42 miles S of Santa Cruz; 113 miles S of San Francisco; 338 miles N of Los Angeles
Some compare 2 1/2-square-mile Pacific Grove -- the locals call it "PG" -- to Carmel as it was 20 years ago. Plenty of tourists wind their way through here on oceanfront trails and dining excursions, but the town remains quaint and peaceful -- amazing considering that Monterey is a stone's throw away (a quarter of the Monterey Bay Aquarium is actually in Pacific Grove). While Monterey is comparatively congested and cosmopolitan, Pacific Grove is sprinkled with historic homes, flowers, butterflies fluttering about, and deer meandering fearlessly from yard to yard.
