#002 Monterey: Living in Pacific Grove While at the Naval Postgraduate School with Kevin Alter '15, USMC

Exploring Pacific Grove and Monterey Living for Military PCS Moves

In this episode of the USNA Property Network podcast, sponsored by The Vermeer Group, host Grant Vermeer and guest Kevin Alter '15, USMC, both Naval Academy alumni, discuss the experience of living in Pacific Grove, California, near the Naval Postgraduate School and Defense Language Institute. 

They cover the importance of understanding local neighborhoods for military personnel planning Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves. Kevin shares insights into the small-town charm of Pacific Grove, the process of finding housing, commuting to NPS, and the overall lifestyle benefits, including the local dining scene and proximity to natural attractions. The conversation also includes tips for families and singles on choosing locations in Monterey County based on lifestyle preferences.

00:00 Introduction to the USNA Property Network Podcast

00:57 Spotlight on Pacific Grove: A Hidden Gem Near Monterey

01:10 Guest Insights: Kevin Alter Shares His Monterey Experience

01:39 Exploring Monterey: Lifestyle, Education, and Housing

11:07 The Charm of Pacific Grove: A Resident's Perspective

17:54 Monterey County Adventures: From Local Hikes to Wine Country

22:25 Unveiling Hidden Gems: Exclusive Recommendations

26:03 Navigating Monterey County: Tips for Newcomers

28:11 Closing Thoughts and Contact Information

The Vermeer Group matches military families with real estate teams that we personally trust across the nation.

As a military spouse, I've learned something crucial about building a sustainable business: geography can't be my limitation. Instead of trying to be the realtor in every new market, I became the guide who connects military families with the best local experts wherever they're headed.

Please reach out if you have any questions at all or I can help connect you to trusted real estate professionals nationwide. I get calls, texts and emails everyday from families just like yours, looking for help on making their move and buying/selling their home - and I absolutely love it!

Connect with Grant on Linkedin or contact him:
📲 Call/Text Direct at (650) 282-1964
📲 Email: grant@thevermeergroup.com
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Transcript

USNA Property Network Podcast Episode - Living in Pacific Grove while PCSing to NPS Monterey, CA with Kevin Alter, USMC

Your Host: Grant Vermeer

Grant Vermeer: [00:00:00] Welcome to the USNA Property Network podcast powered by The Vermeer Group.

The USNA Property Network podcast educates military officers on the neighborhoods surrounding the military bases in which they could PCS. Our mission is to provide genuine, authentic, informal conversation that's going to help Navy and Marine Corps officers start their research into their new home.

This podcast is made possible thanks to the sponsorship of the Vermeer Group. The Vermeer Group is a residential real estate team that specializes in helping Naval Academy graduates and other select clientele move to both Monterey and San Diego, California. 

If you have any real estate questions at all, please reach out to me directly at grant@thevermeergroup.com. I'd be more than happy to help. Thanks.

As we continue this series surrounding the Naval [00:01:00] Postgraduate School out in Monterey, California, this episode is going to be about the city of Pacific Grove. So if you're interested in learning a little bit more about Pacific Grove and hearing someone's experience of living there, then check out this episode.

We're joined by Kevin Alter, class of 15 type from the Naval Academy, one of my really good friends and former member of the Navy basketball team. So he has a little bit of insight and hint. It's paradise. It really is. Like when we talk about fully experiencing the Monterey Peninsula, Pacific Grove is almost as good as it gets.

So I hope you enjoy the episode. I hope you learned something. And if you ever have any questions, feel free to reach out to me, Grant at the premier group. com. I'd love to help. All right. Hey everyone. And welcome to the USNA property network podcast. Again, we're focusing on the Monterey area for anyone moving to the Naval Postgraduate School or Defense Language Institute.

And today, uh, we got Kevin Alter. You still go by Pookie to the general audience. All right. Very good. So this is one of my extremely close friends and mentors. We were both on the basketball team at the Academy. And he spent a little bit of time out in Monterey through the Foreign [00:02:00] Affairs Officer Program.

