Magnet #43 - John SteinbeckAnother random set of stops on the Woman on Her Own roadtrip along the California coast: Monterey and Salinas, CA. In Monterey, I opted out of the Monterey Bay Aquarium (line was too long), and just walked around. Saw the bay, saw Cannery Row and dropped by a visitors center. That's where I got the rundown of downtown Salinas about 20-30 minutes away, and heard about the National Steinbeck Center.
I know, right? Like you have to really love Grapes of Wrath or The Pearl or Of Mice and Men to actually visit on purpose. Except not really, it was just the most interesting center! Of course, they had a Steinbeck exhibition hall, which I think is permanent, where they trace his life and times through a really great museum experience. There's a bit of an entertainment space to boot, theatres to show off the movies, etc.
So moved was I that I did end up buying two JS works that I hadn't read - Cannery Row and Tortilla Flats. Haven't read them yet, but owning is half the battle, I always say.
Still, for an afternoon that was just supposed to be driving up the coast, it was a lovely way to be distracted.
Also, it was on this trip that I discovered these plastic card magnets - they're literally a plastic, almost wallet-sized card, with a coupla magnets glued to the back. It's generally a quote, plus a postage stamp of the subject, which leads me to think they're just a magnet series from the USPS. I rarely see them, it's why I have only two in the collection. Which is kinda inconvenient, because really, who can section off part of the magnet board with just two of a kind?
1 comment:
You made the right decision, walking away from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It's a great place, but you can see fishies elsewhere. Steinbeck is such a large part of the character of the Central Coast.
(Caveat: The time I visited the Aquarium was during a reception for a geek convention. They served appetizers on tables, right next to the fish tanks. Shrimp, meet your fate.)
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