider publishing pictures of farmworkers without acknowledging their important role in our local economy.
4
No mention of the Steinbeck House restaurant in Salinas. His birth home, now a restaurant of donated produce and proceeds to non profit group.
1
If you're a fan of Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley", follow his camper tracks up to nearby Fremont Peak and see the view of "the great Salinas Valley" that he saw. I've been there twice, once at dusk. Take your copy of the book with you. His brief description of his "formal and sentimental" visit there was (to me) some of the best stuff he ever wrote.
2
I can only imagine the amount of pesticide drift in the air around Salinas, sounds like a laboratory for Monsanto & Dow. No thanks!
3
The pesticide, along with exhaust from the steady truck traffic on Highway 101, gets blown out of the valley by winds from the Monterey Bay, our natural air conditioner. That's how Salinas regularly lands on the American Lung Association's list of "Cleanest Cities."
3
Actually, organic is a well-respected part of the local ag community and is growing every year. Don't let the cowboy hats and muddy boots fool you. Salinas Valley farmers are some of the most resourceful, innovative, and tech savvy in the world.
3
I had a wonderful time in Salinas. I stayed in Carmel Valley. I took a Road Scholar Tour. We had a man portray John Steinbeck and he took us to the John Steinbeck Museum in Salinas which was fantastic. I came home and had to read East of Eden which I highly recommend to everyone. It was so much better than the 1955 movie with James Dean and Jo Van Fleet. We also went to Cannery Row and I had to read that book. He aso came back one day as Jack London who also lived in that area. While there in Monterrey we went to one of the biggest aquariums in the world, Monterrey Aquarium. Outside one sees the Sea Lions and Otters and unusual birds. Another great experience was going to Point Lobos. It is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been. I recommend this trip to everyone.
1
i was driving around back around 1990, i think it was, and realized i was near salinas and decided to go see what the town had related to steinbeck. i walked in a bookstore, and they didn't have any of his books, which was obvious heresy. i'm glad to see his hometown is more visibly appreciative now.
Kind of strange that Steinbeck's truck is there. As readers of the book know, he was living in New York at the time, and had been for years. The trip started and ended in New York. At the end he makes a wrong turn in Manhattan and when stopped by a cop comments on his frustration on getting lost in his home town! By rights the truck should be exhibited someplace in the New York area.
On the Intrepid aircraft carrier.
When I lived on the Central Coast, including Monterey, in the early 2000s, I frequently drove Highway 101, the valley's main artery, between Paso Robles and San Francisco. Along certain stretches near Salinas, the smell of pesticides was overwhelming. It was heartbreaking to see the hundreds of Mexican and Mexican-American farm workers bent over the rows of produce in the intense heat or chilling fog in the "lush fields." Not that I did anything to help improve their lives, but I think it's shameful to mention these laborers only in passing in this perky, out-of-touch and at times misleading article. The very few "upscale" restaurants in Salinas, and the ridiculously expensive ones in Carmel and Monterey, are built on the backs of the people who do the hard, dirty work of actually growing the fine ingredients adored by chefs and diners. Earning extremely meager wages, they generally endure terrible housing - some of which is regularly poisoned by pesticides. Yet these men, women and children have always been central in the Valley's vibrant culture - not to mention its economy. To (prematurely) celebrate the "transformation" of Salinas and the Valley into charming and scenic tourist destinations while leaving the farm workers out of the picture is to celebrate the growing gap between the Valley's classes and races. Salinas had a long way to go.
11
Hometown boy from Hyde Park/Poughkeepsie to now Monterey. Love the Hudson Valley (remember many apple fights in FDR's orchards) , love the Salinas Valley & Monterey the salad bowl of the world!!
2
I went to his home in Hyde Park. Tour guide said that when the rare person who didn't know him asked what he did, he said he was a tree farmer, and that he truly believed it.
check out Anderson Lake, Bill, it's overflowing, a waterfall I'd never seen way above a washout near the iron bridge, it looks great, I was there Sunday.
