Salinas Things to Do

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Near Downtown, but mostly along Central Avenue, just down the street from the Steinbeck Museum, is a fine collection of restored old homes that have become occupied by attorney's and other professionals. These can be easily appreciated in a walk from downtown.

The well endowed and modern museum not only has personal artifacts and original manuscripts from the author, but also helps explain the magnificent agricultural phenomenon about which Steinbeck wrote. Mexican-American authors and other artists are hosted by the museum as well. The museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm. See website for ticketing and other details.

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Main Street Salinas has about 10 blocks of well kept commercial activity, focusing upon restaurants, internet cafe's, banking, boutique shops of all sorts, high-end massage salons, and theaters. There are three active theaters-- the Maya Theater brings current Hollywood films, The Childrens Theater focuses upon live entertainment for Children, and the old Fox Theater has Spanish language productions. There's another theater downtown with a fine marquee sign that is closed. Downtown has wide sidewalks, well maintained planter boxes, and antique street lamps. Traffic is very courteous to pedestrians. Most of the architecture dates to the early 20th century, although a few notable examples date into the late 19th century.

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OK, so Salinas existed before John Steinbeck was born...who knew? One place to find a little more of the Salinas history is the Boronda Adobe. The Jose Eusebio Boronda Adobe was built from 1844 to 1848 as a farmhouse long before the city of Salinas existed and is the town's oldest structure. This is a unique adobe for the era due to its four-sloped wooden roof (rather than tile with two slopes) and a veranda that encircled the house. Boronda was originally granted 6,700 acres, but today only 5 acres remain with the adobe.

On the same site is Old Lagunita School House, built in 1897 and a later farmhouse.

One of the supposed descendants of this Boronda family include Narcisco “Frank” Boronda who was an old timey John Wayne Bobbitt. In 1907 his wife chopped off his happy place with a straight razor after one of his usual trips to a San Jose brothel...more here:
http://sanjoseinside.com/sji/blog/entries/the_baronda_mayhem_trial/

The unincorporated community of Boronda is next to Salinas and has just a few houses, but also a waste disposal transfer station, a United Parcel Service facility , and a large agricultural seed supplier.

The adobe is open to visitors weekdays 10-2 and Sundays 1-4 (closed on Saturdays).

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Salinas has at least three theaters on Main Street: The old Fox Theater, and the new Maya Cinemas. The cinemas are an essential part of the future of downtown, as they are some of the few draws (along with the Steinbeck Center) that bring foot traffic to other local businesses.

The Fox Theater was built in 1921 and it was all but abandoned in the 1990s. In 2006 it was finally purchased and renovated by Monterey businessmen Tim Treadway and Anthony Lane, and it just reopened in May 2007. The opening act was none other than nationally famous, California-native comedian George Lopez. Today the theater hosts anything from banquets, proms, and weddings, to plays and movies.

The Maya Cinemas is a major renovation of the 1930's Crystal Theater which stood on the site of the 1910 Brown's Opera House. Unfortunately the 1930s facade could not be preserved, but the current facade is a replica of the original. The theater just opened in July 2005, and it is a large and modern movie theater with some 14 screens, including the largest screen in Monterey County. The owner plans to offer a variety of Spanish language films in addition to the standard Hollywood blockbusters.

Unfortunately Main Street's third theater is closed and in disrepair. It looks like a small shop might be open in the front lobby but that's about it. Look for its large facade that reads "Cinema I."

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Throughout Monterey County you might notice giant people along the sides of the highway, against the sides of buildings, or just off in a field. These characters which range from infants, to farmers, to old women are often creations of a Salinas artist John Cerney (http://www.johncerney.com/photogallery.html).

His latest art works are three Cannery Row-themed murals depicting the characters from Steinbeck's novel as well as dock workers and cannery workers. The first was just placed along the recreation trail next to the new Cannery Row Hotel. This 10x12 foot monsterpiece features "Mack and the boys" six notorious slackers from the 1930s.

Some of our other favorites are a giant of a man nicknamed Lettuce Nuts, as well as an old lady's face surrounded by flowers on a hillside along Highway 101. Cerney has also been commissioned for murals by many of the towns around Monterey and Salinas. These murals range from sporting figures to advertising for local dentists and car repair shops. You may even see his images of Marilyn Monroe (for the Castroville Artichoke Festival) or James Dean.

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It is basically a museum dedicated to the life of native author John Steinbeck and it also showcases life in the Monterey Bay & Salinas Valley in the early-mid 20th Century.

Year round, active programs take place in the Center. Through archive displays, art and history exhibitions, lectures, repertory film series, and special programs for schools, the Center draws people into explore the rich history of the Salinas Valley and Steinbeck Country.

The Steinbeck Center presents the life of Steinbeck, his writings, his characters, and Steinbeck Country in an informative, educational and entertaining manner. Different nationalities play an important role in the Steinbeck Center because the author himself saw the Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese and other ethnic groups as dignified people and important contributors to the community (East of Eden, Tortilla Flat, Forgotten Village, Cannery Row, etc.).

Utilizing diorama, innovative exhibits, changing displays and other media, the wonder and beauty of Steinbeck's creativity is dramatized so that everyone can enjoy and appreciate the author, his works and his environment. You can even see the original truck, Rocinante, that John Steinbeck drove while writing Travels with Charley.

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The California State Rodeo is held annually in Salina each July. This is considered one of the top 20 rodeos in the nation of the 800 or so held each year, and it attracts about 50,000 visitors. The rodeo features continuous action in the side-by-side arena and track including barrel racing, team roping, tie-down roping, bareback riding, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wresting, and even bull fighting to cap off each night.

The rodeo has been held in Salinas for 85 years.

Tickets list for $12 to $76, but watch for special deals...we got in for $5 each because we brought a couple of Pepsi cans with us; they also have a ladies' night where the first 1,000 females get in for $5. For a special treat, you can get the cheap general admission tickets and stand down along the fence just feet from the horses and the bulls.