So I just wanted to bring him on just to talk a little bit about one specific neighborhood, well his overall experience in Monterey, but then the neighborhood of Pacific Grove, which is where Pookie lived while he was there. So first of all, Pook, thank you so much for taking the time just to come join us and talk a little bit about your experience.

So if you could just tell everyone just a little bit about your background, a little bit of context about. How you got out to Monterey like what the program was and a little bit about your military background that brought you out to Monterey. 

Kevin Alter: Okay. Yeah. No, cool. Thanks, Grant. Happy to be on the podcast. I think it's an awesome platform to kind of inform folks like us whenever we PCS.

So I appreciate you doing it. Um, yeah. So Kevin Alter, a Marine Corps, like, uh, graduated from the academy, like Grant mentioned, um, was aviation supply. First, um, and then heard about this thing called the Foreign Area Officer Program and dove right into it. I thought it was such a cool, um, opportunity to, to one, see the world and, and an opportunity to learn the language and kind [00:03:00] of better our interest worldwide, you know, um, as a military and as a country.

So, um, applied for it, uh, and then you go to Naval Postgraduate School to get your master's, essentially in like international relations. So for the Marine Corps, you'll, they'll pick a region for you. Um, based on your competency to learn like a language. Um, and then you'll, you'll do a year of a master's degree.

And then you'll do a year of language school. So, you know, for folks, again, like if they're interested in that program, depending on where you get selected for your region and what language is assigned to you, it'll dictate what place you do DLI. NPS for one year and then DLI. So for me, I had to learn Thai.

So Thai is like. Small language. So, um, they don't teach it at Monterey. They teach it on the D. C. side. Um, so kind of an interesting thing. I didn't, I didn't know. And, and for folks that like do that program, like definitely reach out to, to someone to figure out, you know, where you're doing the language program.

Um, but yeah, so one year in Monterey, uh, absolutely loved it. [00:04:00] Uh, my, my future wife, Alex, we, we got married there. Um, we were just, you know, in a relationship at the time, but yeah, we, we got married out in, uh, Uh, Carmel. So, we love it there. 

Grant Vermeer: Did you really? Oh, really? Where was the, where was the wedding venue?

Cause Carmel's like, that's nice. 

Kevin Alter: Yeah, we couldn't afford that. I'll tell you what, um, we were inland Carmel Valley, so not Carmel by the Sea. It was called Wedgwood Wedding Venues. It was really affordable, but people can get married on NPS too. Uh, we were gonna try to do that. I think the wait list was just long, but um.

But yeah, like I think, uh, I proposed to her when we were in Monterey for that year. Um, for folks that don't know, it's like Lovers Point in Pacific Grove is like the most cliche thing. But, uh, yeah, like right there, right around there is where we did 

Grant Vermeer: it. That's awesome. Congratulations. And now, yeah, speaking of the, the marriage story.

You're now a father. Congratulations. Oh, man, [00:05:00] it's exciting. Well, 

Kevin Alter: I love it, man. I love being a dad. Super, super cool. And it's been great so far. 

Grant Vermeer: Yeah, that's great. And you know, what's funny is I, you know, I haven't even been out of the military for, you know, A year yet, and I'm already getting the FAO acronym wrong.

I feel like such a civilian, dude. I'm like, I'm like saying it wrong. And you're so politely corrected me. You're like, yeah, the foreign area officers program. Like, yeah, that's what I meant. Yeah, I know what I'm talking about. 

Kevin Alter: Same, same, but different. 

Grant Vermeer: Oh, man. Cool. And so when you when you were in Monterey for that year, like you were mentioning just a year of master's program because your language piece wasn't at DLI, it was out in D.

C. Mm hmm. What was your actual schedule like in the program for the master's program? Was it class three days a week, four days a week, five days a week, kind of how much free time do you have? And what was the the setup on your lifestyle while you're out there? 