My first visions of Salinas was in the early seventies, when I was involved in the early plantings of grapevines. Salinas, Gonzales, Greenfield, Soledad, Arroya Seco brought back many happy memories. We were planting forty acres of vineyard in a single day! Glad to see Dan Lee is still at it at Morgan. His Sauvigon Blancs were spectaular.
The Salinas Valley has a special nature all of its own. The Mexican people really made it the salad bowl of America. The kindness shown to me in those days will always be remembered.
However, I was really disappointed that the writer had to mention Carmel as the only place of worth for lodging and dining. That world is much farther than the forty minute drive from South Salinas. Carmel is overdone, over crowded, over expensive, and no longer the gem it was when Forge in the Forest really was a forge in the forest.
The Salinas Valley has a special nature all of its own. The Mexican people really made it the salad bowl of America. The kindness shown to me in those days will always be remembered.
However, I was really disappointed that the writer had to mention Carmel as the only place of worth for lodging and dining. That world is much farther than the forty minute drive from South Salinas. Carmel is overdone, over crowded, over expensive, and no longer the gem it was when Forge in the Forest really was a forge in the forest.
5
Thanks to all the commenters here who told the real story of Salinas for those of us non-foodies who aren't interested in expensive meals, expensive hotels and expensive farm tours.
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All you need to do is go one block behind the tourist shops and you get a glimpse of how miserable the grape and strawberry pickers live. Thats what these tourists need to focus on after they have devoured there label crazy dinners.
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And that's where the problem of this article lies. It's a not a particularly insightful one. Quite superficial.
1
We often go to Salinas on business, and we are very fond of an old-fashioned steak house called "Grower's Pub" on Monterey St. in downtown. They have excellent, friendly service and very good food. The manager, Victor, works hard to make sure everyone feels welcomed.
3
When I lived in Carmel/Pacific Grove, and worked in Monterey, in the early/mid-70s, some of us used to go often to Salinas--long called "America's salad bowl"--for lunch at Rosita's Armory Cafe. If that is gone, which I suspect from this article it is, then my next visit to Salinas will be like going to another place--one Steinbeck would not have recognized.
1
Rosita's Armory Cafe is as you remember, and Salinas is still a place you and Steinbeck would recognize, both downtown and in the surrounding fields and foothills.
2
Rosita's is still here.
Rositas is still in business where it has always been, across the street from the old Armory building. Looks the same as it did 30 years ago. Salinas has managed to keep a lot of its "old" while adding the new. And even though Monterey County boasts over 400 types of crops, and strawberries have taken the lead, Salinas remains The Salad Bowl of the World.
I suppose it would have been a bummer to mention it takes more than 5 gallons of water to grow one head of broccoli in a drought-ridden California. Or maybe to mention that the farm workers risk deportation in TrumpWorld. You'd need another glass of pinot to swallow that.
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It's true that our ag is heavily dependent on water from underground aquifers. Each field has a permanent pump to supply the irrigation pipes that are laid out and picked up for each crop. Last year Monterey Co. voters passed a fracking ban, the defendants claimed "we hardly frack at all in Monterey County". We decided risking our ag industry for so little return was a bad idea. By the way, there's some promising new research on water management in fields: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/01/12/509179190/as-rains-soak-c...
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You're right. However, to be fair, on the water consumption topic, we'd need to include that animal AG in the state (unknown statistics for this specific region) uses up more water than that and even more so than almond growers. People here sure do enjoy "their" meat, dairy and seafood products so much so that it's challenging to find a decent plant based meal (and/or organic) at a restaurant. Surrounded by vast growing fields, it's quite ironic.
1
Having grown up in Marina in the 70s/80s, the verdant fields of Salinas were - in my mind's eye - very much a part of the landscape of my youth. My mother worked the graveyard shift at various canning factories when I was a kid so I recall the many drives through the lettuce, strawberry, etc. fields along Blanco or Davis to collect her paycheck at the factory. Every now and then we'd get the special treat of driving through the fields to go to Northridge Mall to buy something - so for me, the feeling of passing the fields in Steinbeck Country evoke fond memories of my youth.
