When Dan “Mr. Sustainability” Cort deemed his mayorship unsustainable after David Dilworth badgered him to the brink of insanity, and Pro Tem Vicki Stillwell promptly announced she was heading for the hills (literally – she was retiring out of the area), a contentious town was left without its top two elected officials. Relative neophytes Carmelita Garcia and Bill Kampe were the only councilmembers remotely interested in the gig, but the council split on the appointment last September. Ken Cuneo, who would later fill a vacant seat on the dais, suggested a coin toss, and soon City Attorney David Laredo was administering the flip. Air emptied from the room. The coin flew high and fell to the carpet. Stillwell announced the results: Tails. Garcia. The flippin’ bizarre resolution seemed to fit in a town where politics is already, for better or worse, something of a circus sport.

Doud Craft Studios, Ocean and San Carlos, Carmel

624-1600, www.carmelbelle.com

The only downside to this jewel of a joint and its exceedingly exacting approach to sourcing great ingredients is that the friends you take there try to claim it as their discovery. The Green Eggs and Ham ($10) tastes as entertaining as it sounds – professionally poached organic eggs from Glaum Ranch on wide ribbons of La Quercia prosciutto from Iowa on killer crouton-like country toast with a bright green arugula-herb purée – and is representative of a menu starring simple but sensual treats like truffled egg toast and Fra’Mani country pâté with little pickles and grainy mustard on a baguette. It’s a strategic spot to live a mantra put forth by Michael Pollan in Food Rules: Pay more for better food, and eat less.

320 Hoffman Ave., Monterey

905-5684, www.paperwingtheatreco.com

Pink Floyd’s The Wall, the source material for Paper Wing’s multimedia show that ran in the fall, is a stunning rock opera that’s synonymous with psylocibin and lysergic acid diethylamide experiences. And, in spirit, so was The Wall: A Live Tribute. A video collage shuffled random images of U.S. presidents, a mysterious young woman, abstract art and a soaring paper airplane. A live band chugged out the soundtrack to Pink’s life – “Mother,” “Nobody Home,” “Comfortably Numb,” “Another Brick in the Wall II” – and the lights changed colors to suit the mood. Fog sank from the ceiling, people froze in time and Pink (Lj Brewer) ran about the room. A video projection showed a little boy and his mother going into a church to pray; when the boy exited the church, he appeared, in person, wearing the same clothes. Whoah. Take the trip next time.

910 S. Main St., Salinas

751-9888

Astounding amounts. Appetizers aplenty. Amazing Asian. We don’t know what the “AA” stands for, but if the recession is about tightening the belt, this Salinas institution proudly flaunts its loosening. Before you dismiss it on the grounds that it’s party to gluttony, take stock of its positives. The food is freshly replenished frequently. It takes the guesswork out of self-aggrandizing menus. It allows for experimental samplings of exotics like baby octopus, kimchee and seaweed rolls. There’s a chef standing ready to cook the raw meats and veggies you pick on the spot and also a sushi chef on hand. All-around awesome.

Highway 1, quarter mile south of Nepenthe, Big Sur

667-2574, www.henrymiller.org

Along with its inspired international short film series and big time benefit concert (Phillip Glass!), Henry Miller hosted a battery of indie rock legends and up and comers, from major names like Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks and the Pixies’ Black Francis to big timers-to-be like Sleepy Sun, whose male/female vocal attack almost outshined headliner Dead Meadow, and The Entrance Band, a trio that opened for Malkmus and got the crowd dancing wildly. If the library was a parking lot, the power of these people still would’ve made it memorable. The fact that it enjoys a historic cabin hugged by skyrocketing redwoods that rim lush lawns begging for picnic blankets, rustic snacks and a BYO bottle make it flat-out indelible.

