Steinbeck's home quietly impresses Salinas visitors
by Rhina Guidos, Outpost staff
Not far from old downtown in Salinas, Calif., my friend Juliette and I stopped in front of the old Victorian at 132 Central Ave.
If it were any other house in the town, it would not attract much attention. But it is the childhood home of Salinas' most famous native John Steinbeck.
In "East of Eden," the 20th Century North American
author described the house as "immaculate, friendly, grand,
but not pretentious."
Salinas native John Steinbeck wrote his first
stories in this old victorian at Stone and Central
streets in Salinas, Calif.
Photo by Rhina Guidos.
Today it maintains its subtle elegance. Besides being a type of museum about his early years, the house is also a restaurant.
It is owned and operated by The Valley Guild, a local volunteer group.
A guide greeted us at the door and showed us the first room to the left where Steinbeck was born on Feb. 27, 1902. Family photographs and biographical notes about his boyhood are spread throughout.
The guides love to tell personal stories about the Nobel laureate who lived there with his parents and his three sisters in the early 1900s. For example, the only bathroom in the house was located in the parents' bedroom, a sure way to make sure the kids didn't come home late. They also say that anticipating the time women take to get ready, the parents installed a marble basin in the girls' room downstairs to alleviate the heavy traffic in their bathroom. All the Steinbeck children were baptized in the house, and his sister Esther was married on the landing at the base of the stairs.
The house has an old-fashioned feel reminiscent of the simple life he led and sometimes represented in his books.
He wrote his first and some of his most loved stories, "The Red Pony," and "Tortilla Flat," in his bedroom upstairs. For building code reasons, visitors are not allowed upstairs, and the tour is confined to the bottom floor.
Fresh cut flowers, candles and fine-cotton
tablecloths decorate the lunch tables. It looks quaint and
expensive. With a journalist's and a student's wage, we
didn't think we could afford to eat there.
For $8, my friend Juliette and I ate well and
learned about Steinbeck from the old newspaper
stories on the wall. Photo taken by The Valley
Guild volunteer, Leslie.
But a gourmet entrée and soup or salad costs $8. Drinks and dessert cost extra. So, we asked for a table.
When we got there, at 2 p.m., lunch seating had just ended and every table was full. It is typical of the weekends, and lunch reservations are recommended.
For a moment, we didn't think they would let us stay for lunch. But with luck and a sad, please-let-us-stay look, the volunteers scrambled around for a table. Besides being helpful and knowledgeable, they were friendly and kind to us.
We sat in the blue room with the basin, where the Steinbeck sisters slept before they moved to a room upstairs. We were served a delicious asparagus quiche with vegetables, and a tomato, basil, leek soup. For no reason, the guide brought us a tasty Grasshopper pie, free.
When we left, we appreciated their kindness and patience with our questions.
The simple and humble grandeur seems to be a town trademark and is seen in his novels. Even though his family had money, he maintained a certain simplicity and understanding when he wrote about field workers and union laborers.
Seeing his house and his surroundings, added a different side to the Steinbeck we went looking for. We always hear about the books, the fame, the awards, but he was also a man who had once been a boy. The house certainly puts a human touch to a literary giant.
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The
Steinbeck House |
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HOURS:
Monday to Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
Posted May 10, 1999
Copyright 1999 Nevada Outpost
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