What Is It about Carmel?

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For one, there are no street addresses anywhere in town. This was done originally to force neighbors to meet their neighbors. So, everyone picks up their mail at the post office? And the poor FedEx or UPS driver? I guess he needs to know where every business is located on his route. Prior to Clint becoming mayor in 1986, you could not buy an ice cream in downtown Carmel. The original reason was sanitation, as nobody wants to walk on melted ice cream. High heels of a certain height may not be worn downtown. Why? The Monterey pine and cypress trees have roots that create uneven pavement. This potential hazard is a liability for the town, thus the ordinance. Did you hear that, Wendy Wood? No chain restaurants either. All sixty downtown restaurants are local in every sense of the word. And some are quite good, but none are cheap! There are more restaurants per capita than any place in the world. And most surprising, there are no street lights. And no sidewalks outside of downtown. The original reason was light pollution. They wanted to enjoy the night sky. Add to that 45 small inn and over 90 galleries, this is a charming little town. Charming!

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