Who builds a Bohemian storybook village next to one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in the world? America does! But only if you’re a Californian, because Californians are the only Americans creative enough to even think of it. Carmel By the Sea is one of America’s little hidden treasures. Most tourists come to California for L.A., San Francisco and San Diego. But the clever ones get off the beaten path, jump on the Pacific Coast Highway, and head for the hidden gems of California. It just doesn’t seem fair that some people are lucky enough to actually come from Carmel, especially if life destined you to live out your days in Detroit, or Pittsburgh, or Peoria. You look at a place like this and you start to wonder how badly you must’ve screwed up in your last life to be born in some rust belt, industrial toilet, while other people get to grow up and live in a place that bears a striking resemblance to Heaven on Earth. 

Carmel is one of the many reasons why, no matter how bad our economy or how screwed up our politics may be, people will always dream of coming to live here. It’s not the only beautiful beach on Earth, but let’s face it…it’s California. It’s not just a state…it’s a state of mind. A state of being. It’s a lifestyle that really can’t be imitated or recreated anywhere else. Given a choice between living in a shack on this beach or enjoying the whole of Downton Abbey, most people would choose a little place on Carmel Bay to even the nicest palace in Europe. Nothing built by man could ever hope to rival the raw beauty of this strip of Pacific coastline. This is why people put up with the earthquakes, wildfires, and the ridiculous cost of living in California. Once you’ve had this as your backyard, how could you ever call any other place home?