Life in Pacific Grove: Book 2 makes deeper connections to our community through special essays by local authors, in areas of their own interests–plus personal stories.
With these stories, the Butterfly Effect continues to transform us, and as the monarchs make part of their transformation in our Butterfly Sanctuary, and as we write and share our stories with each other, we all become something more beautiful than before.
I hope you enjoy what we have put together–for you and for the generations to come. I’m a firm believer in the power of story to change our lives, the lives of people around us, and those of future generations. Thank you all for your story contributions to the Pacific Grove Books and to our beloved City of Pacific Grove, Butterfly Town U.S.A.

• Patricia Hamilton, 2018

Life In Pacific Grove, California, Book 2

CONTENTS

The Butterfly Effect Revisited - Patricia Hamilton vii

Section 1- SPANNING GENERATIONS 1
With our quaint Victorians and a major annual event called Good Old Days, Pacific Grove
is obviously a town with one foot planted firmly in the past. But we Pagrovians have always had
the other foot just as firmly anchored in the now, facing the future. Explore a few of our beloved local
traditions and institutions: the library, Feast of Lanterns, the real person behind Robert Down Elementary School, the night Paris came to P.G., and more.

Section 2 - THOSE HIPPIE TRIPPY 1970s 62
Tune in, turn on and go trippin’ for a heady look at the 1970s, when Pacific Grove boasted the
largest collection of hippies between San Francisco and Los Angeles. From hootenannies to the Monterey International Pop Music Festival to the early days of Tillie Gort’s, it’s a groove, Daddy-o!
Section 3 - A WRITER’S DREAM TOWN 108
Beautiful scenery to tempt the muse … a good, dependable local bookstore and library …
a lively coffee house scene … kindred spirits for support and encouragement … and a rich
literary tradition. When it comes to meeting the needs of a writer, Pacific Grove is the ideal haven.
Section 4 - DEEPER CONNECTIONS AROUND TOWN 160
Where else but Pacific Grove could you find a falconer on the city payroll, or a life-size sculpture
of a gray whale, or a business with a name that translates to textile zoo ? All this and more
to interest and intrigue you as we take a stroll around town.
Section 5 - ADVENTURES ON MONTEREY BAY 248
From a calm day on the rocky shores at Perkins Park to the panic on a stranded boat at the mouth
of the bay, explore sea life in the depths of the Great Canyon, experience a life or death encounter
with a sea lion, and cook up the tastiest fish you’ll ever eat.
Section 6 - spirits in motion 268
Feeding the soul, nurturing the body–Pagrovians find a balanced spiritual life through our
many houses of worship, mindfulness of our origins, and a gentle and ancient movement.