Anyone who is a local in the area can prob almost smell in their mind the various vegetable fields that they pass along Highway 1...the brussel sprouts just outside Marina, artichokes in Castroville, the strawberries in Watsonville. Each distinct smell tells you whether you are getting closer or farther away from home.
Salinas has had a rough going in the past couple decades: I am happy to hear that the outside world is learning of it's resurgence.
Anyone who is a local in the area can prob almost smell in their mind the various vegetable fields that they pass along Highway 1...the brussel sprouts just outside Marina, artichokes in Castroville, the strawberries in Watsonville. Each distinct smell tells you whether you are getting closer or farther away from home.
Salinas has had a rough going in the past couple decades: I am happy to hear that the outside world is learning of it's resurgence.
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We lived in an unincorporated area of Hwy 68 off of River Rd for 15 years before we moved back to So Cal. Loved the area. I should mention 2 restaurants equally popular right in Salinas both owned by the same family- Angelina's Pizzeria and Gino's. I was also surprised there was no mention of Monterey and Cannery Row which perhaps have a closer tie to Steinbeck than Carmel does.
3
I've been visiting Salinas frequently for +3 decades to see family and always enjoyed the low key serenity of the area. The relocation of the Taylor headquarter was the best thing to happen to downtown Salinas in giving the town back for residents to enjoy. The shame in that Steinbeck museum was underutilized since it's opening, but I certainly hope this new change would draw more visitor to an underappreciated, yet much-needed part of the country in supplying our food chain. At the same time, I cross my fingers that it will not spoil another gem as happened to many other places once it is 'discovered' by outsiders. Let's hope the charm of Salinas remains, especially with the illegal immigrant witch hunt that will no doubt affect a place like Salinas, as they contribute a huge part to the essence of the area.
4
We live near the Salinas Valley and town of Salinas. What is not mentioned in this article is the old town of Salinas is surrounded by huge shopping malls, truck sales lots, parking lots and very ugly new developments. One has to drive thru and past the malls and there are not just one or two to get to downtown Salinas. The huge fields acre after acre of crops and strawberries stretch out for miles outside of town.
Another sad fact about Salinas is violence. Shootings are not unusual. The public school system is below par.
We are thrilled by the towns inner renewal, but the development around Salinas is ugly in the extreme.
Another sad fact about Salinas is violence. Shootings are not unusual. The public school system is below par.
We are thrilled by the towns inner renewal, but the development around Salinas is ugly in the extreme.
7
Salinas in the 70s was a great town. My mom lived there having bought a house there in the mid-seventies. My mom was a frustrated writer in love with John Steinbeck. Every time we took a particular shortcut from Salinas to Monterey she would point out a two story Victorian house in the middle of nowhere and said "John Steinbeck lived there." And I mean every single time.
Hartnell College offered an english class on John Steinbeck. So she enrolled. She loved it. She ended up taking several classes at Hartnell. It motivated her to finished the degree she started in 1951. Thirty years later, after having dropped out of UCLA in her junior year, she graduated from UC Santa Cruz.
My mom is buried in Salinas, along with one of my sisters. She loved the area. My other sister moved to Monterey.
But Mother you are right about the violence. It's why my mom moved in the mid-nineties. The gangs were out of control. Downtown was not safe. I hope the City has changed. Salians can be a really cool place to hang out.
Hartnell College offered an english class on John Steinbeck. So she enrolled. She loved it. She ended up taking several classes at Hartnell. It motivated her to finished the degree she started in 1951. Thirty years later, after having dropped out of UCLA in her junior year, she graduated from UC Santa Cruz.
My mom is buried in Salinas, along with one of my sisters. She loved the area. My other sister moved to Monterey.
But Mother you are right about the violence. It's why my mom moved in the mid-nineties. The gangs were out of control. Downtown was not safe. I hope the City has changed. Salians can be a really cool place to hang out.
