by Jessi Hafer

The National Steinbeck Center, located in author John Steinbeck’s native city of Salinas, California, would probably generate the most interest from Steinbeck enthusiasts, but the Center has a way of converting visitors into Steinbeck enthusiasts as well.

One of the museum’s two principal galleries is “Valley of the World,” about Salinas Valley agriculture. It presents some interesting information, but with the fragmentation and brevity standard to museums; you’ll see a shiny green tractor, read a bit about union and worker issues, turn to a giant ad with Marilyn Monroe holding two artichokes, and see a video of vegetable puppets arguing for why they are the best vegetable. I tend to enjoy the bizarreness of the juxtaposition and pace of such places.

However, what drew me to the Steinbeck Center, and what I enjoyed most, was the John Steinbeck Exhibition Hall, which presented the life, writings, characters, and times of John Steinbeck. As you wind around, Steinbeck’s novels are presented as sort of three-dimensional collages with trivia, props denoting the novels’ content, film posters, photos, sketches, and other memorabilia and paraphernalia. The more I read about Steinbeck’s works in this context, the more I wanted to read more of the actual works of this Nobel-prize winning writer. The Travels with Charley exhibit’s camper truck, complete with a large, grey fiberglass French Poodle (Charley), especially captured me. I then bought the book in the gift shop and have been reading it since.

The Steinbeck Center itself was worth the 2+ hour drive from Fresno, but since it only takes a few hours to see everything there, a trip to the Center can be easily paired with a stop by Monterey (Cannery Row, perhaps?) or a pleasant, leisurely stroll around Oldtown Salinas. There’s a farmer’s market on Saturdays, and the first Friday of every month is the “First Friday Art Walk” (visit www.artistaunidos.org). Also check with the Steinbeck Center for special events (I attended the Steinbeck Festival, which included some very interesting lectures and film screenings).

The surrounding Oldtown Salinas (walking tour brochures are available) is comfortable and charming. There are restaurants, a microbrewery, a wine tasting room, coffee shops, a movie theatre, and small shops close to the Steinbeck Center. The street is pedestrian friendly, and there is a reasonably priced parking garage. I’m not sure how many of the Farmer’s Market venders present on the Saturday of my visit are regulars, but I had some root beer (Sparky’s) I rather enjoyed, and I got to see someone selling deep fried Oreos and deep fried Twinkies (I have pictures to prove it). My imagination ran wild: Could a William Saroyan Center in downtown Fresno attract such fried delicacies and such a crowd of people?

The National Steinbeck Center is open seven days a week (closed major holidays) from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Admission is $10.95 per adult (with discounted rates for seniors, students, and children). For more information, visit http://www.steinbeck.org/MainFrame.html. Steinbeck noted, “…we do not take a trip; a trip takes us. Tour masters, schedules, reservations, brass-bound and inevitable, dash themselves to wreckage on the personality of the trip (Travels with Charley).” So for a truly Steinbeckian experience, don’t plan too much. Just get in your car and head towards Salinas.