Cannery Row Recalls Steinbeck

“Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.”

That’s how John Steinbeck described the bayside street then known as Ocean Avenue in the opening sentence of his 1945 book “Cannery Row,” an affectionate look at the lives of a wildly colorful cast of characters that included big-hearted prostitutes, homeless men and various hangers-on.

The best-remembered of them all, of course, is Doc Ricketts, who in real life was marine biologist Ed Ricketts and Steinbeck’s closest friend.

During World War II, the sardine-canning factories pumped up production to supply the troops overseas, and by the late ‘40s the waters were depleted and the canneries closed down. By then, however, the Cannery Row area was drawing tourists who came from around the globe to see the world Steinbeck had created.

In 1958 the city acknowledged the book’s popularity and officially renamed that section of Ocean Avenue “Cannery Row.”

In 1984, the Monterey Bay Aquarium opened on Cannery Row’s south side, and ever since, tourism has skyrocketed. People come to shop, eat fudge, ride buggies down to Lover’s Point in adjacent Pacific Grove and stay at luxury hotels that climb up the hills that lead down to the bay.

But some also come to pay tribute to the writer who put his finger on Cannery Row’s pulse by visiting the John Steinbeck Bookstore and Museum (551 Foam St.).

It’s a highly recommended stop for anyone wanting to learn more about California’s most famous and acclaimed writer. If you want to learn more, you can catch a verbal “literary tour” of Steinbeck’s life at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. daily. For more information, call 1-408-646-9117.