Old Monterey District Blog

Freedom Bakery's personalized cookies make the perfect gift to send to family, friends, and clients. These delicious butter shortbread cookies, printed with your photo or business logo, are individually wrapped and available in different shapes and sizes.

Whether as a corporate thank you or a personal holiday gift, your custom photo cookie is one of a kind. And you can trust our local, family-run bakery, which has been producing photo cookies for families and businesses across the country since 1996.

About the Cookies

Our Cookie Greetings® are as great tasting as they look - butter shortbread cookies mixed and hand cut in Watsonville, baked to perfection, then iced by hand with a light lemon icing. Our signature shortbreads have a crisp, clean snap and a delicious buttery taste.

Printing Process

All our custom cookies are created using a direct-to-cookie printing process for great colors and a delicious bite. Free of any gummy transfers or edible paper, our unique process shows off the image so there's no peeling or any strange aftertastes.

Ordering

Please visit our website to learn more and place your order. We offer free pick-up at our Monterey boutique at 305 Webster Street, Fri-Sun, 10am-1pm, and at our Watsonville bakery, Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm; Sat, 9am-5pm; and Sun, 9am-2pm.

I & I Healing Arts, an independent, locally-owned studio offering nutrition and lifestyle coaching and integrative bodywork, is offering 25% off our gift certificates November 25-30. Please call Elexia at 831-277-8552 to purchase.

Gift certificates, regular prices:
60 minutes, $120
75 minutes, $150
90 minutes, $175

I & I Healing Arts Studio is located at 530 Abrego Street in Downtown Old Monterey.

Webster Street Art Gallery presents an exhibit of work by local artist Tim Robinson running now through January 10 at 188 Webster Street in Downtown Old Monterey.

Tim Robinson has been active on California's Central Coast for over 40 years as a teacher, musician, and artist working in various media: watercolor, oil painting, reduction woodcuts, bronze sculpture, and jewelry.

This show features early and recent works of portraiture and landscapes, including scenes from Big Sur and the gardens of Old Monterey's historic adobe buildings. All pieces are available for purchase.

Ever wish you could recreate the wonderful flavors of Rosine's Restaurant at home? Rosine's Cuisine, the Culcasi Family's recently redesigned cookbook, is available at the restaurant at 434 Alvarado Street and online.

Featuring a treasure trove of recipes from Monterey's legendary family restaurant, this cookbook makes a great holiday gift! It contains updated tried-and-true favorites, new chapters, breakfast and brunch recipes, soups, main dishes, and even more dessert recipes. Treat yourself or friends and family!

Please note: Rosine's will be closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Choose Your Treasure second hand store is celebrating our sixth anniversary in business! November 26 - December 31, 2024, we're offering 50% off everything in the store. Come in and find a great deal. We're open Mon-Sat, 11am-7pm.

Choose Your Treasure has something for everyone! We carry new and used clothing and shoes for the entire family plus furniture, kitchenware, home decor, books, movies, and even a few bicycles. We're located at 211 Pearl Street in Downtown Old Monterey.

Downtown Old Monterey has a wealth of locally-owned artisan bakeries, and they're ready to bring you the very best desserts, breads, and rolls for your Thanksgiving table.

Handmade with love from tried and true recipes with unique twists, these will be the perfect flourish for any gathering. Menu highlights and pre-order deadlines are below.

Menu Highlights & Order Deadlines

Ad Astra Bread Co.
479 Alvarado Street
Offering mouthwatering sourdough breads, rolls, pies, cheesecake, and cinnamon rolls. Order online soon before we sell out and indicate pick up for Nov. 26 or 27.

Alta Bakery
502 Munras Avenue
Baking delicious apple galettes, pecan pies, and pumpkin pies. Pre-order by Nov. 21 online. Pick-up on Nov. 26 or 27 (specify when ordering).

Freedom Bakery Boutique
305 Webster Street
Preparing beautifully decorated cakes plus an assortment of cream pies (pumpkin, banana, coconut, and more). Order on our website for pick up at our Monterey boutique on Nov. 24, 10am-1pm, or for pick-up at our Watsonville bakery on Nov. 27, 10am-2pm.

Paris Bakery
271 Bonifacio Place
Selling a variety of delectable breads, rolls, pies, cakes, cupcakes, and decorated cookies all made in-house. Place your order by Nov. 24 for pick-up on Nov. 27. Order in person or call 831-646-1620.