Best Place to Flirt with Fishermen >> Royal Seafood

End of Wharf II, Monterey

372-5807

One strong, sinewy woman we know used to hang out at the gut-stained dead-end of Wharf II in the crispy dawn, keeping fishermen company while they offloaded slimy catch from their days at sea. She’d even prep the garbage cans with clean liners, so when the fillet team finished its work the scraps could go home with her, fresh as five-star sashimi. Those with less stamina can still find some of the area’s localest fish at Royal Seafood, where the salty Pennisi family carries on the tradition of Monterey Bay commercial fishing. They’ve gone gill-to-gill with the Aquarium over fishing regulations, but we appreciate that they’re still fishing locally, and strict state and federal laws have made California seafood among the world’s most sustainable. While fresh-caught Central Coast bounty is rare in local stores and restaurants, Royal’s got it; a recent visit found Pacific petrale sole and rock cod, which make the Seafood Watch yellow list – and are succulent simmered in Carmel Valley white wine.

1520 Del Monte Blvd., Seaside

394-7428

Red onions, black olives and military green jalapeños, leaf romaine, cool shredded iceberg, tangy pickles and pepperoncinis, velvety thousand island, dip-ready ranch, sharp barbecue sauce – and the list goes on for this deep dressing room for super sandwiches. Legend has it some folks have even successfully made complete salads from Phat Burger’s condiment bar. It’s also important to mention all the burger add-ons not in plain sight: sautéed mushrooms, bacon, chili, sautéed onions, fried eggs, Ortega chilies and avocado come from the kitchen.

395 Del Monte Center, Monterey

534-5252, www.daretodream.org

D2D was already doing visionary stuff by providing local kids loaded with promise – but short on support – an online community to catapult them to college. “We realize we can do it too,” says Leticia Garcia-Romo, who rose from a poor Alisal background to attend Princeton. “We inspire each other. Not just one person helping everyone else, it’s about everybody helping everybody.” But then D2D juiced up their empowerment plan, deputizing program vets like Garcia-Romo to guide their own nonprofit to benefit needy younger youngsters in their community’s elementary and middle schools. They are already targeting teachers and kids who need books and materials while they achieve their own dreams at universities that until recently seemed out of reach.

Highway 1 at Moss Landing State Beach

728-5939, www.elkhornslough.org

There’s a scene in King Kong (the original and still champ) in which large, flying bird-like creatures swoop across smoky background scenery of lush hills and far-stretching marshlands. If you head north on Highway 1 and turn into Moss Landing State Beach, just past the smokestacks, find a spot to look back across the road and out along the sanctuary. If the lighting is just right, the giant cranes and pelicans flying against the backdrop of distant Gavilans and vast marshland underneath make you feel like you’re Fay Wray, wondering when the big guy’s coming back.

Note: This doesn’t say Town of Carmel Valley residents. Or City of Carmel Valley residents. Voters shot down Measure G – the proposal to incorporate Carmel Valley into its own town, or city, depending on one’s political point of view – in November. But here’s the amazing thing: The election garnered a whopping 73 percent voter turnout, a record for Monterey County. As the campaign ramped up, Carmel Valleyites became even more well-versed in water policy, taxes, local control and land-use decisions. They took to the polls en masse, proving that even if 47.5 percent of voters’ dream of a bucolic, free-from-county-government town is dead, democracy in Carmel Valley is alive and well.

Seventh and San Carlos, Carmel

646-6441

Part cultural museum and art gallery, the liquor aisle at Carmel’s Nielsen Brothers Market is a thing to behold. There are spirits from all over the world, including German cherry brandies, Bolivian coco leaf liqueurs and Italian egg liquors sitting alongside tasty-sounding alcoholic beverages like pear brandy – with a whole pear sitting on the bottom of the bottle – that would make a teetotaler reconsider their stance. One of the most intriguing items is a $75 hand-painted bottle of Croatian whiskey made from tomatoes.

364 Main St., Salinas

424-7653, www.hookahntina.com

The black-light posters, futon-like floor padding and smoky haze are straight out of a stoner’s teenage bedroom. While the lack of booze may turn away the drinking class, the 18-and-up hookah lounge provides one of the few places outside of a bar that young adults can chill in Salinas. Hookah-ntina offers an extensive smoking menu from fruity BoysenBerry to virgin cocktails Jack and Coke and Peach Fuzzy Navel. There’s also a healthy stash of nicotine-free, herbal flavors. Though the interior is nothing fancy – partitioned pillow patches and wooden benches – the shop is a relaxing place to smoke up.