Kevin Alter: Yeah So so for us it was like incredible Monday through Thursday if you can work your class schedule you could be done by like [00:06:00] 12 o'clock, 1 o'clock.

Yeah, it's not bad. So depending on your, your schedule, right, you can have three to four classes, um, Monday through Thursday. And then every Friday, regardless of everyone's schedule for this program, at least it was a study time. So that whole year I had Friday off. Yeah, you 

Grant Vermeer: were studying on Friday. 

Kevin Alter: Exactly.

I was 

Grant Vermeer: deep in the books. 

Kevin Alter: No, I mean, it gave an opportunity to To explore the whole area, Monterey County, Big Sur, go up to Napa, go, you know, go wherever, Silicon Valley, like you mentioned. Um, so my schedule was awesome. Like, I, it was great. And then I think a lot of Navy guys do the OR program. I know that schedule is a little different, but overall, it like NPS lifestyle, you know, you're a student, so it offers that flexibility, you know?

Grant Vermeer: Sure. No, absolutely. And when you, before you got to, to Monterey, how did you learn about the area? What did you do, uh, to research kind of the area before you figured out where you want to move? Because again, I think the, the reality of Monterey is that it's not Norfolk, [00:07:00] it's not San Diego. They're not like a million people who are there or are stationed there who have been there.

It's a little less known in terms of like the Navy community. So where'd you start? When it came to trying to figure out where you wanted to live when you when you went out to NPS. 

Kevin Alter: Um, so my, my boss, like, um, at the time he did NPS kind of, you know, similar path, not the FAO program, but did a different program.

So I, you know, first contacted him. I said, Hey, like, you know, Where did you live? What do you recommend? Um, he, he, first thing was like, Oh, we lived in Pacific Grove. It's the last small town in America. And I was like, Oh man, we gotta check this out. Um, and so, fortunate enough at the time, we were in San Diego.

So, Alex and I just took a little flight. There's a direct flight, San Diego to Monterey. Just, just did it for one of the weekends and walked around. Explored the area, um, and figured out like, Oh man, I think that vibe fits us more than, you know, other areas. So, sure. 

Grant Vermeer: And when it, when it came to finding actual housing, did you ever [00:08:00] consider base housing in Monterey?

Or was it like, Hey, we know we want to live off. And when you found Pacific Grove, you're like, Hey, this is. The vibe we want and now we're just going to look at places to either rent or buy and kind of what was the, um, 

Kevin Alter: Yeah, the thought process there. So I don't know it just in general just us just base housing has never been something that we wanted Um, sure whether it was great or not.

I don't know why I think just having that separation was something We kind of value so sure base housing wasn't really on the books for us Um, i've heard they've done great improvements on it. Um, we could talk about the base housing later there in monterey better Um, yeah, no base housing. And then it was just a year we found, you know, I just don't feel like going through the process of buying, um, especially it's going to be like 12 months there.

So yeah, quick 12 month rental, um, was the Genesis and that's where we started working. So sure. 

Grant Vermeer: No, I, and that makes total sense. And I think that's a really interesting piece kind of, you're mentioning with NPS, is that. Sometimes a lot of times it's not, you're not getting three to four [00:09:00] year orders to Monterey, right?

Like it's a, it is, it's a quick, quicker turnaround, a lot of one year programs, a lot of two year programs. Um, so trying to find that, right, like trying to find a place and rent that's close because again I think, um, and I'll have you touch on this a little bit, is that the location of Pacific Grove when it comes to going to NPS is really convenient, right?

It's a, it's a, it's a close commute to, to NPS, kind of on, on a, on a daily basis what were you looking at in terms of getting to NPS and kind of dealing with. Any kind of base traffic. I'll kind of turn it over to you, just like the actual commute piece of coming from Pacific Grove, like what, what was it like on a daily basis to get from Pacific Grove to NPS and kind of like get on base and get to class?

