CALIFORNIA DREAMING

Young creatives are bringing a new kind of cool to the historic Central Coast town of Carmel-by-the-Sea

- LIZBETH SCORDO

BEFORE CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA became known for its wealthy retirees, tony golf courses, and upscale resorts, it was a bohemian hot spot. More than a century ago, poets, artists, and writersincluding Jack London, Salvador Dalí, and Mary Hunter Austin-decamped to the charming hamlet, today beloved for its cottage-lined cobblestone streets and picturesque stretch of coastline. Some were fleeing San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake, while others just wanted to commune with like-minded freethinkers. A bit of that creative spirit has blown back into the one-square-mile town these past few years, driven by an influx of 30- and 40-somethings who have arrived to start businesses-drawn, like their predecessors, by the beauty of nature and the quality of life here. The result: a host of fresh restaurants and boutique hotels that are making Carmel more dynamic than it's been in years.