Welcome to POWERMARK'S exciting new website designed entirely around YOU, the user. What you're about to experience has taken many months of planning and design that had one thing in mind: provide our visitors with a single source of information for the entire Monterey Peninsula including the finest sources for real estate, finance, investing, restaurants, shopping, entertainment, art, wine, golf, cars, (and pretty much anything else that moves!), music, sports, spas, health/fitness, healing, kids, seniors, pets, charities, sailing, surfing, sharing, and a whole lot more! Ultimately it all boils down to providing you with the all the incredible things Carmel, Pebble Beach, Carmel Valley, Pacific Grove, Monterey, Carmel Highlands, Big Sur - well actually, everything this amazingly compact yet robust Peninsula has to offer its local residents and visitors.

So welcome! We hope you find POWERMARK.COM a site you interact with and return to often. Pass the link onto a friend - they'll thank you for doing so!

And please make note: POWERMARK.COM is an interactive site! Its greatest source of information comes from you! So don't be shy...provide others with your valuable input on the restaurant you ate at last night or the incredible art gallery you visited today. From yoga and palates classes to live bands for a wedding, there's always a place on POWERMARK.COM to input your opinion.

Your opinions and 'votes' will be automatically posted to the site for all future visitors to view. Who knows, you may save somebody from having the same bad experience from that auto repair shop that returned your car to you painted black (it went in white) when all you asked for was a tune-up - or more likely it's a great experience you'd like to share with the ...but either way, it's your opinion we're looking for and it's exactly that opinion we'll pass onto all of POWERMARK.COM'S future visitors. We're listening!

Come on in and get started and by all means, let us know what you think. Our goal is to make this your website that answers any and all your questions - and then some - about this incredible place they call The Peninsula.

Now the fun begins! POWERMARK.COM has compiled a hugely entertaining and informative site for natives, newcomers and visitors alike. We've nicknamed the major portion of this site WELCOME TO OUR PLAYGROUND for a good reason....The Monterey Peninsula which includes Carmel, Pebble Beach, Carmel Valley, Pacific Grove, Carmel Highlands, Monterey, and Big Sur is undoubtedly one of the most 'activity diverse' areas in all of California - or the world for that matter. The Peninsula's assets are almost countless with so many things to do, to enjoy, to interact with, and well, to play with. It's actually an adult wonderland of activities that's beyond compare. (Don't worry, for those of you with kids, for every adult activity there are just as many kids' things to do - and many of the schools are some of the best in the country!)

Okay, so we dare anybody to name one place in the U.S. that has all of this 'stuff' to do in one area that is no more than 35 minutes from north to south and east to west - and with nary a traffic jam to be found! (Okay, we admit, there can be one or two on Highway 1 at Ocean and Carpenter that'll hold you up for a whole 5 minutes.)

So, just for fun, let's rattle off a few of Monterey Peninsula's 'toys' starting with of course - excuse the pun - World Class Golf Courses including Clint & Company's unparalleled ocean's edge Pebble Beach and the Links at Spanish Bay, along with an assortment of renowned courses such as Spyglass, Poppy Hills, Monterey Peninsula Country Club (MPCC), Cypress Point Club (not sure this one counts 'cause only a handful or so incredibly fortunate folks in the entire world can ever play at this joint!), Pacific Grove Municipal (ocean side golfing still only 25 bucks!), The Santa Lucia Preserve, Tehama, Quail Lodge, Carmel Valley Ranch, Rancho Canada, Delmonte, Pasadera... (We better stop before we lose any more of our 'Golf-Widows')

...Some of America's finest Vineyards and Wines - the area is thick with beautiful vineyards and wine tasting rooms...sprawling Mountains stretching south to Big Sur and west through Carmel Valley with hundreds of miles of hiking and bike trails... The magnificent ocean fronts of Carmel, Pebble Beach, Pacific Grove, and Monterey with their sprawling white sand beaches (where many beaches allow you to bring your dog and build campfires on! Fun! Do a picnic on Memorial Day or Labor Day - bring firewood at Carmel Beach - they're giant love-fests!)...

The Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary rich with marine mammals and its 'crown jewel' the Monterey Bay Aquarium (considered tops in the country!)...Scuba Diving and Whale Watching...Art Galleries - dozens of 'em ...the sophisticated Shopping up, down and around Carmel's Ocean Avenue...gaining momentum daily especially since Tiffany's joined the fray....A collection of Automobiles and events such as The Concourse and The Quail - both unmatched in authenticity by anything outside of Milan, Italy...Not to mention the dozens of shows, events and gatherings throughout the week-long Concourse kicking off on Thursday morning at 7a.m. on the lawn of The Lodge....Let's not forget another huge motoring event called the Grand Prix GT which is held at Laguna Seca Raceway every September drawing the best motorcycle racers in the world and the biggest drawing spectator event on the Monterey Peninsula for the entire year! (Some may dispute this, this is what I've been told)....And let's not forget America's heavy metal featured in September called Cherry's Jubilee...Eat your heart out Ferrari aficionados - nothin' comes close to those '57 Chevy's and 60's Stingray's.

Back to nature for a sec ...The Unparalleled vistas and rugged beauty of the Continent's western coastline all the way from Big Sur's awe inspiring redwoods to Pacific Grove's Lovers Point that holds the world famous(?) Feast of Lanterns every August that is quite possibly the sweetest event of the entire Peninsula has to offer - Here's how it works...everybody in that little town called Pacific Grove (that's refreshingly and slightly frozen in time) hangs little Chinese lanterns from their front porches a couple of weeks prior to the 'Event'....then on the Great Night a magical dragon floats onto the beach at Lovers Point (aglow with candles - or maybe that was the blurr from the wine) while this crazy music plays in the background and an announcer reads off a wonderful story over the loud speakers nobody follows or understands...topped off with a barrage of fireworks in the fog...It's a must see/must do event ...Cocktail parties on front porches throughout Pacific Grove's quaint "Retreat One and Retreat Two" neighborhoods before the Festivities at the ocean front...I could go on for hours about this magical little Feast of Lanterns Festival, but suffice it to say it's only available here on the Peninsula!!

.....Music venues that draw musicians and music lovers from around the world - ranging from Carmel's three week Bach Festival to the world famous Monterey Blues and Jazz Festivals (If you ain't been, you ain't yet lived! Go loose and go hungry - the food's a kick! The music is a total swingin' groooove!)...Live theatre abounds at Carmel's renowned acoustic masterpiece, Sunset Center, and our quaint outdoor Forest Theater with its festive Shakespeare-like atmosphere and roaring, stage-front crackling fire pits all under a romantic starlit canopy...Yeaaaaaya...This is livin'!

A culinary collection of gourmet and 'cheap-eats' restaurants that rival those of any major metropolitan area across America...conspicuously missing a great 'Chicago style' pizza though...as is a memorable Jewish deli - but hey, we've got to invent some reason to leave this piece of paradise sometime - if only for a day or two....If only for a piece of pizza or - Hey wait, we forgot the annual Jewish Food Festival - so you see we've even got the matzo balls covered!

And what kind of Realtor would I be if I didn't mention Carmel-by-the-Sea real estate and Pebble Beach real estate - quite simply unparalleled. For decades they've been recognized as the Pinnacle of Luxury around the entire world...Quite simply, nothing compares to the homes of Carmel... unique 'one-off's' that are a combination of California Craftsman, French country and Mediterranean villa's decorated with American SubZero's and Wolf industrial gas ranges and sleek German ultra-low-flow dishwashers and washing machines...did I get that right?....And did we mention there's not an air conditioner to be found within the city limits of Carmel or Pebble Beach! To the world famous 1930's Pebble Beach estates --- that Bing barbe-qued-in-the-backyard-for-buddies-after-the-Crosby Open...

Competitive sports events that pull in the stars like AT&T's ProAm, (a crazy good time often led off by Bill Murray's subtle(?) showmanship)...The First Tee where the young armatures get to mix with the 'elders' and hone their skills for the years to come... the Big Sur Marathon...Considered one of the toughest in the world - I've never run it, but I've heard there's a piano player and assorted musicians that serenade on the sidelines along the race course...Then there's The Otter (Not sure where that name originated) - Having the title of being the world's largest bicycle race outside of the Tour de France - triathalons, half marathons, 5K's, 10K's, power walks - Tennis anyone? The Carmel Valley Athletic Club (CVAC) is without a doubt one of the sweetest little tennis/fitness clubs ANYWHERE! Tucked-away at the entrance to The Preserve sits this wonderful little club that some 'brilliant mind' spent millions on renovating to world class standards - it's a must see/must join if you're looking to stay in shape between races...ahhhhh...the sweet surfing spots up and down the coast...Horse back riding lessons and competition from Carmel Valley's Holman Ranch to Pebble Beach's elite Equestrian Center...

