Fisherman's Wharf (Monterey)

The wharf at Monterey has been here longer than California has been a state — established over 170 years ago, predating statehood itself. What began as a working fishing and trading pier evolved through the sardine era and now runs as a mixed-use tourist and commercial fishing destination: restaurants, whale-watching tours, shops, and a resident colony of sea lions that have made the pilings their own. The history is real. So is the chowder.