2
Northridge Mall, Harden Ranch, and Davis Road's strip malls may not offer anything to land Salinas in the NYTimes Travel Section, but Salinas is a practical place that strives for the farm, tourism, and service-sector workers who actually live there. (I write "strives" rather than "functions" b/c it could do a lot better.) Its beauty comes from a relatively compact valley that holds the factory in the fields. Salinas isn't a city that exists for people who do not actually live there. For that, there's the Monterey Peninsula.
3
Salinas Valley, Carmel, Monterrey, Big Sur were all candy stores for the brain to this lit minor way back in the day.
Merci beau for the good memories brought up...
Stanford '67
Merci beau for the good memories brought up...
Stanford '67
7
No one has mentioned one of California's best events every July: The state rodeo, in Salinas, beginning with a parade of horses and rodeo riders from Old Town Salinas to the county fairgrounds (Salinas is the seat of Monterey Co.)
Trivia: California has the most Native Americans, and the most cowboys, of any state except where many Californians came from: Oklahoma. Of course we have the most surfers of anywhere, tout la monde.
Trivia: California has the most Native Americans, and the most cowboys, of any state except where many Californians came from: Oklahoma. Of course we have the most surfers of anywhere, tout la monde.
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To work up an appetite or walk off calories, there are some pretty good places to hike near Salinas as well. The trails at Ft. Ord Nat'l Monument (Hwy 68 x Reservation Rd) offer overlooks of Salinas and the west end of the Salinas Valley.
Toro County Park, a couple miles further up Hwy 68, has a network of trails through the oaks and fields of an old ranch. It's a bucolic setting.
The Pinnacles, 13 miles east of Soledad, is the ultimate (apparently there is reason for its name). It is a National Monument, the remains of half of a mountain (the other half is on the other side of the San Andreas fault about 400 miles south near Lancaster) with spectacular scenery. The spring wildflowers make it a walking floral display. If you're lucky upon reaching the top, California Condors may be soaring just overhead -- so close you can read the "ID numbers" on their wings.
Toro County Park, a couple miles further up Hwy 68, has a network of trails through the oaks and fields of an old ranch. It's a bucolic setting.
The Pinnacles, 13 miles east of Soledad, is the ultimate (apparently there is reason for its name). It is a National Monument, the remains of half of a mountain (the other half is on the other side of the San Andreas fault about 400 miles south near Lancaster) with spectacular scenery. The spring wildflowers make it a walking floral display. If you're lucky upon reaching the top, California Condors may be soaring just overhead -- so close you can read the "ID numbers" on their wings.
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The Pinnacles has the same topography as Alabama Hills, Calif., on the Nevada side of the Sierra Nevada, and also Valley of Fire, 40 mi. NE from Vegas on I-15, i.e., the ruins of an ancient volcano. Also Joshua Tree.
Mercy Hot Springs near Tres Pinos (bet. Hollister & King City on route 25) is connected to the Pinnacles volcanic ruins. Mt. Lassen in NE California is still an active volcano.
Gunga Din and several Westerns were partly filmed in Alabama Hills.
Mercy Hot Springs near Tres Pinos (bet. Hollister & King City on route 25) is connected to the Pinnacles volcanic ruins. Mt. Lassen in NE California is still an active volcano.
Gunga Din and several Westerns were partly filmed in Alabama Hills.
4
The large vertical rocks, like a torpedo roll stuck on its end - or like Cadillac Ranch - upended by the shifting geologic strata, are "the pinnacles."
2
Pinnacles is now a Nat'l Park.
3
I grew up in Salinas, and still enjoy my visits home. Little did I know how lucky we were to eat produce picked from the field the same day. When we drove south through the valley, Dad would point out the alluvial plain at the base of the mountains at the western edge of the valley... where the vineyards are now. If you visit, go in the spring when the grass is greenest, and take a drive down River Rd. to enjoy the scenery on the way to some great wineries. On Main St. in Old Town, check out The Farmer's Union Pour House-- wonderful atmosphere to take in while you imbibe.
5
I grew up in the Salinas area, have family there, and visit regularly. Recent visits have been a revelation and it has been great to see the residents reinvesting in their city. I highly recommend a visit, the area has much to offer year-round.
