District Blog

A new exhibit, Extraordinary Valor: The Lost History of the Buffalo Soldiers in Monterey, opened in June at the Presidio of Monterey Museum. This permanent exhibit honors the history of the Black soldiers of the 9th Cavalry during the Spanish American War at the turn of the 20th century.

Known as the Buffalo Soldiers, the 9th Cavalry, established during a time of racial segregation in the military, arrived in Monterey in November 1902. During their two-year stay, they trained new recruits as well as horses. During the summer of 1904, the 9th Cavalry rode to Yosemite National Park where they created the first marked National Park trail.

The exhibit consists of photographs, uniforms, a map, a sword, a facsimile of a newspaper article, and more. Come learn more about these remarkable men. Museum hours are Saturday and Sunday, 9am-4pm.

The Presidio of Monterey Museum is located at 76th Artillery Street & Corporal Ewing Road, Bldg. 113 in Lower Presidio Park. The Park can be found above Pacific Street at the Lighthouse Avenue curve as you drive from the Lighthouse District towards Downtown Monterey.

This post is adapted from Jordan Leininger's article entitled, "Presidio of Monterey Museum's New Exhibit - Extraordinary Valor: The Lost History of the Buffalo Soldiers in Monterey" which first appeared in the City of Monterey's City Focus Magazine, Summer 2023.

Pamir Rugs currently has this beautiful, vibrant, antique Chinese Art Deco rug for sale in our showroom at 237 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey.

In addition to having a wide variety of new, antique, and custom-made rugs for sale, we also offer rug cleaning, repairing, and appraising. With over 30 years of experience in this business, our interior designers can help you pick the best quality rug for your home.

It’s a good day when you walk into Fashion Trade Boutique with an album you just bought at Recycled Records and you find the matching band shirt. It's Lighthouse District kismet!

Fashion Trade has around 100 band t-shirts in stock. Come in and see if we have your favorite at 554 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey. (And be sure to visit Recycled Records at 604 Lighthouse Avenue, too.)

This week, Cypress Boutique is having a Summer Sale! Get 20%-60% off clothing and accessories through Sunday, August 6. This is your chance to find the cutest styles at the best prices, including hats, shoes, shorts, shirts, skirts, and dresses.

Cypress Boutique, located at 800 Lighthouse Avenue, Ste C in Monterey, carries clothing and accessories for women and men.

Plato's Closet, located at 402 Lighthouse Ave in Monterey, is offering back to school savings. Shop your favorite brands all under one roof and get some great deals for the start of the year.

Now through August 14, when you spend $75, get $30 in coupons to spend September 15-30 at Plato's Closet on any purchase of $60 or more. There is no limit to the number of coupons that can be earned per transaction.

Have you seen the beautifully lit star in the patio garden at Pearl Hour? "Star Light" was built in 1984 by Kevin Hartley, the owner of Monterey’s legendary gay bar, After Dark, located here at 214 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey, 1975-1999.

Back in the day, the star shone down on everyone from its place on the roof above the doors that go from the upper patio to the inside bar. But the star went dormant during the two ownership changes between After Dark and Pearl Hour. It returned in 2019, when Zeeek lovingly resurrected this beautiful light source and fastened it to the cement wall in preparation for Pearl Hour's first New Year’s Eve party. It has remained there to this day.

In the evenings, when the sky is dark and the patio garden is dimly lit, look at the purple wall, have someone take a close up picture of your face and you’ll see… there are stars in your eyes.

New information: soon after we posted this information from Pearl Hour, the NMBA webmaster received a message from Sal Carbone, former owner of Carbone's Bar, located where Pearl Hour is now.

Sal claims the star was made by DeMaria, who owned the bar back when it was called Stars. Sal found the star on the roof of the back bar when he opened Carbone's, put it back together, plugged it in, and hung it on the roof of the bar for all the airline pilots and flight attendants (who were Carbone's regulars) to see when they flew over New Monterey.

Have you tried the breakfast enchiladas at Mission 19 Taqueria? This and all our Mexican breakfast dishes are served all day, every day at 598 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey. We're open Sunday - Thursday, 11am-8pm, and Friday -Saturday, 11am-9pm.

Welcome to Lighthouse District in the News, an occasional post featuring recent news articles on Monterey's Lighthouse District. Please click the link below to read the article.

Weldon Webb remembers a time when a gay bar was the center of the local LGBTQ+ scene. How times have changed. [Pearl Hour]
by Agata Popeda
Monterey County Weekly, 06/29/23

Lilify now carries a mesmerizing collection of work by local ceramic artist, Lesley Pretorius, in our shop at 281 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey.

Lesley’s hand-built, hand-etched pieces are informed by her childhood in South Africa, her time working in Argentina and Mexico, and her love of California’s Central Coast. This delicate work is only sold in our store, not on our website.

With the trailer out now for Marvel's Kraven the Hunter, scheduled to hit movie theaters in October, stop by Current Comics this summer to pick up a copy of the classic Kraven's Last Hunt graphic novel or Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection, Vol 17, which includes the stories of Kraven's Last Hunt, the encounter with Wolverine that changes Spidey's life, and Peter Parker's proposal to Mary Jane.

Current Comics is located at 400 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey. All of our comics are also available on our website.

InSight Eyewear, located at 490 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey, now carries the newest styles in glasses from L.A.M.B. by Gwen Stefani. We invite you to visit us and check out some of the 3,000 frames we have in stock.

InSight Eyewear is a full service optical boutique. If you're struggling to read your mail, watch TV, or see street signs, it's probably time for an eye exam and new glasses. Don't hesitate to give us a call at 831-373-4400.

The Perfect Crumb Bakery now offers ice cream sandwiches! Pick a fresh cookie, pick an ice cream flavor, and enjoy a cool, delicious summer treat. Visit us at 301 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey.

Poppleton's Interiors is having an accessories sale, June 16 - July 16, 2023, featuring 25% off all accessories located in our showroom. That includes silk floral options, lighting, decorative pillows and throws, rugs, and more. Visit us at 299 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey to view our selection.

Please note: custom orders are excluded from this sale. Only items on the floor in the showroom are included.

Cypress Boutique Monterey has just restocked the popular Harmony embroidered flare yogi pants. These cotton-spandex, olive colored, mineral wash flare pants offer both comfort and style, fitting like yoga pants for a look that’s timeless.

Visit Cypress Boutique at 800 Lighthouse Avenue, Suite C in Monterey to see this and many more styles for summer.