27456 Highway 1 (south of Ribera Road)

Park at Bay School and head north on the path that locals call the Bunny Trail. You’ll amble along in a meadow between the bluffs and the deep blue before crossing the Carmel River and climbing the stairs to Scenic Drive. Now you’re in the village of Carmel-by-the-Sea, ready to chow. Bring binoculars for a close look at the occasional dolphin, and the more than occasional otter. Total round trip: about 5 miles.

285 E Alisal St, Salinas

905-7881, www.rockboxing.net

This ain’t your mama’s gym. It’s not dumbbells, Nautilus machines, and pretty people baby-oiling their bods mirror-front. This industrial space in East Salinas is about endurance, strength training, or dropping extra pounds. It’s raw. Real. It’s flipping tractor tires until you can’t breathe, knocking the crap out of a speed bag until your sweat is sweating, or going a few rounds in the ring with co-owners Danny Corona or USA Boxing certified trainer James Jimenez. The clientele runs the gamut from the professional fighter to the student athlete and the chunky among us who just want less. The air conditioning comes by way of a rolled-up steel door. The music is a bell that rings every so often. They say it’s to remind you to move to your next station. We think it’s to remind you you’re still alive.

After the great flood, God gave Noah a rainbow. After the 2010 El Niño, God gives Monterey County Big Sur wildflowers, a dazzling display of colorful hillsides and meadows, oranges, yellows, purples and blues running atop ridgelines and sliding into the aqua Pacific below. Once the rains stop – praying that the end is nearer than 40 days – it’s sure to be banner spring for Big Sur flowers, which means days of hiking, camping and picnicking among nature’s tiny gems are in store. It’s this faith and hope (and some good local wines) that will carry us through the dark days ahead.

7401 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing

831-632-0845, www.markconcrete.com

Long Before Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe made concrete artist Mark Lesnick of Mark Concrete famous by featuring him in an episode of the how-dirty-can-we-get series, we knew. We just did. We knew it the first time we walked into his gallery set among the antique shops that once made Moss Landing Moss Landing. Mark made a name for himself in the industry by designing exquisite countertops, sinks, and anything else one’s mind can create, out of, yes, concrete. Concrete designed by hand, colored individually, made unique with fossils, and polished by hands that have been weathered into sandpaper by decades of hard work. Each piece can take days or weeks. We just can’t help but love a man who can make beauty out of water and sand. The dirty part is a plus.

Sixth and Dolores, Carmel

624-5007

While enjoying homemade cheese blintzes with sour cream and strawberry jam (for $7) or a great plate of eggs, toast and hash browns for the same price, strange things emerge from the murals at the Little Swiss Café. At first glance, the painting adorning the back wall of this popular breakfast spot appears to be a classic rural European landscape in the late 1800s or early 1900s with a horse-drawn carriage, a frozen lake and a shepherd tending to his flock. But closer inspection of this Andre Baylon mural reveals surreal elements, including a hunter shooting penguins, a tropical bird on a log and a realistic rendering of one of the restaurant’s sugar packets painted into the picture. And isn’t that tiny figure in a field the guy who just refilled your water glass, dressed as a matador and challenging a sheep?

8 W. Gabilan St., Salinas

753-7700, www.goldleafspiceandteas.com

On top of each white tea canister at Gold Leaf Spice & Teas is a little vial to sniff. Take a whiff of ambrosia or green sencha organic tea, and owner Terri Madrid will cheerfully pour you a personal cup at the cozy, rectangular store’s three-stool tea bar. Though the 57 whole-leaf tea choices are impressive, the spice wall will make your inner chef drool. Ground ancho chili, chipotle powder and three different heats of cayenne will spice up your grill, while Peruvian Aji Amarillo will make you want to hike the Incan culinary trail. Madrid says prices are below suggested retail, and she doesn’t mind if you come in for just a dab for a new dish.

