Inquiring Within Cambria

You know you are approaching the wondrous, funky-around-the-edges hamlet of Cambria when the sounds of KPIG show up on your terrestrial radio dial. A renegade station broadcasting at 107.5 FM out of Freedom, California (close to Watsonville), KPIG happens to have a translator signal in Cambria, where you can hear the station’s independent-spirited format of “none of the hits all the time,” including Americana, roots rock, and assorted B-sides mixed with homespun aged-hippy charm from the deejays.

Somehow, the KPIG model translates beautifully to the atmosphere of Cambria, a fairly remote outpost on the coast and a bastion of old-school idealism. It is blessedly free of franchise operations, residential subdivisions, reliable cell phone service, and the usual slicker blandishments of California beach towns (ours included). 

Cambria is also a perfect option for Santa Barbarans seeking a “close escape” getaway. After too many years away, we (myself; my wife, Peggy; and our pooch, Harper) loaded up the Prius and headed up the coast for a visit on the 36-hour plan. We’re glad we did. This time out, we leaned on downtown Cambria as a locale for browsing, milling, and dining, but headed over to the enchanting Moonstone Beach zone to rest not-so-weary heads. 

We decamped at a highly recommended and recently renovated White Water boutique hotel, a dreamy and elegant — yet just rustic enough — spot on the Moonstone Beach byway. After it reopened in its new form in 2020, Condé Nast Traveler deigned to put the spot on its “Hot List.” The hotel’s website boasts, “Mixing vintage and modern elements, White Water uses influences from 1970s Scandinavia and California bohemian culture.” Fair enough. In the lobby, we’re greeted with the familiar Joseph Campbell admonition, “Follow your bliss,” and the room card bears a relevant quote by Thoreau: “I took a walk through the woods and came out taller than the trees.”

Our suite was a stylishly appointed with subtle touches, faux vintage features, and a brick-lined fireplace facing both the living room and the bedroom. Not incidentally, the suite is designed to showcase strategic view sightlines, thanks to a vacant lot next door. You can see the sea from there, from the bed, and also from the freestanding bathtub. You can almost see the proverbial white water across the boulevard. 

In lieu of a Gideon’s Bible, the room came equipped with a small book of sea-themed poetry. This site-specific bedtime reading choice includes Herman Melville’s “The Tuft of Kelp:” 

All dripping in tangles green,
  Cast up by a lonely sea
If purer for that, O Weed,
  Bitterer, too, are ye?

Melville leaned into metaphor and life-death themes as much as oceanic fact in his poem, but real-time ocean awareness and ambience is central experience here, with a rugged coastal vibe leaning more toward a NorCal model distinct from Santa Barbara’s south-facing beaches. Whether experienced up close, in beachcomber mode, or viewed from the cliffside panoramic angle of the must-visit Fiscalini Ranch trail, Cambria’s coast is a wonder to behold.

Moonstone is a dreamy oceanfront boulevard lined with lazily sprawling Monterey cypress trees, with a wooden walkway allowing for strolling in a beach area less walkable than Southern California’s. As a good opening salvo on the trip, we took Harper on a leisurely walk along the boardwalk. We ran into a local sporting the beach’s namesake agate who explained that, yes, there are moonstones to be found on this scenic stretch, but they are hard to find.

Later, we hopped on the green-tea-ice-cream-colored bicycles available at White Water, tooling up Moonstone Beach Drive to the eatery known as the Cow Tipper and back down to the crosstown exchange leading from Moonstone to downtown. The crisp ocean-kissed air caressed our skin and spirits.

And soon enough, our bellies were sated by a visit to the popular Moonstone Bar & Grill, where a few tips we’d gotten about the fish tacos were fully validated. My shrimp and scallop tacos hit the spot, and other places. The motto of the place (and town?): “Relax. Enjoy. Repeat.” 

As for dining, we opted to pay a return visit to one of the stars of the eatery scene here, the centrally located Robin’s (originally the 1935-vintage Souza House, owned by the foreman at Hearst Castle). On this night, the special was, well, extra-special: a delectable Tom Yum Talay fish stew with a Thai tang (owner Shanny Covey is of Singaporean-Chinese heritage, accounting for the international range of the menu). From another global corner, Peggy happily dined on Peruvian chicken.

Robin’s also hosts live music by local artists on Monday nights, our waiter — one of the Monday musicians — informed us.

In contrast to Moonstone’s seaside semi-resort-like enclave, downtown Cambria is a slice of civic life from some past time paradigm, like a township time half-forgot. The Ball and Skein and More yarn store features a free fiber library with free fiber tools and books. We had planned to catch the Thursday night jazz at the Harmony Café, a hot ticket in the region, but it was closed for “family matters.”

Humble, homey, and quirky shops line the streets, and its deep history is proudly conveyed via commemorative plaques. The Cambria Historical Museum is housed in the 1870 Guthrie/Bianchi House, for instance. No Cambria trip is complete without a stop at the agreeably bizarre bazaar known as Spellbound Gift Shop & Garden (formerly Mr. Carroll’s blacksmith shop, circa the 1980s). Head out back and wend through the Alice in Wonderland–y fantasyland, a treat for kitschy imagination-trippers of all ages. Next door, you find the Cinnabar compound-let, its sign promising a “Funky World Boho Chic Boutique,” a word salad I can get behind.

Meanwhile, set in the more rational real estate home of a former bank, the classic Linn’s Restaurant boasts eats and especially pies. The in-house special, Olallieberry, was our flavor of choice. When in Cambria … do as the locals and tourists do. Get thee to Linn’s.

To cap off the night, we followed our bliss to partake of the bathtub with an ocean view.

A large and cryptic sign placed strategically at the entrance to the main downtown area screams out “Inquire Within,” as if to pose a relevant question or two — concerning the philosophical challenge of getting to know thyself, and the nagging question of inquiring as to what makes the unique California outpost that is Cambria tick. As with any community, the answer is complex. But whatever it is, depending on one’s perspective, we approve of this spot and long to return soon. 

White Water hotel info can be found at whitewatercambria.com. Rates start at about $256 per room.