Horseback too slow for ya?...Heliports, a private jet center that has a very exclusive cocktail party during The Concourse for 2000 people - invitation only darling - so if you can get me a ticket to it for next year I'd be deeply indebted - seriously!...No excuses like leaning on the proverbial, "Oh, it's just too hard to get to Carmel", because we have our very own regional airport serving dozens of non-stop destinations from LA to Salt Lake to Phoenix...You can fly your own jet here, but you'll be hard pressed to build your own house here (a wee bit short on H2O)... but most of us around here would put this under the 'asset' column - remember the two five minute traffic jams we have? Our developers build 'em one at a time vs. five hundred at a time...Kinda' nice, that little extra elbow room we've got because of it....

Let's keep going - if you can stand all this fun..... Spas and five star resorts like Big Sur's Post Ranch and Ventana Resort, Carmel Valley's Quail Lodge, and Monterey's Plaza Hotel sitting right on Cannery Row, Pebble Beach's tres sheik Lodge ...Our own Laguna Seca International Raceway that holds some of the most prestigious events from professional bicycle races, to vintage auto races...

...All this activity got you hungry? Of course there's the impeccable Roy's at Spanish Bay right on the ocean with a bagpiper at sunset meandering in the distance while you sit at one of five fire pits sipping a glass of wine before dinner...shhhh...this is one of Lisa's and my secret get-away's...sitting inside in front of the roaring fire with a glass of wine listening to a local jazz quartet at Spanish Bay...Or Carmel's (or should I say Clint's) wonderful Mission Ranch with its outdoor patio overlooking sheep, for cryin' out loud, grazing in swaying tall grass and Carmel River Beach off in the distance...Hmmmm...nice, nice, nice...hang out there a couple of times and you'll get a chance to enjoy some of the locals sing some old favorites around the piano...Or the hot! Il Fornaio in the Pine Inn that's a really fun place to be seen with some very outstanding Italian food....Around the corner is another memorable favorite Casanova...Mmmm, ambiance galore! So many more in Carmel you'll just have to check out our restaurant section inside our website....But we'd be remiss if we didn't mention Big Sur's Nepenthe with its unmatched views of the southern Big Sur coast (outstanding food too!) or Carmel Valley Village's (11 miles out from Hwy.1) great assortment of wonderful restaurants like The Monterey Fish House or Caf Rustica or the 'infamous-still-kickin' Running Iron that still resonates with some of Carmel Valley's storied past... 'Happy' cowboys with their six-shooters pokin' holes in the roof every once an' a while just showin' their affection for the gal at the end of the bar - or more likely the burr that's got in 'is boot...

Ahhh, you're makin' a mistake if you don't soak up a little of Carmel Valley Village...yea, it's cool. Back towards Carmel way about a mile west of Carmel Valley Village is the Runnin' Iron's close kin' - Bernardus Lodge...(not really - but a great contrast!) Great food, great wine, great atmosphere and incredibly friendly people...We haven't even touched PG...The Little Red House...The Fish Wife...Fifi's....Fandango...Now a couple of 'cheap-eats'...LouLou's on the pier in Monterey, Tilly Gort's (lots of vegetarian dishes), The Wagon Wheel in Carmel Valley (breakfast and lunch only), RG Burgers in Carmel's Crossroads, Bruno's grocery for great custom sandwiches and outdoor bbq in the parking lot on Saturdays...Katy's on Mission for crazy BIG breakfast's...Earthbound Organic Farms in Carmel Valley is a wonderfully relaxing place to get a great soup, salad, fresh squeezed juice, organic groceries and unique gifts....Okay gotta stop. Go to the restaurant section inside the website and read other people's comments and 'votes' on all these restaurants and more! Fun!!!!

Environmental groups such as The Big Sur Land Trust, Save the Sea Otter, and Monterey Bay Aquarium... World leading conventional and organic produce growers with year round, open air farmer's markets...Check out Monterey's Tuesday late afternoon Farmers' market. on Alvarado...Great food and fresh, fresh produce!

Shall we go on and on and on...? It just never ends on the Monterey Peninsula!! So come on in >>>>>>>>>>> and again, Welcome to Our Playground!...If by chance you've just misplaced in your mind's eye all that we have here in our own backyard, you're new to the area - or are considering buying real estate here, we know you'll be thrilled and amazed what this incredibly beautiful area has to offer.

There's just no place on earth like it...Enjoy this little paradise with us as we delve in and discover its every nuance - a world-class lifestyle that provides us with a constant source of happiness and pleasure day in and day out....Join us, won't you?!

Enthusiastically yours,

Kyle Morrison and Team