The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1916-01-13
"reminiscences of
Western Travels.
Del Monte and Monterey
BY HELEN NJ. TODD.

tickets, winch was .,,
nroved to he long and tedious pfo,ess'
but was finally successfully accomplish
"A A,otbar visit was made to Goldeh
ca+. Pal and the Cliff House, ~here
-.,,,.. sntendii views of the quaint
Mt. uiodmils and Of the SURF Oh tne
-,......as.it broke in long rollers on the
- The Sutro Baths came In Tor
-. .bsr. Of attention. and we did not
800. .ts 4r5rh of the assertion that
tbess are the largest baths in the worio.
III building apparently covered as great
oe the Mechanics Building in
Boston.
Onr lsst afternoon was spent at the
Fvnosition where we purchased some
go,,va1irs on the Zone for the home
folks. witnessed spectacular aeroplane
f9iobt hv Art Smith, and made fare
well tour of the beautiful gardens.
Ralph BIRD Joined US at the Plaza that
evening and after dinner we all made
the Chinatown trip in the sightseeing
auto. and fouri it most interesting. AT
sing FATS, the big oriental bazaar, we
would willingly have fingered much
lancer than the allotted ten minutes
among tke beautiful curios-vases, orna-
,nerts and ambroideries that made me
org fos q pocket full of gold. We were
irving to select some one of the many
beautiful things to carry home with US,
when the cal came "aiI aboard, and
We were obliged to leave them all. II
aver am IN San Francisco again l hope
rave plenty Of time-and money-tor
sing Fats. Our next visit was to a
Chinese Joss H9use, then our guide led
Us through all sorts of highways and by
Wag-. crooked passages and straight
57eg until we lost all sense of direction,
finally bringing us to a private Chinese
aou where We were entertained (0
6v concert given by the children Of
Die family. Va thought it very com
norrLace and uninteresting, and quite
evidently gotten up for relieving tour
rsts .t pare pennies. We enjoyed far
more brfel visit 10 tea house where
lea .ra RE, cakes were served by pretty
Grt- Chinese girls, and where the en-
trance 9f d Nee Chinese baby made a
.-r-a. s-asatlOn We were most impress
sr4 oy the Chinese telephone exchange,
5ualu..diug OF real pagoda design. The
NECESSARY standard swtchboards and
nrea.e booths were of teakwood, de-
traeuGg title from the general scheme.
Tire operators themselves, all Chinese,
gave the place a truly Oriental cbarac
tel. and it was difficult TO realize that
W. were indeed in an American city, al
though We mad previously noted tbs
twenty or more pages of Chinese char
scters in line middle of the San Francis
eco te'eunone book.
Two O'Clock next afternoon found US
agaH on the train, this time the DE
Monte Flyer, en- route for Del Monte
and Monterey. A "most unusual" San
Francisco sun shone on our departure,
and We were glad to see for ourselves
before leaving that San Francisco really
rsl such d possession. The four-hour
ride On the train was interesting but I'M
yaHtfui. and we were glad to reach Del
Monte in time for dinner The Hotel
Nel Monte Is most interesting place
large rambling building set in the
nlast Vi spacious and beautiful grounds.
f~,r r.,1 70 no. Of
src7 20 US in reaching our rooms-What
ae .-eleI was something more on the
order VI d travelling sidewalk. 1t seem
I'd FULLY a mile and a half from the office
.1 our room, which when we reached it
Was large airy affair, with painted
furniture IN the style Of forty or more
years ago. The connecting bath room
was most obviously an afterthought,
l3~n a step, up step, and around a
-9rner, However, from the windows
We caught vistas of beautiful gardens,
palm trees and live oaks, with a pro-
fusion of flowers that was most enchant-
2ng, and We promised ourselves a tour of
exploration in the morning. At dinner
that night we had our first taste of aba
lone steak, and pronounced it delicious.
There was dance at the hotel that
evening and the whole place was alive
with gaiety, from the bowling alleys to
the ball rooms. The Del Monte seemed
to US to be unique of it's kind-contain-
ing under one ample roof everything
Imaginable for the comfort and pleasure
OF its guests, from lingerie and curio
shops to art galleries and a fine pipe
organ, and providing entertainment for
storm as we'll as sunshine.
Next morning we engaged a Stevens
Olryea six, with most agreeable chauf-
feur, and started on the famous Seven
een-Mlle Drive around the Monterey
Peninsula. Leaving the hotel grounds
We drove through the old Spanish town
of Monterey, with just glance at the
quaint old adobe houses, and past the
Presidio, or military reservation, where
cross near the entrance marks the
landing place Of Father Juripero Sierra,
The founder of the California Missions.
We saw also the oeautitul statue of