Salinas and Valley Featured in New York Times
The 2,000-word article, headlined "What to Find in Salinas Valley: Lush Fields, Good Wine and, Yes, Steinbeck," describes the city and surrounding region as ripe for discovery:
New agricultural tours are giving visitors the chance to learn about the produce grown in mass quantities... the wine industry is getting attention... [and] the long-neglected downtown is being revitalized as entrepreneurs make it a vibrant hangout. Even without these draws, the scenery alone - rural roads lined with piercing green fields - is worth a trip.
Author Shvani Vora reverses the usual Peninsula-centric orientation of travel writers, by beginning at Aubergine Restaurant in Carmel, and then tracing the food and wine served there to its origins in the Valley.
Thus begins an extensive tour of Steinbeck Country, wineries, farms, restaurants, shops, and downtown Salinas. Among other locals, Vora quotes Paraiso Vineyards owners Jason and Jen Smith:
...They told us how the changes in Salinas have made a difference in their lives. "With more people visiting, the Valley doesn't feel as far removed," Ms. Smith said, "and instead of heading to Monterey or Carmel for a good time, we go to downtown Salinas, which never used to be cool but now has a scene."
On our visit the next day, we saw what she meant.
Not too long ago, downtown Salinas was defined by a dearth of people and shuttered storefronts on Main Street. Today, pedestrians stroll along the avenue checking out the new restaurants and stores.
The article, researched with the assistance of the Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau, will appear in the Next Stop column of the Times' Travel section.
Its equivalent advertising value (an estimate of what advertising of similar impact would be worth) is $2.5 million. The Sunday New York Times has a circulation of nearly 20 million readers (19,895,858).
# # #