Kevin Alter: Yeah. So, so it is night and day different than probably wherever you'll be stationed Norfolk, San Diego, these major Marine Corps installations, like it's like going to your local high school. That was like the commute vibe for me. Right. So it wasn't hopping on any highway. Like you're taking like a. A small 25 [00:10:00] 30 mile hour street, just a straight chute from Pacific Grove to MPS.

Um, I mean it was so easy, like I, I got a bike, I, I biked the, the trail that's along the ocean. Yes. Like it's insane. It was so beautiful, like, um, the easiest commute in the world and I felt like I was in like high school again, you know what I mean, I literally got on my bike and biked to school. It was great.

Grant Vermeer: Uh, yeah, it's the best. I I've ridden my bike just for a little context too. So I've done it. Um, again, I grew up in the Bay area. I spent time out at Monterey, did a couple internships while I was at the, I was always like, how do I get back to the Bay area on top of my leave? You know what I mean? Like, how do I kind of double dip there?

And so getting out to NPS was always the answer. So I did two internships out in Monterey while I was at the Academy. And that was my favorite because I would just spend all my time there at like Del Monte Beach just like right across from MPS, kind of ride my bike up and down there, hang out, and so that's the spot.

And to be able to bike to work like you're saying from PG, like that's just a [00:11:00] win. 

Kevin Alter: Oh my gosh, it was awesome. Like such, yeah, just a fun year, you know, like you just kind of separated. It's cool. 

Grant Vermeer: No, absolutely. And then you kind of mentioned that PG has a little bit more of that like small town, old school, just like really calm atmosphere to it.

You mind just talking a little bit about, you know, your feelings about PG as a whole in terms of, you know, Um, you know, what the city's like, things to do there, things that you really liked about the city. Just to kind of put in context again, compared to being in, in downtown Monterey or being up in Marina, kind of what were some of the really positives in your experience of being in Pacific Grove?

Kevin Alter: Yeah. So I think, um, there's a, there was a great article, like I can find if you Google like last little small town in America and it's like Pacific Grove and it kind of tells a cute little story of like this quaint town in Monterey County that, um, Just kind of has that small town vibe. Um, so how I can describe Pacific Grove, right?

It's like, it's like retirees and like, you know, some, some [00:12:00] families, whether it's like military families or some young families starting up. But like for the most part, it's like, this is where people retire. So you're getting like, Kind of an older crowd there, um, 

Grant Vermeer: the 

Kevin Alter: vibe of Pacific Grove is it's, it's, it's like a historic town.

So all that, a lot of the housing is like, has the historic signs on them because they are kind of older buildings and they've been there since like the 1800s. So there, it's a really cute town, like, um, in terms of that vibe. So you're not going to see these super modern buildings, apartment houses, or condos.

No, it's like, everything's kind of kept in family. Um, things to buy are tough because nobody's putting it on the market for the most part. It's, it's getting sold within the family or passed down. Um, so, so buying there is, is super hard. Um, and then just like the strip, right? It's like one main street where it's got all the food and, and the cafes and, you know, bakeries and stuff.

So it's like, It's that cute little vibe. Um, and that's the best way I can put it. Um, 

Grant Vermeer: and you ever, you ever spend any, uh, date nights out at lover's [00:13:00] point? 

Kevin Alter: Oh yeah. All the time. Big little eyes. You know, if anyone watches that series, that's where they, they filmed it. Um, so they, they put up like the beach house is the restaurant and lover's point.

And then below it, they had like a coffee shop. And then next to it, they have in the summer, like a snack shack that does burgers and stuff. Um, but yeah, we've got, we walked there every night. I mean, we went to the beach house. I feel like we were joining the elderly couple vibe, so that restaurant has the sunset special from 30, no for real, this is for everybody, half, half, half off entrees and drinks from 30, so shoot man, it was us and the 65 and older couple, couple of us at the beach house.

