Fall 2025

I f you’re in Carmel when you read this, take note that you’re amongst a group of people who practically have superpowers. Peo- ple who navigate narrow thorough- fares and backed-up traffic in a sin- gle bound. Folks whose “Spidey-Sense” draws them to the hottest dining and shopping spots in town, knowing the short- cuts to get there. Whose cool-as-cucumber attitudes elicit a simple shoulder shrug when a celebrity walks by. If you’ve been here for more than a day or two, you’ve likely witnessed it. Carmelites have the ability to confidently drive on any street with about an inch of clearance on each side. Delivery truck parked on the left, and a gleaming new Maserati on the right? No problem. A Carmel resident can squeeze through with the precision of a surgeon, and know when to hold ’em if a line of cars needs to pass from the oncoming direction. They’re unflinching when a giant tree, grow- ing in the middle of the street, comes into play. They know, by rote, every two-way stop in town, cruising through an intersection like they own the place. And they do. Carmel residents know how to cross a dou- ble yellow line—only for a moment—to go around a row of tentative cyclists navigating hills and the lack of bike lanes.They also know when to bring it back down to 25 miles per hour at, say, Rio Road near the Carmel Mission, or face a meet and greet with a police officer. Carmelites are ultra patient.You won’t hear a horn honked because they still take in the astounding natural beauty, and want you to enjoy it, too.Those with silent electric cars can be seen with windows ajar and the music cranked, signaling they are mere feet behind a group of pedestrians walking down the middle of the street. If time is a factor, locals know to take any street above San Antonio or Scenic on a weekend or holiday or they’ll be part of an unintended parking lot with throngs of people jockeying to see the sunset at Carmel Beach. The vil- lagers also know there really is no need for a car. It’s a true European-like town where people–and their dogs or packs of dogs–walk. Everywhere. Streets are laid out numerically east to west with Ocean Avenue cutting down the middle. North and southbound streets have names. Hidden alleyways connect many of them, making for idyllic shortcuts to your destination. It’s almost always faster than finding a parking spot. Carmelites are the best geographers in the country. Homes and businesses don’t have street addresses, so locals are like human compasses, online maps be damned! They have this cri- teria memorized because cell service doesn’t work well much of the time, anyway.You want someone to come by for a drink, and you live at “Mission, second southeast of Ninth?” No prob- lem. See you soon. The locals know things: Six-dollar flower bouquets at the Thursday Farmer’s Market. Drinks during “Dime Time” at La Playa Hotel, a ten minute period where cocktails are 10 cents at a random time decided by the bartender.They don’t snicker at the special menus for dogs at their favorite restaurants.They know where to buy French Poodle salad dressing. They order Bruno’s sandwiches online for pickup to skip the crazy lines and grab the gourmet, triple-dipped malt balls and locally made English muffins near the register.They pop into Nielsens when fine wine and flowers or an exotic snack is needed.Then, they’ll head to the lagoon or Ribera Beach when Carmel Beach is too crowded.They’ll wear a sleeveless shirt and shorts in the winter and you’ll spot them in a puffer coat during summer’s chill. Carmelites turn on their own chill when celebrities are in town. Clint (Eastwood) and Doris (Day) laid the groundwork decades ago normalizing this, whether hanging out at their respective hotels or grabbing something at Carmel Drug Store.The locals left Brad (Pitt) alone when he tooled around town in a sports car, and know at which table Taylor, Travis, Bradley and Gigi—no last names needed—sat for dinner at Le Bicyclette. Golden StateWarriors legend Steph Curry can play a round of golf at Pebble Beach then sit down for dinner and not be disturbed.Well, there may be a sneaked photo or two, but a local will never admit it. Dina Ruiz is a former news anchor at KSBW TV, past host of “Candid Camera” and has starred on a reality show on the E! Network. She is a writer, editor and yogini. She resides on the Monterey Peninsula. BEHIND THE SPOTLIGHT D I N A R U I Z It’s a true European-like town where people– and their dogs or packs of dogs–walk. Meet the Locals 52 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 5