650 Canyon Del Rey, Del Rey Oaks

www.mprpd.org/parks/frogpond.htm

You wouldn’t necessarily notice this place as you’re heading up Canyon Del Rey Boulevard between General Jim Moore Boulevard and Highland Street, and it’s not as heavily hyped as iconic hotspots like Point Lobos or Garrapata. But this quiet refuge, just up the street from the strip malls of Fremont Boulevard, offers 17 acres of meditative delight populated by mallard ducks, warblers, bushtits, blackbirds and flycatchers. A deck overlooking the pond is a fine place for families to linger, and the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District offers an online guide to the birds at the spot. Go at lunch, or on a weekend, or after work, for a restorative re-communion with Mother Nature that doesn’t require a long drive up Highway 1.

3-8pm Mondays, University Plaza on Echo Avenue, Seaside

Weekly staffers have been chomping at the bit for a farmers market to get up and running in Seaside. But don’t let the farmers title fool you. Sure, your fill of fruits and veggies. But you can find dinner from one of the international food booths, stock up on dried fruit snacks, and buy some jewelry for your sweet, and let the kiddos work off their sugar highs in the bounce house. If it gets too chilly for you, there are sweatshirts and serapes for sale too. And Baan Thai, Stammtisch German Restaurant or Nifty 50’s Café sit nearby should you need a savory break while the crowd subsides.

2200 Garden Road, Monterey

333-1267, www.ampmedia.org

Maybe you’ve stumbled across AMP – Access Monterey Peninsula’s channel 24, aka Public Access TV – flipping your way to Comedy Central. Regular stops there reap rewards Hollywood couldn’t come up with: the zany, random rawness of Conspiracy Files; the polite and provincial talk show Your Town; Calvary Chapel sermons; the high/fine arts of a show called Art, Music, History, Literature; various chunks of time devoted to Access Showcase shows, which are, according to AMP’s Access Manager Lindsey Bishop, produced by locals (like the award-winning Hebard Olsen), for locals, without censor. Non-Comcast customers can access this source of unfiltered stuff via the website. But there’s nothing like kicking back after work with a drink and the telly and seeing, say, your boss ogle the camera as a guest on Your Town.

2004 Fairgrounds Road, Monterey

372-5863, www.montereycountyfair.com

Jazz, blues, and one little Pop Festival put it on the map, but its idyllic lawns, stately oak trees, rustic architecture and multi-faceted venue options have kept the Fairgrounds packed with events for decades. Festivals of wine and beer? Bring it here. Psychics galore? More, more. Llamas, livestock and Lipizzaners? Yipee-ki-yay. Kids Fest? We love kids! Thanksgiving for the hungry? Eat up. LGBT festival? Unfurl rainbow flags. Off-track betting? You bet. E-waste collection? Dump here, dude. Private parties? Hearty as they come. If the GOP is the party of no, here’s the party of yes.

1534-B Fremont Blvd., Seaside

899-5780

If you’re looking to slip on a fluffy robe and be surrounded by lavender-scented air, this isn’t your place. But around-the-way girls like yours truly prefer the low-key approach – and walking into Pro Top Nails you feel like you’re at your favorite cousin’s house. The staff knows you by name and treats you like family. You’re likely to catch Jerry Springer on the flatscreens more often than not, and where else can you get the Nike Swoosh airbrushed on your nails? But don’t worry, there’s plenty of Zen to be found too. Slip into the big comfy massage chairs and let the magic begin. Gossip with your girls (or eavesdrop on the juicy goods you’re sure to hear in the next chair) and around 45 minutes later your life, and your manicure, look a whole lot better.

25 Soledad Drive, Monterey

393-9479, www.eddisonandmelrose.com

Childhood tea party memories abound at this tiny tea shop. As soon as you walk in, you can picture days of flower-brimmed hats and grandma’s costume jewelry. A tabletop full of dainty floral china and lacy napkins calls out to your inner girly-girl. But Eddison & Melrose is hardly a place for child’s play. With formal tea service, savory English pasties (not to be confused with pastries), sandwiches and sweets, the grownup in you will appreciate the goodies even more. Karen Anne even serves up a hearty Ploughman’s lunch complete with a pastie of your choice, fruit salad and shaved Irish Cheddar for around $8. But not to worry, you and Teddy can also make a reservation for a tea party, should you feel so inclined.

