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The city is quiet for the moment, and the cool morning air feels fresh, scrubbed by the sea breeze.

Mist swirls around you as you make your way towards the water. The marine layer is

thick at this time of day, like a blanket of fog hanging over the coast.

This rich bay ecosystem, teams with life, it's home to more than 300 species of fish,

over 30 kinds of mammals, and nearly 100 types of birds. It's also the site of an underwater

chasm, deeper than the Grand Canyon. The thought of viewing the natural beauty of the area,

and its creatures, is what draws you towards the bay this morning.

Today, you have nothing to do but wander this spectacular waterfront.

The thousands of years indigenous Americans have lived along the Monterey Bay.

The abundance of fish and other wildlife in this aquatic paradise have made it a thriving

place to live for generations.

As a city, Monterey's history stretches back to colonial Spain's exploration of the land that

would become California. It began in 1542 when a Spanish explorer became the first European to

see the bay, long after the people who had been living here for generations. He named it

the Bay of Pines, a fitting description for this part of the coastline, whose mouth is,

indeed, lined with pine trees. The name stuck only briefly though. 60 years later, another

spaniard landed on the shores of the bay. He renamed it in honor of the count of Monterey,

...