The 17 Mile Drive is a scenic road through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach, California, United States, much of which hugs the Pacific coastline and passes famous golf courses and mansions. It also serves as the main road through the gated community of Pebble Beach. Like the community, the majority of 17-Mile Drive is owned and operated by the Pebble Beach Corporation. The 17-Mile Drive is 9.6 miles long, between the entrances at US-1 and Sunset Drive.
At the north end, the road originates in Pacific Grove at the intersection of Del Monte Blvd and Esplanade Street. The famous portion of 17-Mile Drive then begins a few miles south of this point. Where Highway 68 (Holman Highway/Sunset Drive) crosses 17 Mile Drive marks the entrance to Pebble Beach. The road runs inland past Spanish Bay, then adjacent to beaches and up into the coastal hills, providing scenic viewpoints. Travel along 17-Mile Drive takes as long as the traveler likes, a minimum of 20 minutes to Carmel without stops. There are numerous turnouts along the road to stop, take pictures, or get out and stroll along the ocean or among the trees. Visitors receive a map that points out some of the more scenic spots.
Chief among these is the Lone Cypress Tree, the official symbol of Pebble Beach and a frequent fixture of television broadcasts from this area.
In 1990 the Monterey Journal reported that Pebble Beach's lawyer, Kerry C. Smith, said "The image of the tree has been trademarked by us," and that it intended to control any display of the cypress for commercial purposes. The company had warned photographers that "they cannot even use existing pictures of the tree for commercial purposes."[1] Other legal commentators have questioned the Pebble Beach Company's ability to invoke intellectual property laws to restrict others' use of such images.[2]
The only services open to the public in Pebble Beach (gas stations, restrooms, restaurants) are at the Lodge at Pebble Beach and the Inn at Spanish Bay; there are plenty of comfortable and scenic spots to picnic. Spyglass Hill and Poppy Hills golf courses also have restaurants open to the public.
Just outside the Pacific Grove 17 Mile Drive entrance to the gated community of Pebble Beach is Pacific Grove's Sunset Drive (which becomes Ocean View Boulevard) and follows Pacific Grove's scenic coastline and is called by some the "poor man's 17-Mile Drive."
Contents |
An inspirational thoroughfare
Various artists over the years have found inspiration for their paintings of flora and fauna along this famous coastal landmark. For example, Arthur Hill Gilbert, one of the founding members of the Carmel Art Association, was an American Impressionist noted for his canvases depicting this scenic area, including View of 17 Mile Drive, and The Cove, Pt. Lobos, circa 1930.
Toll
To drive the section of the 17-Mile Drive Road that exists within the Pebble Beach Gated Community requires a payment of USD$9.25 by all visitors (as of the 6th of September, 2009.) Residents are not required to pay this fee. This is the section of road that is home to the Lone Cypress Tree mentioned above and the Pebble Beach Golf Course.
See also
Notes
- ^ Monterey Journal; Trees and Trademarks: The Disputes Run Deep Katherine Bishop, Special To The New York Times, August 2, 1990
- ^ Lone Cypressgate: Shutterbug, Spare This Tree! Ken Kwartler, The Recorder (Bay Area Legal Daily) August 24, 1990. Accessed 2009-07-28. Archived 2009-07-31.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 17-Mile Drive |
- Official site of the 17-Mile Drive
- Photographic description of the whole of 17-Mile Drive.
Coordinates: 36°35′05″N 121°57′54″W / 36.584839°N 121.9651°W
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