Parker-Lusseau Pastries and Cafe
539 Hartnell Street
Creating delicious pumpkin apple cinnamon cakes, baked pear and quince tarts, and pumpkin 'n' cream individual cream puffs for Thanksgiving. Orders must be placed and prepaid by Nov. 25 either in person or by phone at 831-641-9188. Pick-up on Nov. 27.

Shear Addiction Barbershop and Hair Studio has moved...but not too far. We are now located just steps away at 141 Webster Street in Downtown Old Monterey. Come see our bright new shop with a lot more space!

We're now next to Siamese Bay Restaurant and directly across the street from OM Studios. Street parking is still available.

Make your appointment here. Our barbers and stylists - Bea, Andersen, Elmer, Fred, Hector, and Mervyn - will be happy to see you.

Spa on the Plaza, located at 201 Alvarado Street, is offering specials in November including a Warming Vanilla Chai Massage & Gift (60 min., $185) and a Pumpkin Radiance Facial (60 min., $160). To learn more and make an appointment, please phone us at 831-647-9000.

November Specials 2024

Warming Vanilla Chai Massage & Gift
$185 for 60 minutes
This luxurious treatment combines the soothing scents of vanilla and chai to create a truly comforting experience. Let the warming massage melt away your stress and the aromatic vanilla chai embrace your senses. As a gift, take home a Tara Spa Chai neck pillow, perfect for extending your relaxation beyond the spa.

Pumpkin Radiance Facial
$160 for 60 minutes
Indulge in the ultimate autumn luxury with our exclusive Pumpkin Radiance Facial. Rich in vitamins and antioxidants, the pumpkin enzyme masque gently exfoliates and works to reveal a radiant, youthful glow. To enhance your experience, we include a Warming Vanilla Chai hand treatment to hydrate and soothe your hands during the colder season.

The Monterey Museum of Art is delighted to announce its upcoming Biennial Exhibition, scheduled to run May 15 - August 31, 2025.

The Museum is seeking submissions of compelling and innovative artwork for the juried exhibition, which will celebrate the diversity of California art. Submit your work November 19, 2024 - January 12, 2025.

Eligibility

The exhibition is open to artists age 18 and up who reside in Monterey, Fresno, Kern, Kings, San Benito, Santa Cruz, and San Luis Obispo Counties.

Submissions are welcome November 19 - January 12 in the following categories: painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, mixed media, and sculpture. (Please note: New Media, time-based, installation, and Artificial Intelligence [AI] artwork will not be considered.)

There is no submission fee. For more details, please read the Exhibition Prospectus.

Exhibition Theme

The theme for the 2025 Biennial Exhibition is Resonance and Reflection. This theme seeks submissions that explore how art resonates with cultural, social, and personal contexts and reflections of both interior and exterior worlds.

The theme encourages a wide range of interpretations, allowing artists from across the region to contribute diverse creative perspectives and spark public dialogue about contemporary California art.

Venture Gallery presents the paintings of Maria Poroy and Carole Klein, our featured local artists for November. Their joint exhibit, Double Vision, features their dramatically colorful abstract work.

Maria Poroy and Carole Klein often create work that is different but often feels in sync - not like identical twins, but perhaps fraternal. Maria noticed how, over the years, she and Carole would bring in works that just seemed to belong together - they love to use the full range of blues, rich reds, acrylic paint, and mixed media. So the idea was hatched: why not do a joint exhibit? And just to make it more fun, they set a few guidelines on color and format for the show, but they won't see each other's work until it's on the wall at the gallery.

Venture Gallery is open 10am-6pm daily. Maria Poroy and Carole Klein's artwork will be featured through November 2024. Venture Gallery is located at 260 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey. Visit our website to shop online for work by our local artists.

Hudson James, the boutique inside Franklin Street Collaborative, now offers a Hat Bar for Gigi Pip hats. At the Hat Bar, customers can select their favorite hat and then enhance it with curated feathers, headbands, charms, and custom engraving. Express your style in a fun and creative way!

About Hudson James

Hudson James, located at 201 W. Franklin Street in Downtown Old Monterey, is a concept shop blending city and coastal styles with a selection of clothing, accessories, and home decor.