Fifty years ago, Bill and Jennifer Hill were a young married couple with a baby on the way taking a chance on opening their own art gallery in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Bill had discovered the charm of Carmel in the 1960s, when his older brother was stationed at Fort Ord and invited him to visit from Illinois and get out of the snow. Bill attended Monterey Peninsula College before heading back to Illinois to finish his college degree, but he and Jennifer visited Carmel as often as possible. Like his brother, Bill went on to serve in the army. After his service and receiving an MBA, the couple decide ..read more

Photographer Jeff Bushnell’s compelling shots of rare and exotic cars and motorcycles have appeared in The New York Times, Cycle World, Autoweek, the Los Angeles Times, and this magazine, among others. He’s captured images of auto enthusiasts and their vehicles at some of the most exclusive Car Week events throughout Monterey County. Bushnell was the official photographer for events founded by Gordon and Molly McCall, like McCall’s Motorworks Revival, which ran for 30 years; The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, now in its 21st year; and The Quail Motorcycle Gathering, which just celebrated its ..read more

For 10,000 years, the Esselen people have lived here. At one time, their lands encompassed an area extending from the San Francisco Bay area down to Lopez Point, south of Big Sur. But by the time of colonization, their lands had dwindled (due to pressure from Penutian speaking tribes), to a coastal area stretching forty miles from the Carmel Mission down the Big Sur coast and into the Santa Lucia Mountains. They lived in small family groups and, as hunter-gatherers, they moved seasonally to follow food sources, living both on the coast and in the mountains. The Esselen language, a Hokan type ..read more

The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance began in 1950, as a social component held in conjunction with the Pebble Beach Road Races. Today, the Concours headlines more than 10 days of August races, auctions, exhibitions and other high-octane events held across the Monterey Peninsula. This is your chance to connect with race drivers, car designers, collectors, celebrities and automotive enthusiasts from around the globe. Make the most of your car week experience with this guide to 2024 events. Please note: These listings are current as of Carmel Magazine’s May 2024 press deadline and subject to cha ..read more

In 1905, artist Christian “Chris” Jorgensen—an accomplished painter known for his evocative watercolors of California landscapes—started construction on La Playa in the remote and wild dunes of Carmel-by-the-Sea. It was to be a winter home and studio for Jorgensen and his wife, Angela Ghirardelli. Ghirardelli was heiress to the San Francisco chocolate empire, but despite her vast wealth, she and her husband were bohemians at heart, lovers of nature and the arts. They came upon Carmel in 1904 while on a rugged two-year horse-and-buggy painting tour of the California missions and fell in love w ..read more

He’s quite possibly the most famous musician you’ve never heard of. A newly minted Pebble Beach resident, John Beland has lent his guitar and vocal chops to countless recordings and live performances. A conversation with him is liberally peppered with a plethora of mid- to late-20th century musical household names such as Arlo Guthrie, Ricky Nelson, Rita Coolidge, Glen Frey, Kim Carnes, Johnny Cash, Slash, The Bellamy Brothers and The Flying Burrito Brothers. Beland’s memoir, “Best Seat in the House,” features jacket blurbs from some with whom he’s played and remained friends: Garth Brooks, K ..read more

Elephant seal, Ano Nuevo State Park, Monterey Bay, California, USA If a human sees an estimated 25 million images in an average lifetime, iconic wildlife photographer Frans Lanting has probably seen double that. Lanting, known worldwide, lives quietly just outside of Santa Cruz with his partner in life and work, Chris Eckstrom. They’ve spent decades traversing the globe for National Geographic, and spend much of their “free time” leading expeditions in locations such as Antarctica. But now the couple is pulling focus on what exists in their literal and figurative backyard—the greater Monterey ..read more

Porsche Rennsport Reunion V On a sun-drenched stretch of the peninsula, just a few miles inland of the Monterey Bay, sits one of the country’s most famous road courses and its history is everything one would expect from a race track sitting just a stone’s throw from one of the country’s most famous car events. Laguna Seca, or more officially, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, was built back in the 1950s as an answer to the area’s desire to continue sports car racing that was growing in popularity. When it was decided that the tree-lined coastal roads weren’t the safest roads to zip through, org ..read more

2HW6D3R Clint Eastwood at the Albany Hotel on Smallbrook Queensway, Birmingham. 5th June 1967. Clint Eastwood has worked as an actor, producer, director and composer on well over 100 films and television shows, for which he has received countless honors, including four Academy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. He’s also a conservationist in his beloved Carmel, putting up significant funds to preserve open space and to keep the historic Mission Ranch, a hotel and restaurant with views of grazing sheep and Point Lobos, from being developed into condominiums. His local roles have included mayo ..read more

Since she started volunteering with Animal Friends Rescue Project (AFRP) 11 years ago, Michelle Starr has filled diverse roles. She helped with the nonprofit’s 25th anniversary celebration in September, about three months after joining the AFRP Board of Directors. She’s welcomed 115 dogs into her home as a foster volunteer, accommodating some for a few weeks and others for more than a year. Starr has taken on various weekend cat care projects and—through her dog boarding, grooming and day care business, All-Starr Pet Services—she also provides complimentary treatments for dogs leaving local s ..read more