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The main street is closed off to four-wheeled traffic and at a specific time they let all the sport bikes and yes, even a few Harleys in to line the street with a wall of bikes. It’s like a parade of testosterone coming down the street just barely containing the awesome power of these machines. I love to see tourists and bikers intermingling and see the look on the faces of people admiring the bikes even though you know a lot of them have no idea what they are looking at. The row is also lined with historic buildings that take you back to a time of fisherman, smugglers, merchant barons, and “yar” pirate’s. I don’t really know if there were pirates on Cannery Row, but if they missed this port they passed up a great vacation site…”Yar.”

Cannery Row is a must see for anyone touring Northern California. The row is lined with shops, bars, restaurants, and an amazing view of the bay and oh yea, seals! I had never seen a seal in the wild before; the only seals I ever saw were balancing a ball on their nose. I have come to the conclusion that I want to be a seal in my next life. All they do is lay on the rocks in the sun, go swimming, eat a few fish, and go back and lay on the rocks again . . . repeat. That’s what I’m talkin’ about.

Something that really impressed me besides the fact that there are no Walmarts in Monterey was the first-class public transportation system in and around the area. The municipal buses were free to anyone holding a race ticket and they brought you to and from the races and anywhere else in the city you wanted to go. Not having a vehicle there was no problem at all. As a matter of fact a lot of people left their cars at the hotels and used the buses.

What else is there to say about the weekend of the Red Bull U.S. MotoGP? With great races, awesome bikes, pretty girls, great food, interesting vendors, and scenery to die for, I say, “Count me in.”