2
Salinas and the Salinas Valley from which much of the U.S gets their vegetables is in danger of greater groundwater pollution if oil companies like Chevron, Shell/Exxon get their way...even though Measure Z, an anti-fracking measure passed by a large majority last November. Oil company lawsuits are underway to continue and expand acid well-stimulation (blasting chemicals into the oil shale to extract oil) in wells near the Salinas River. Anti-fracking groups are active in trying to protect our crops from further pollution of the water that is used to grow the food we all consume.
28
Salinas is also quietly becoming an epicenter of commercial cannabis growing in California- many greenhouse acres under cultivation and a lot of it is organic (no public tours yet, though- sorry)...
5
Carmel, not Caramel.
3
The Steinbeck museum is very very very good.
3
Correction: Oldtown Salinas first Starbucks is to open in May. Other neighborhoods have long had Starbucks. And while fine dining has always had a small presence in Salinas, the real reason to be a foodie here is Mexican cuisine.
9
I've been to El Charrito down by the train station, loved it, but no seating. Any other Mexican restaurants I should checkout in and around Salinas?
2
El Zacatecano in the Alisal district for traditional, and Gutierrez Drive In for seafood. Culturas Hidalgo y Oaxaca is a newer joint recommended by my dad. El Charrito, FYI, is genuinely popular with locals for its fresh tortillas. As for food that isn't Mexican, I got one word: tri-tip. But I've never had it in a brick & mortar restaurant; I wait for a high school club or church to tow a truck-sized barrel grill into the parking lot and sell tri tip dinners as a fundraiser.
1
I lived in Salinas in year 2000, taught high school there (Alvarez) and rode my Fiat Spyder and Harley Sportster a lot in Carmel Valley down to Arroyo Seco. The mission at Soledad, Pinnacles East, Moss Landing marina & beach, all were close at hand. Over the back road to San Juan Bautista and its famous mission. T & N the food processor was a key sponsor of many school and community events. River Ranch dressings, and Earthbound Farms, were popular national brands. Trivia: Salinas has no contiguous towns, only county lands, and is encircled by a ring road. Nearby Castroville grows artichokes, Watsonville grows strawberries, Gilroy grows garlic, Monterey grows sardines, Marina is "the wind city," Salinas is lettuce king, and Spreckels is sugar.
On 9/11/01 I drove south to Greenfield to substitute teach, they paid $135/day, a promiscuous amount. I listened to my CD player, not the radio en route. When I got there a great hullaballoo was underway, as if there'd been an earthquake. Then I learned of the Twin Towers reduced to rubble, not far from the loft I lived in on Lafayette Street in 1977. So strange. My 3rd graders, in green uniforms, brown skinned black haired 3rd-generation Mexican-Americans and eager to learn, asked me, "Mister Charles, will the terrorists bomb Greenfield too?" "Only if they hate broccoli," I replied. I saw a few kids perk up at that, an innate aversion to broccoli.
On 9/11/01 I drove south to Greenfield to substitute teach, they paid $135/day, a promiscuous amount. I listened to my CD player, not the radio en route. When I got there a great hullaballoo was underway, as if there'd been an earthquake. Then I learned of the Twin Towers reduced to rubble, not far from the loft I lived in on Lafayette Street in 1977. So strange. My 3rd graders, in green uniforms, brown skinned black haired 3rd-generation Mexican-Americans and eager to learn, asked me, "Mister Charles, will the terrorists bomb Greenfield too?" "Only if they hate broccoli," I replied. I saw a few kids perk up at that, an innate aversion to broccoli.
22
The Bracero Legacy Project knows that the riches of the Salinas Valley are a shared success and experience between all peoples who have worked the lands, the fields. We praise the development of Salinas because we have known for years about the cultural potential of this community, a hallmark of the multicultural California that has given so many a better life.
But we also ask that the inevitable development of this land respect the history of the Valley and acknowledge the multicultural identity that Salinas CA already possesses. The men and women who tend the landscape of the Valley must always be held in the highest regard and should forever be present in the representation of this uniquely Californian culture.