Grant Vermeer: You had a little nighttime, bedtime routine, 

Kevin Alter: half 

Grant Vermeer: off dinner, half off a little cocktail and straight to bed by 7. 30. You 

Kevin Alter: can't beat it. 

Grant Vermeer: Got to get that sleep. You got to make sure your brain is fresh to that 

Kevin Alter: like probably more frequently than we should have, but it was great. You can't be 

Grant Vermeer: messing around.

Kevin Alter: So, yeah, no, super, super good time. Would do it again in a heartbeat. 

Grant Vermeer: Can't beat it. [00:14:00] And we was talking about how great, I think just Monterey County is in general, but PG as well. Did you feel like there are any, any downsides to, to living in Pacific Grove? You know, again, obviously kind of with the trade off, I would say of it being a more elderly retiree community.

Did you ever, and I know our personalities were not really as much the going outside, but did you ever feel like, Oh man, they're not a lot of young people. This isn't really like a fun place to be. Or did you have anything of that sort of, do you truly really enjoy it? Or do you see any, you know, potential.

Trade offs or downsides of, um, of being in, in Pacific Grove. 

Kevin Alter: Yeah, I think you alluded to it. I think our, like, my wife Alex and I, and your personality, like, we're just not going out. So, like, a nice dinner, like, to Beach House, Sunset Special, that was like, that was perfect. Um, super kid friendly there too, you know, like, it's not like a lot of traffic.

So, you can take your kids there and it's, it's relatively quiet in whatever restaurant that you're going to. [00:15:00] Um, I never felt like I was missing out. If I was craving a night out with like, you know, some of my buddies from school, then yeah, I would just, I would probably bike there on the trail, um, go out, have a couple drinks and bike home.

Um, but yeah, overall, I got, I never had like that feeling of like FOMO or, or whatever. So, um, yeah, it fit my vibe to the T. Like I'd move back there today if I could, you know? 

Grant Vermeer: No, absolutely. And I think, um, You know, I just want to touch on one thing since kind of the focus of this really is a housing situation to figure out where to live to I think it's something that you mentioned, which is that there's not a lot of inventory in Pacific Grove.

Like you're saying, these are these are homes that have been owned by families for a long time. This is generally a retiree community. There's no new development happening in Pacific Grove, right? Like, A lot of places around the country, you see these new developments, new construction homes, everything like that.

You're not getting that in Pacific Grove, right? And I think that piece is, that piece is tougher when it comes to potentially buying a home. And so I think, again, if you're looking to buy a home, this may be a [00:16:00] tougher place to, to look. Um, especially because if a house does come onto the market, they're extremely expensive.

They're extremely expensive, right? I think you're looking probably, you know, Uh, like 1. 5 million plus to get into Pacific Grove kind of at a, at a minimum, right? And so I think those are, um, those are harder places to look now on the, on the plus side of being a long term tenant there, like you're saying, um, with all of the, the retiree community and everything is, Pacific Grove has a strict no short term rental policy besides in there what they consider like their their commercial or coastal zone, right?

Yeah, so You know from that perspective again, you're not having people come in and partying right like you have Pebble Beach You have all these things close by but you're not getting people coming in and in Acting crazy and having house parties and doing all these things, right? You're gonna have a really quiet neighborhood You're gonna have all these things because you can't You're literally the city prohibits any kind of short term rental under 30 days in the neighborhood around you, right?

So, um, you're in a [00:17:00] really great spot. Again, this is, you know, my opinion for people who are potentially looking to rent when they come to, uh, you know, NPS is that Pacific Grove can be an amazing place to do that, right? And I think, um, you're going to get a really quiet, really Calm, relaxing, really nice, really great coastal Northern California lifestyle, right?