230 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey

646-9020, www.vinyl-rev.com

There aren’t many folks in the county – or the world for that matter – who know and love music as much as Bob Gamber. The longhaired rock-and-roll advocate, and owner of Vinyl Revolution, has been an unofficial teacher to local musicians and musicians-to-be for almost two decades. It’s hard to stop in to the Lighthouse Avenue shop and leave without some newfound knowledge of bands like the Swedish doom metal outfit Witchcraft or early Brit garage rockers The Seeds. Standout area bands like Serpico, The Mystery Lights and guitarist Matt Baldwin have all received master’s degrees from Professor Gamber.

The Barnyard, Carmel

626-5454, www.allegrogourmetpizzeria.com

We know this feller who has ordered the same spinach salad from Allegro once a week for close to 10 years. No exaggeration: every week, the same salad. We at the paper respect the logic of making good behavioral choices – like sensible shoes and flossing and seatbelts – but didn’t get this. It isn’t a steak salad, or a crab Louie. Spinach is basically roughage. It sounds boring and predictable (like flossing and sensible shoes). Now we’ve been introduced to Allegro’s spinach salad and can report that it’s awesome: bacon and eggs and ripe tomatoes and lots of crumbly blue cheese, but it’s the house-made vinaigrette that makes it eligible for extensive repeat eating.

223 17th St., Pacific Grove

372-3456, www.fandangorestaurant.com

Times are tight all over. Even the editors here find it hard to rustle up the scratch for the traditional four weeks in the south of France each August. Not to worry: The remedy lies in a converted Methodist cottage on a side street in Pacific Grove. Fandango is the mouthwatering magnet that features Mediterranean specialties such as osso bucco, cassoulet, paella and their signature rack of lamb, all happily infused with the spirit of Flamenco dance from which it draws its name. Check your bags, bring your passport and travel along as Pierre and Marietta Bain take you on a short wine – and food-fueled excursion away from the everyday.

554 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey

As they say: Sometimes it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission. Jhonrico Carrmshimba of MyCaregiver Inc. is the most smokin’ example of 2010: While local city councils were busy following the landmark court case in Anaheim to determine if they can ban medical marijuana dispensaries outright, and while competing suppliers were applying for permits and licenses from those same bureaucrats, Jhonrico just hung out his shingle and started signing up patients. He’s got 500 customers so far. Such a bold move showed entrepreneurial wherewithal – long recognized as one of the best traits of Fortune 500 CEOs (and our dealer from back in the old neighborhood). Jhonrico, local anxiety and back pain suffers salute you, even if the courts and the city of Monterey don’t.

The other day the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments threw down an idea that somehow drowned out valid calls for a long-overdue rail system connecting the Peninsula with points north: an RFP for mustard-seed-fueled ferries that would trundle back and forth from Fisherman’s Wharf and Cannery Row to Santa Cruz Harbor and Capitola Wharf. Road-ragers rejoiced. Haters hugged. Economic experts predicted a baby boom in stimulating stay-cation style trips in both directions. OK – AMBAG threw out no such genius – it’s just our in-house fantasy. But as Matthew McConaughey’s David Wooderson says in Dazed and Confused, “It would’ve been a lot cooler if they did.”

The Raised Bed

595-4570, www.theraisedbed.com

“In character, in manner, in style, in all things,” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said, “the supreme excellence is simplicity.” Little these days approaches the simple beauty of growing your own food – only given the bugs, fog and sand it’s rarely as simple as plant and eat. That’s where Tregenza descends, e-mailing lists of organic starts available at affordable price points – arugula and asparagus! Sweet peas and sugar-snap peas! Kale and chard! – sold from a backyard patrolled by a fuzzy lover named Henry. Her raised-bed brainwaves are available for hire, but the advice on composting, recipes and the other just-blossoming blogposts are free.