But we also ask that the inevitable development of this land respect the history of the Valley and acknowledge the multicultural identity that Salinas CA already possesses. The men and women who tend the landscape of the Valley must always be held in the highest regard and should forever be present in the representation of this uniquely Californian culture.
15
It's a beautiful place and an interesting alternative to I-5 for those traveling north-south. There also are several California missions near the 101 in the area, including Soledad. And not far are national and state parks for those who enjoy the non-cultivated outdoors. All in all, a worthwhile place to explore. Thank you for the tips on Salinas itself.
6
Also Mission San Miguel, beautifully remodeled and earthquake proof, with lovely gardens and museum with artifacts from the 1700s. Adjacent to 101 between King City and Paso Robles. Post office and restaurant and tavern and gas station in same hamlet. To recoup costs, admission is now charged.
6
Many farms in Salinas are moving toward organic these days. It's a process.
As for our getting our "first Starbucks in May" the author must mean the first Starbucks on that block. Where does the author think the ag folk hang out at 5:30 in the morning?
As for our getting our "first Starbucks in May" the author must mean the first Starbucks on that block. Where does the author think the ag folk hang out at 5:30 in the morning?
2
If you want to attract visitors keep Salinas' unique characteristics. Don't promote art from San Miguel de Allende -- promote local artists. Starbucks? Seriously, a Starbucks would be the last thing I would want to see in Salinas. The Steinbeck "bit" is more powerful than you apparently realize. If you can capture Steinbeck's vision of the region you will be as golden as the sun that shines there.
8
At the Catholic Church on Stone Street, John Steinbeck's childhood home is right behind it. His dad was treasurer of Monterey County.
2
...the city's first Starbuck's is to open in May..." !?? Salinas has had several Starbuck's for many years!!!
1
I believe Earthbound lettuces are also organic
1
Thanks for the lovely article on Salinas. Like many other Californians I've driven by Salinas for years on my way to Monterey and other coastal town. I am planning to stop next time I am out that way.
1
Let me get this straight- this article just gushed over a restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea (Aubergine) where dinner for two with wine and tip is $500? That's obscene. It doesn't matter how good the 'artichokes crusted in coriander seeds' may be- it's still just an artichoke. For what it's worth, I live in Carmel-by-the-Sea and can say unequivocally that you can do better elsewhere. More to the point, if a traveler is really interested in discovering the Salinas Valley, go to a Mexican restaurant.
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It's quite beside the point that one "can do better elsewhere." You could say the same for dozens of San Francisco's $$$ restaurants.
4
Very well said. A locals opinion is real.
3
The opening pages of East of Eden are a love poem to the Valley. My remembrances of the Valley are of driving through while going to CalPoly SLO back in the day. No mention of the winds in the Valley. I remember driving north against a headwind and making all of 45mph in the VW bus.
3
Many afternoons after school I'd ride my Harley down toward Soledad on the back roads, calculating how much face-burn I'd get on the way back from the incessant southerly wind in the afternoon, chill ocean winds pulled 20 miles down valley as the hot air rose from the valley floor. Welcome to Marina, "the wind city," its signs say. The state beach at Marina has a platform for hang-gliders to launch from (and 2 white shark attacks in 5 years.) I still have the 2 wind chimes I bought for my front porch in Salinas 17 years ago.
Caramel?? 2d paragraph from the bottom. Some very nice tasting rooms on River Road on the west side of the Salinas Valley including Hahn, Wrath, Pessagno,Odonata, Puma Road, Scheid and Ventana.
1
Was in butterfly-thick Pacific Grove that history was NOT made when Dr Dos stayed up in his glider above the peninsula when the IBM team came calling wanting DOS for its new RT-PC circa 1981. They left, chagrined, and got in touch with a fella in Seattle who'd dropped out of Harvard and claimed (falsely) to have a workable DOS operating system. The first 1000 employees at that company became millionaires. Can you guess the company's name?
microsoft
2
The Bracero Legacy Project knows that the riches of the Salinas Valley are a shared success and experience between all peoples who have worked the lands, the fields. We praise the development of Salinas because we have known for years about the cultural potential of this community, a hallmark of the multicultural California that has given so many a better life.