And I think, um, it's really, really great from that perspective. Um, you know, for anyone who's getting ready to come up to MPS, they're excited about all their three day weekends. You know, obviously they're studying on Friday. Um, but if they wanted to start their journey early and all these things and take three day trips, you kind of mentioned some of the fun excursions that you took, um, you know, while you're out there, do you mind just again, talking, touching a little bit about Big Sur, touching a little bit about, you know, wine country up in Napa and Sonoma and San Francisco and all these things, and kind of some of the, the great experiences that you had while you were out there.

Um, in terms of doing, doing fun things. 

Kevin Alter: Yeah, so I guess I'll start local and then expand, 

Grant Vermeer: right? Like, yeah, [00:18:00] it's perfect. 

Kevin Alter: The first thing is like, if you don't know Carmel by the Sea, which is the town right next to Pacific Grove, like, people honeymoon there. Like, people go on honeymoons to Carmel by the Sea.

The place is like a fairy tale. Um, I don't know if you're going to do like a story about Roy to rent in Carmel, but like, I don't know if it's even worth it, because the rentals are like insane there, unaffordable. But it's such a fun town to go to, like, we would go there all the time just to walk around.

Carmel by the Sea, it just, just for the audience, I mean, it's, I don't even know how to describe this like fairytale looking place, but, uh, cobbler streets, um, they've got like hundreds Restaurants that are like five star potential Michelin star like restaurants. They've got these like wine shops where you can even do like wine tasting in Carmel.

You can buy like a little card and you can visit all the wine, the wineries there, like the little wine shops. Um, and we did that all the time. Uh, Clint Eastwood owns a place there. I think it's [00:19:00] Hogsbreath. And then Mission Ranch, we would go there. It's a cool little bar in the Mission Ranch area that, um, such a, such a fun vibe.

So frequently went to Carmel by the sea. The other place, 17 mile drive. So like, to even get there from Pacific Grove, it's like, it's crazy. A gated path, um, you have to pay there or you can take kind of the, like, extra ten minutes to take the highway, um, and so we would go 17 mile drive, like, all the time.

Um, it's one of the iconic, like, uh, cypress tree that a lot of people take the picture of, um, when you do the 17 mile drive route. So we'd go there a ton, uh, that was, like, the first thing, and then, you know, you keep going south, you've got Big Sur, you can do glamping. You can do some great hiking trails. So like I think almost every Sunday we would drive down to Big Sur and do like a 8 10 mile hike just because it was so pretty.

I mean the views are like Amazing. Um, and if you're like looking to do [00:20:00] actual camping, they do like the bougiest type of glamping you'll see. I think it's Ventana campground. Like, man, it's nuts. But it was fun. Like, you know, if you're looking to do something, uh, for like a getaway weekend, just do that. Um, 

Grant Vermeer: and, uh, I think you touched on a little bit about distance wise, but how far away, like if someone's planning a trip to Big Sur, how far are they driving to get down there?

It 

Kevin Alter: depends like how far south you want to go into Big Sur, 30 minutes tops, 30 minutes. Right. Yeah. 

Grant Vermeer: It's extremely close. I think that's kind of the big thing. I think people assume sometimes they're gonna have to make these extremely long trips or like drive far. It's like, no, Big Sur is right there, right?

Like you're, you're, you're right there to, to everything. So Yeah, and I'm with you. So again, I'm a San Francisco Bay Area guy. I've been up to Napa, been up to Sonoma. That's going to be more of a commute. That's going to be probably two and a half hours to get up into, into wine country. But I mean, that's a fun getaway weekend too.

Kevin Alter: That's super fun. And just, and even to throw another plug into that south two hours is Paso Robles. [00:21:00] And that's like another super famous winery area too. So just like, if you guys love wine, go north, go south. Like you're going to hit some of the, The best in the country. 

Grant Vermeer: Yeah. 

Kevin Alter: Um, 

Grant Vermeer: and then if you're, and then if you're super into agriculture, right.

