Waterfront Concerts–with Bike Valet Parking!

Eco-aware, and pampered too

Summer concerts on the waterfront, bike valet parking, ah….this is the life!

Who says you can’t be an eco-conscious traveler and still enjoy some of life’s little luxuries?   In Monterey County, bicycle valet parking is one way we say yes to both.

Young, old, male, female—virtually everyone likes to be taken care of at times.  For details on this unique way cyclists are cared for by Monterey County hospitality professionals, see the “Bike Valet Parking” section of Tips for Tourists Bicycling Monterey County.

Musician Laurel Thomsen knows all about this special service to cyclists offered in her native county.  And this valet at the Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa (home of HER Helmet Thursdays participants Cafe La Strada, The Duck Club, Schooners Bistro on the Bay, and Vista Blue Spa) clearly enjoys this duty—all in a day’s work for valets on the Monterey Bay!

Monterey Plaza’s Free Summer Concerts on the Bay

If your idea of summer evening fun is live music on the waterfront, bike on over to the Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa for their summer concert series, which has been extended through September 11.  Park and lock it yourself, or pedal on in to their covered driveway, and let their valets handle your bike.

Schooners Bistro on the Bay will host the Friday evening outdoor concerts and a Sunday concert on their lower terrace, 5:30-9 pm.  On Saturdays, head indoors, where the Monterey Plaza Lobby Bar comes alive with music from 5-8 pm.  Check out the roster of music at “Salt Rock” in the Monterey County Weekly’s Special Edible blog by Mark C. Anderson.  And for the newly added September dates, and a Local Beer Fest, click here for a PDF of the Monterey Plaza’s poster.

Evenings by the Bay – Jazz at the Aquarium

Summer evenings in Monterey mean you can also enjoy live jazz on  Saturdays and Sundays from 6-8 pm at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, through September 5.

This is part of the Aquarium’s extended summer hours.  There’s an espresso cart available, so it’s easy to get a light supper or snacks, plus a wine and beer bar in the Marine Mammal Hall.

Click here for the music schedule and other details.

Alcohol and bicycling

Wondering about enjoying alcohol, then bicycling?  Simply use the same good judgment that you’d use about getting behind your handlebars as you’d use about getting behind the wheel of car.   See drinking and bicycle safety tips at “Wine-ding Your Way along Monterey County Bikeways.”

Irene and Jeff Dibble of Sonoma love traveling to Monterey activities by bicycle.