But we also ask that the inevitable development of this land respect the history of the Valley and acknowledge the multicultural identity that Salinas CA already possesses. The men and women who tend the landscape of the Valley must always be held in the highest regard and should forever be present in the representation of this uniquely Californian culture.
https://www.facebook.com/BRACEROLEGACY
But we also ask that the inevitable development of this land respect the history of the Valley and acknowledge the multicultural identity that Salinas CA already possesses. The men and women who tend the landscape of the Valley must always be held in the highest regard and should forever be present in the representation of this uniquely Californian culture.
https://www.facebook.com/BRACEROLEGACY
3
Be aware that this area is one of the most heavily pesticided in all of California and that the ag is mostly chemical, not organic.
Morgan's estate wines - from the Double L Estate vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands Appellation - are organically grown. Those the only wines from the area that are grown without chemical pesticides.
Morgan's estate wines - from the Double L Estate vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands Appellation - are organically grown. Those the only wines from the area that are grown without chemical pesticides.
14
Pam, I agree! I lived in the Monterey/Carmel/Salinas area for over 35 years, and the combination of urban sprawl over what used to be the best farm land in the World was horrifying to see.
The article's photo: "Farmworkers in the Fields of Salinas Valley in January" shows people working in a strawberry field. The plastic tarps show that the soli has been sprayed with methol bromyide, a chemical that keeps bugs from blemishing the huge, perfect looking strawberrys - but also absolutely causes Cancer. After a couple of years of spraying methol bromyide on the soil, NOTHING will grow there, and invariably, what was a "strawberry field" will now turn into a subdivision.
Monterey County, of which Salinas is a part, is one of the wealthiest areas in our Nation, yet - the road surfaces are terrible. You would be hard pressed to find worse roads, anywhere.
The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District is one of the most bloated and corrupt organizations you will find, allowing hotels and golf courses to use all the water they want, while putting the "locals" on very short water rations during the many droughts.
While there is MUCH beauty in Carmel and Big Sur (and some excellent Wines! Hahn, Merlot being my favorite), there are way too many people for the water and infrastructure that is in place.
Monterey County Governments have killed the goose that laid the golden egg. And Stienbeck, and his buddy Doc Ricketts, saw that one coming, and wrote about it.
The article's photo: "Farmworkers in the Fields of Salinas Valley in January" shows people working in a strawberry field. The plastic tarps show that the soli has been sprayed with methol bromyide, a chemical that keeps bugs from blemishing the huge, perfect looking strawberrys - but also absolutely causes Cancer. After a couple of years of spraying methol bromyide on the soil, NOTHING will grow there, and invariably, what was a "strawberry field" will now turn into a subdivision.
Monterey County, of which Salinas is a part, is one of the wealthiest areas in our Nation, yet - the road surfaces are terrible. You would be hard pressed to find worse roads, anywhere.
The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District is one of the most bloated and corrupt organizations you will find, allowing hotels and golf courses to use all the water they want, while putting the "locals" on very short water rations during the many droughts.
While there is MUCH beauty in Carmel and Big Sur (and some excellent Wines! Hahn, Merlot being my favorite), there are way too many people for the water and infrastructure that is in place.
Monterey County Governments have killed the goose that laid the golden egg. And Stienbeck, and his buddy Doc Ricketts, saw that one coming, and wrote about it.
11
Interesting. What radius does this apply to? Hollister, Monterey, etc?
Salinas is also *by far* the largest producer of organic fruits and vegetables--- $335 million over 67,000 acres (according to the Monterey County Farm Bureau). They are the largest contributing county to growing all produce in California--so it would correlate to the use of pesticides. It is an $8.1 billion dollar industry for this area. We welcome you to come visit! Our wine and fruits and vegetables are fantastic!
6