You can go up to the arctic choke capital of the world, you know, just a little 20 Salina minute drive. North . Yeah. Up in, uh, Castroville. 

Kevin Alter: Oh, Castroville. 

Grant Vermeer: Uh, uh, but, uh, I mean, tons of great farming up in Salinas as well. Uh, you know, you can go to the, the garlic festival, a yearly garlic festival up in Gilroy.

Right. So, uh. Yeah, tons of tons of great stuff to do, you know, depending on what your culinary taste is, whether it's wine or artichokes, uh, you know, you're really set up for success. 

Kevin Alter: Silicon Valley was cool too. If you want to do a tour of Apple, um, which I was fortunate to do, which was pretty cool. Uh, so yeah.

Grant Vermeer: Yeah. That, and that, that campus has just been really finished the whole spaceship, the main campus, like that's a, That's a thing. That's a, it's like actually a tourist thing that [00:22:00] you can go check out. No, I 

Kevin Alter: know. For real. Now it's nice. Super cool. But yeah, tons of stuff to do, I think. 

Grant Vermeer: No, I, the kind of, the final thing, and you, and you really touched on this with some of your Sunset Specials, all these things, some of the places in Carmel.

Okay. Do you have any other hidden, hidden gems that you would recommend to anyone? Whether in Pacific Grove or just in the area in general. Whether it's in Monterey, up in Seaside, Marina, whatever the case is. Hidden Gems. 

Kevin Alter: Grant, thank you. Hidden Gems in particular. I will try to emphasize that. What I will say is like, one of the coolest things when I went to MPS was somebody gave me the guy that, um, like the commanding officer of like our section of the program.

20 restaurants and it was just like details. I was like, man, this is perfect. Um, so I kind of created my own. Um, which was, which was like super fun. I'll, I'll forward it to you after this so you can, you can share it or put it up with the crew. Um, hidden gems. I think the first hidden gem that some people don't realize, not from the area, is Spanish Bay, the golf course.

There is the [00:23:00] bagpipes that go on every sunset, so a guy, Scottish bagpipes, he plays while the sunset's going down on the 18th hole. It's like, are you kidding me? This is like a dream. Um, one of the most iconic views you would see probably in California. You can go there, go to the bar, grab a drink, and just watch him with a fireplace, they got fire pits there.

It's such a fun thing. I would take everybody to go there, um, that came in to visit for the town. Just to get, like, just to grab a drink. They've got great restaurants in that area, but I would say that's one hidden gem that a lot of people don't realize is there until, like, they get close to PCS and, um, 

Grant Vermeer: so 

Kevin Alter: if you go to Spanish Bay, that's two minutes from Pacific Grove.

Yeah, it's like literally right next to it. Um, and then the hidden drems, La Creme, I wouldn't call it a hidden drem, but it's super famous. Uh, whatever breakfast place, chicken waffles are great. Their lines out to the wazoo sometimes on Sundays, Pavel's bakery in Pacific Grove. If you haven't heard of that one, like there's a line [00:24:00] sometimes of locals, typically, right?

A hidden gem, like 20 or 30 people just waiting to get some of their pastries. Um, off of Pavel's the beach house. Like I said, that's it. The sunset special. Not a lot of people know about it, you know 4 to 5 30. I got that wrong. It's from 4 

Grant Vermeer: I was 5 to 6 30. It's kind of late. My bad. It was 

Kevin Alter: 4 to 5 30. 4 to 5 

Grant Vermeer: 30.

Kevin Alter: Can't beat it. What's another one? Uh, Vesuvio's restaurant. That one's in Carmel by the sea. Um, another great happy hour special place. A lot of people didn't know about that either. So four to six, um, it's like half off drinks. And so we were always looking for happy hour places, right? And so Vesuvio's was a fun one in Carmel by the sea.

