The View at Nepenthe

Nepenthe is a restaurant with the greatest view in the world, so claim a few travel writers. Opened in 1949, this eatery overlooks the Pacific Ocean from a cliff on California’s Big Sur. I ate there last week  and for a very brief moment, there were three unoccupied “rail” seats in front of me.Tourists wait hours for these kind of seats. The fare is hamburgers and salads– very good. Everything from drinks to food is priced like you were eating at the Plaza Hotel, but the view makes cost a moot point.

Nepenthe was once a log cabin where supposedly Orson Welles was going to cohabitate with Rita Hayworth–didn’t happen. The author Henry Miller was a regular when the restaurant opened. To think we live near this place. We’d go more often, save for the drive along Highway One that edges along cliffs; i.e., be careful and be sober. The parking lot is always full, so it is easiest to park off the highway. To avoid crowds go at 4:30 p.m.. Hey, I sound like a travel writer. As for “the greatest view,”  the competition is this bistro in Ravello, Italy that overlooks the Amalfi Coast. However, some of the sights from Nepenthe include whales and condors, so I give the nod to my local restaurant. (See the black car in the photo on the left–that’s where we parked before hiking to lunch.)