Um, what was the other one? Uh, the bench. So another name drop. Familiar with 

Grant Vermeer: that place. You are, 

Kevin Alter: huh? So you can avoid the 17 mile hour, whatever, the 17 mile drive gate fee because you have to pay sometimes when you go through it. By saying you have a reservation at the bench. [00:25:00] Um, so we would always, there's another little plug, so, um, you just do a reservation at the bench.

So we'd go there, um, which is the 18th hole of, uh, I'm blanking out on the golf course, what is it, uh, but anyhow, it's the, you know, Pebble Beach, thank you, Pebble Beach golf course, um, 18th hole, similar to Spanish Bay, um, and that was fun too, you can have dinner apps or just drinks. Yeah. 

Grant Vermeer: Yeah. That's amazing.

Is that good? Those are great hidden gems. I think, I think that's good. And I think, uh, if you're willing to share the list, we'll make sure to, uh, To post that and include that, um, kind of everywhere we post this as well. So that way, so people can see it. You got good taste, man. I think people are going to want to find your, uh, your hidden gems.

Um, yeah, no, I, what's funny is I am also familiar with, uh, the bench that you're, uh, that you were actually mentioning. I was trying to make a joke on, uh, my seat on the Navy basketball bench. But, um, but yeah, all [00:26:00] right. Uh, That's perfect, man. Thank you, uh, so much. I think, uh, before we kind of wrap up here, just anything, you know, whether someone's either single or married or with a family, What kind of things, again, when they're taking a look and listening to these episodes or whatever the case is, figuring out where to live, what things should they be considering?

What things that, you know, they may not be thinking about when it comes to living in Monterey County that you'd recommend for people to start thinking about before they make the move? 

Kevin Alter: Yeah, that's a good question. I would just say for single folks, you know, I think downtown Monterey, Cannery Row is kind of your vibe.

If you're, you know, looking to be kind of close to somewhat of a city type vibe, downtown food, drinks, you name it, I would recommend downtown Monterey. On a downtown Monterey along the cannery row area. Yeah. Um, families. I think there's so many good options. Depends on, depending on whether you want to rent or buy, buy you, you know, you're going to start probably looking in Seaside, um, north of that Marina, which is like new compounds, brand new, uh, housing that they're still building today.

I think, uh, 

Grant Vermeer: still [00:27:00] going on. The dunes is still under construction. They have a sea Haven, which is a newer kind of even nicer community. That's still. Going on tons of construction. So yeah, tons of new construction up there. 

Kevin Alter: Yes. I think if you're looking to buy, those are probably the areas as a family to start looking, if you're here for a short time, I think just like embrace the Monterey County vibe, like maybe look in Pacific Grove, maybe see if there's something in Carmel, maybe Carmel Valley, um, just to be kind of near some, some beautiful scenery.

Um, and so that's kind of what I'd recommend if you're kind of a family looking to rent Pacific Grove, I think it's a great area. Um, Carmel's by the sea, Carmel Valley kind of offer some other beautiful venues, um, to embrace, you know, NorCal. 

Grant Vermeer: All right, man. Well, thank you, Yelpook. And also, thank you so much for, for taking the time to, to talk with us, right?

I think you kind of mentioned that that's what we do when we PCS. We try and reach out to, you know, Friends or someone that we know that's, that's been there. And so to take the time to, to help explain some of this stuff to, you know, [00:28:00] people who may be PCSing to, to Monterey really appreciate you taking the time just to come on and talk about your experience.

Kevin Alter: My pleasure, man. Anything for you, Grant, for real, always. All 

Grant Vermeer: right. Appreciate it. All right. Thanks everyone for listening. I hope you have a good day. My man Pookie. Uh, I hope you guys enjoyed the episode, got something great out of it and take advantage of that, uh, that little happy hour situation and be great whenever you're visiting.

So if you have any questions, want to learn a little bit more about Pacific Grove or anything in the Monterey peninsula, make sure to shoot me a message at grant@ thevermeer group. com. I'd love to help you out, learn about your situation. So thanks for listening. Hope you have a great day!